Dated 25 April 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, D.C. The National
Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys has named O. Max Gardner III
of Shelby, North Carolina, as its 2004 "Champion of Consumer Rights."
This Award was presented to Gardner on 23 April 2004 at the Annual Meeting
of NACBA in Boston. In presenting the Award, Matthew Mason, the President
of NACBA, stated that it was given "in recognition of and appreciation
for Max Gardner's extraordinary service in protecting American consumers
and, in particular, for Max's critical role in preserving the rights of
consumer debtors in need of bankruptcy relief." The Award also recognized
Gardner's "unparalleled efforts in protecting the rights of the former
employees of the Shelby Yarn Company by his innovative and unique use of
the bankruptcy laws to obtain more than $2,100,000.00 in damages and monetary
recoveries from the former owners, directors, officers and attorneys for
the Company."
NACBA is the only national organization
dedicated to serving the needs of consumer bankruptcy attorneys and protecting
the rights of consumer debtors in bankruptcy. NACBA was founded in
1992 and has grown to more than 1,200 members, located in all 50 states
and Puerto Rico. NACBA members are drawn from law firms that file
thousands of bankruptcy cases per year as well as solo practitioners who
file fewer than one hundred cases. This diverse group is united by
the desire to be part of the only organization that is run by and for the
benefit of consumer bankruptcy attorneys and their clients.
Today, NACBA is recognized by
Members of Congress and their staffs, by the media, by the Office of the
United States Trustee, and by the Judicial Branch as the leading voice
in America on consumer bankruptcy law. The Association and its members
frequently are called upon to share their expertise and are regular speakers
and lecturers at bankruptcy and consumer rights seminars. NACBA is
also the leading force against the anti-debtor legislation that is so aggressively
sought by the consumer credit industry. NACBA's team of legislative
advocates in Washington ensures that the voice of the hard pressed consumer
debtors and their attorneys will be heard in the on-going debates about
changes in the Bankruptcy Code.
In accepting this Award, Gardner
stated that "he was both surprised and humbled to receive such a prestigious
award from his fellow bankruptcy lawyers. It is both a high honor
and a distinct privilege to join such an elite group of former recipients."
Gardner added that "NACBA represents the lawyers who are in the bankruptcy
courts of America every day fighting for the rights of the majority of
our citizens who face a constant struggle to make their mortgage payments,
to pay for their cars, to send their children to school, to buy their medicine,
and to put food on the table. NACBA members provide the ultimate
safety net for millions of Americans who would otherwise lose their homes
to foreclosure and their vehicles to the repossession agents of the credit
industry. As a result, to receive this type of recognition from this
organization makes it even more rewarding," said Gardner.
Gardner is the Grandson of former
North Carolina Governor O. Max Gardner Sr. Governor Gardner also
served President Harry Truman as Undersecretary of the United States Department
of the Treasury and as the United States Ambassador to the Court of
St. James in England. During his term as Governor, Gardner caused
the legislation to be enacted that created the Consolidated University
of North Carolina System of Higher Education, and is today recognized as
the "Father of the Consolidated University." |
