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650.328.9500
Judge Alan H. W. Shiff (Retired)
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut
Arbitrator & Mediator
Judge Shiff served as a United States Bankruptcy Judge from 1981 until 2015. During his time on the bench, Judge Shiff presided over a wide variety of bankruptcy and commercial disputes, and conducted trials in hundreds of matters. In many cases, Judge Shiff mediated complex disputes among multiple parties. Judge Shiff was the recipient of the Honorable Robert C. Zampano Award for Excellence in Mediation on May 8, 2002.
Judge Shiff has served on the Forms Task Force and on the Bankruptcy Judges Advisory Committee of the Administrative Office of the United Sates Courts (1991-1996). He was elected to serve as Second Circuit Governor of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges (1995-1998). Judge Shiff served on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Second Circuit (1996-2000) and he served as the Chief Judge for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut (1996-2003). Judge Shiff was a member of a U.S. delegation to Pskov, Russia, where he gave a series of lectures on bankruptcy law and policy to the Russian American Rule of Law Consortium. He has also given lectures to colleges and universities, including the Yale University School of Management.
Prior to his appointment, Judge Shiff was a member of the firm Shiff, Shiff & Schancupp. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut School for Boys and the Connecticut Planning Committee on Criminal Administration. He also served as Chairman of the Council of the Connecticut Department of Children and Youth Services and Special Counsel to the Connecticut General Assembly Joint Committee on Energy and Public Utilities.
Judge Alan H. W. Shiff Selected Opinions:
- In re City of Bridgeport, 129 B.R. 332 (Bankr. D. Conn. 1991) (defining insolvency test under Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code and determining whether city insolvent)
- In re City of Bridgeport, 128 B.R. 688 (Bankr. D. Conn. 1991) (eligibility of city to file under Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code)
- Carabetta Enterprises, Inc. vs. The City of Asbury Park (In re Carabetta Enterprises, Inc.), 162 B.R. 399 (Bankr. D. Conn. 1993) (injunction under Bankruptcy Code section 105)
- Raytech Corporation vs. Stefanutti (In re Raytech Corporation), 238 B.R. 241 (Bankr. D. Conn. 1999) (bankruptcy jurisdiction and abstention)
- Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors vs. Raytech Corporation (In re Raytech Corporation), 190 B.R. 149 (Bankr. D. Conn. 1995) (authority of debtor to use property out of the ordinary course of business)
- Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors vs. Pardee, et al. (In re Stanwich Financial Services Corp.), 317 B. R. 224 (Bankr. D. Conn. 2004) (standing)
- McCarron vs. Andrews (In re Andrews), 385 B.R. 496 (Bankr. D. Conn. 2008) (issue preclusion), aff’d, 507 B.R. 78 (D. Conn. 2014), aff’d, 595 Fed.Appx. 69 (2nd Cir. 2015)
- In re Scott Cable Communications, 227 B.R. 596 (Bankr. D. Conn. 1998) (plan confirmation denied because plan proposed principally to avoid payment of taxes)
- In re SageCrest II LLC, 2015 WL 9438369 (Bankr. D. Conn. 2015) (objection to claim)
- In re Dunne, 2015 WL 7625609 (Bankr. D. Conn. 2015) (application of automatic stay to foreign proceeding)
- In re Sapphire Development, LLC, 2015 WL 5579545 (Bankr. D. Conn. 2015) (motion to dismiss)
Professional Affiliations:
- Connecticut Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- American Bankruptcy Institute
- American Judicature Society
- Berkeley College Yale University, Associate Fellow (2001 – present)
Admissions:
- State of Connecticut
- U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut
Education:
- University of Virginia School of Law, LL.B.
- Yale University, B.A.