The Honorable Margaret M. Mann, judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California and longstanding member of the San Diego legal community, has been appointed as the Bankruptcy Judge Observer to the United States Judicial Conference. She is the sole representative of the bankruptcy courts and the 350 bankruptcy judges in the United States.
The United States Judicial Conference reviews the affairs of all federal courts in the United States. It is presided over by Chief Justice John Roberts and meets semi-annually at the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. In this role, Judge Mann will work alongside other federal judges and will represent bankruptcy courts throughout the United States. The Judicial Conference addresses topics including rules of practice and procedure, court administration, probation and pretrial services, security, budget and more.
Members of the conference include the chief judge of each judicial circuit, one district judge from each judicial circuit and the chief judge of the Court of International Trade.
Mann recently concluded a term as chief judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California, where she still sits. During her time as chief judge, Judge Mann navigated the Southern District Bankruptcy Court through the immense changes demanded by the Covid-19 pandemic. She also recently completed a term on the national U.S. Bankruptcy Judges Advisory Committee.
Prior to her appointment to the bankruptcy court, Judge Mann practiced law at Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps in San Diego for 20 years, serving on the firm’s executive committee. Later, she was a partner at Heller Ehrman LLP and Shepperd Mullin Richter & Hampton.
Throughout her career, Mann focused her practice on bankruptcy law and litigation.
Mann has been active in professional and civic activities for decades. She is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy; was on the Board of Directors for the San Diego Center for Children; was a Ninth Circuit Lawyer Representative and member of the Ninth Circuit Conference Executive Committee; and was a volunteer and Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program. She was a founding member and president of the San Diego Bankruptcy Forum.
Throughout her career, she has promoted pro bono representation and has worked to make justice accessible. By helping to establish the Bankruptcy Self Help Center at the San Diego County Courthouse, she created a free forum for individuals who cannot afford bankruptcy counsel to receive assistance from the Legal Aid Society of San Diego. She has brought free legal services to the residents at the San Diego Veterans Village and has also directed the Credit Abuse Resistance Education (CARE) program in the Southern District for several years.