Press Release

Bradley is pleased to announce that Jay Bender, a partner in the firm’s Birmingham office, has been presented with the Alabama Commendation Medal from the Alabama Army National Guard for his work on drafting and helping to secure passage of the “Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need Act of 2019” (HAVEN Act; H.R. 2938).

Mr. Bender was honored July 24 at the 2020 Alabama Military Law Symposium where he was presented with the award by Amy Quick Glenos, an attorney at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C., and a reserve component soldier and captain in the U.S. Army JAG Corps., Alabama Army National Guard, for which she also serves as trial counsel.

“We congratulate Jay on this prestigious recognition of his many years of work and unwavering commitment to protecting disabled veterans in financial distress and ushering the HAVEN Act into reality,” said Bradley Birmingham Office Managing Partner Dawn Helms Sharff. “This recognition is reflective of Jay’s outstanding work and the importance of this landmark law in helping disabled veterans and their families achieve financial stability.”

The HAVEN Act, which passed Congress and was signed into law last year, changed U.S. bankruptcy laws to better protect the economic security of disabled veterans experiencing financial hardship. Mr. Bender was instrumental in the drafting of the original HAVEN Act bill in 2017, worked pro bono on the initiative along with other Bradley attorneys, and served as co-chair of the Legislative Committee of the American Bankruptcy Institute Task Force on Veterans and Service Members Affairs – of which Mr. Bender is a founding member – that actively promoted the HAVEN Act on Capitol Hill.

Mr. Bender also was recognized for his work with members of the Alabama Army National Guard on writing an article that provided valuable analysis of the HAVEN Act, published in the July 2020 military edition of the Alabama State Bar’s Alabama Lawyer magazine.

The Alabama Commendation Medal recognizes meritorious and outstanding services and accomplishments, including military performance in direct support of the state’s military forces.

Last year, Mr. Bender received the inaugural Service to Veterans Award from the American Bankruptcy Institute for his pivotal role in drafting and helping to turn the HAVEN Act into law. He also received Bradley’s Core Value Award for Community Service earlier this year.

A member of Bradley’s Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Practice Group, Mr. Bender represents lenders, indenture trustees, and other creditors in bankruptcy cases and receivership proceedings and in out-of-court negotiated workouts, loan restructurings, and orderly liquidations involving privately and publicly owned borrowers. He also regularly advises financially troubled businesses and their leadership teams, both in out-of-court restructurings and in chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. In addition, he has extensive experience representing debtors, creditors, and other parties in chapter 9 bankruptcy cases involving distressed municipalities. A Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy, Mr. Bender formerly served as chair of Bradley’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring, and Distressed Investing Practice Group.