Nevada bankruptcy judge departing for Florida professorship

WASHINGTON — U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Bruce A. Markell is leaving the federal bench after accepting a professorship at Florida State University.

Markell submitted his resignation on Monday, effective July 10.

He will become the Jeffrey A. Stoops Professor at the Florida State University College of Law.

Markell, a bankruptcy judge in Southern Nevada since 2004, confirmed his departure after his new appointment was announced by the school.

Before becoming a judge, Markell was a professor at the Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He maintained a senior fellowship at the school that he said he also has resigned from effective in July.

Markell is one of four authorized bankruptcy judges in Nevada. A fifth, Judge Gregg Zive, serves on a form of senior status and handles a reduced caseload.

Nevada’s deep and prolonged recession created a full plate for bankruptcy judges. While filings have declined over the past three years, the state ranked first with 7.11 total filings per capita in the year that ended Sept. 30, 2012, according to the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts.

Federal bankruptcy judges in Nevada are appointed by a majority of judges in the 9th U.S. Circuit. And unlike federal district and appeals judges who are given lifetime jobs, bankruptcy judges serve 14-year terms.

At Florida State, the Stoops professorship is awarded to a specialist in corporate, business or securities law. The school noted Markell has published books and articles on bankruptcy, contracts and commercial law, and has been active in commercial law reform.

Markell’s previous tenure as a professor at the Boyd School of Law coupled with his judicial experience makes him a good hire for Florida State, according to Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond and former Markell colleague at UNLV.

“He brings the academic side with his books and articles and he’s got eight or nine years of experience doing the very thing he will be teaching his students,” Tobias said.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760. Follow him on Twitter @STetreaultDC.