ATLANTA, GA, March 29, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present C. Edward Dobbs with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. Dobbs celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Mr. Dobbs has been engaged in the practice of law for almost 44 years and is widely recognized in the legal profession for his expertise in commercial lending, debtor-creditor rights and responsibilities, and alternative dispute resolution. Since 1983, he has been a partner in the Atlanta office of Parker Hudson Rainer and Dobbs LLP, where he has been the practice group leader for the commercial lending and bankruptcy practices. In 2016, Mr. Dobbs decided to "surrender the reigns" to a new generation of attorneys in the firm; but he remains active in handling secured loan transactions, workouts and bankruptcies and serving as an arbitrator and mediator of complex commercial disputes. Over the course of his career, he has represented banks and other financial institutions in multi-borrower syndicated loan transactions as well as both debtors and creditors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. For more than 20 years, he has established a national reputation as an arbitrator and mediator of complex commercial disputes throughout the country.
After graduating from law school, Mr. Dobbs entered the United States Army as an Infantry first lieutenant. Following his active duty training, he began his practice with the Atlanta firm of Huie, Brown & Ide, which, through a series of mergers, ultimately became Kutak Rock & Huie. In 1983, he joined friends in forming his current firm, which has grown to more than 80 attorneys. Recognized for his expertise in commercial lending and bankruptcy, Mr. Dobbs was invited to serve as an adjunct professor at Emory Law School, where from 1987 to 1992 he taught courses on commercial lending and bankruptcy. As a frequent lecturer to other attorneys in those fields of law, he has spoken to state and local bar associations and industry groups throughout the country.
Mr. Dobbs first realized that he wanted to pursue a legal career while in junior high school. His Sunday school teacher, a lawyer, decided to hold a debate on capital punishment. The teacher took the pro-death penalty position and asked Mr. Dobbs to undertake research before the next class and argue the contrary position. Mr. Dobbs delved into research on the topic and quickly realized that he had a passion for both research and debate. Based on that experience, he set his sights on a career in the law. He was fortunate to have many mentors in his early years as an attorney. His supervising partner was the then president of the American Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division (established for lawyers 36 years of age or younger), who ultimately went on to become president of the ABA. Several years after that partner's service as Young Lawyers Division chair, he urged Mr. Dobbs to run for the position. Mr. Dobbs threw his hat into the ring, campaigned vigorously, and won the election. Through that position, he met his wife, Elly (Kuypers), then an attorney in Miami, Florida, to whom he has been married for more than 37 years. Together, they have three children and six grandchildren.
Mr. Dobbs graduated in 1974 from Vanderbilt University School of Law, where he was Articles Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review and awarded Order of the Coif (for graduating in the top 10% of his class). He was admitted in 1974 to practice in the State of Georgia, and is authorized to appear in cases before the United States District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia and the Eastern District of Michigan, and the United States Courts of Appeal for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits, and the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Dobbs is the author of two books—Reorganizations Under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, published in 1979, and Enforcement of Security Interests in Personal Property, published in 1978—and numerous law review articles. He is putting the final touches on a 650+ page manuscript on mediation of commercial cases, which he hopes to have published within the next 12 months. Mr. Dobbs is a Fellow in the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers (since 1991, and served as its president from 1996 to 1998); a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy (since 1993); and a Fellow in both the Lawyers Foundation of Georgia and the American Bar Foundation. He was elected in 2016 to the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals and the Georgia Arbitration Forum, and since 2014 has been a Master of the Bench in the Georgia Bankruptcy American Inn of Court.
Mr. Dobbs has served his community in a variety of capacities. For his alma mater, Davidson College, he has served on the Board of Visitors since 2005 and as its Board Chair (2009-2010), and as a result of that service became a member of the Board of Trustees for a two-year term. For his children's preparatory school, he served on the Board of Trustees of The Trinity School (1992-1996). For his community, he has served on the Board of Trustees of Trees Atlanta, Inc. (since 2002, and as its president from 2009 to 2013), on the Board of Trustees of The Georgia Conservancy (and as its current Board Chair), and on the advisory board of Emory Medical School's Department of Urology (2009-2013). For his profession, he has served as chair of the Bankruptcy Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia, the head of numerous business law committees of the American Bar Association, and as president of the Atlanta Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association (2007-2009).
Mr. Dobbs was named a Martindale-Hubbell top AV Preeminent® attorney in Legal Leaders: Bankruptcy and Legal Leaders: Banking and Finance Law and as one of Georgia's "Top Rated Lawyers" since 2012. His firm was also recognized as a Top Rated Law Firm by Martindale-Hubbell in 2014, and Mr. Dobbs was named an AV Preeminent® Attorney and Bar Register of Preeminent Attorneys for multiple years. He has been honored with numerous awards and commendations for his outstanding contributions to the legal industry, including the Lifetime Achievement David W. Pollard Award by the Bankruptcy Section of the Atlanta Bar Association in 2012. Best Lawyers has recognized him as the Atlanta "Lawyer of the Year" in numerous legal subfields throughout the years, and for 35 consecutive years the annual publication has recognized him as a leading practitioner in arbitration, banking and finance law, bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights. He has been named a top lawyer by multiple publications, including multiple issues of Law & Politics, Atlanta Magazine and Georgia Trend Magazine, and has been featured in International Who's Who of Insolvency & Restructuring Lawyers and numerous editions of Strathmore's Who's Who and Who's Who Legal: The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers. Finally, Mr. Dobbs has been recognized in Chambers USA Leading American Business Lawyers in both banking and finance and insolvency/recovery for more than 15 years, and as a "Star" national lawyer in insolvency and mediation.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to his profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Mr. Dobbs has been featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
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