Ozarks Profile: Judge Arthur B. Federman

What is your job?

United States Bankruptcy judge for the Western District of Missouri. Federman is based in Kansas City and travels to Springfield to hear bankruptcy cases at the U.S. Courthouse, 222 N. Hammons Pkwy., about twice a month.

Tell us about your organization.

"The United States District Court has been holding court in Springfield since 1887. Originally, bankruptcy cases were heard by U.S. District Court judges. Since 1979 those cases have been heard by U.S. Bankruptcy Court judges such as myself," Federman said. "I was appointed to the court in December 1989 and since then have carried a full load of cases in Kansas City and outlying divisions. Prior to 1999, I held court in St. Joseph and Joplin, in addition to Kansas City. I now have dockets in both Kansas City and Springfield."

What is your educational background?

"I graduated from the University of Kansas in 1973 and the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law in 1976."

What jobs led you to your current one?

"After law school, I was a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., for almost three years, and then was in private practice for more than 10 years with Linde, Thompson, Langworthy, Kohn & Van Dyke, in Kansas City, specializing primarily in bankruptcy and creditors' rights."

What is the best part of your job?

"I love just about everything about my job, but two aspects of it strike me on an almost daily basis. The first is the opportunity to take complicated legal problems and boil them down to a solution that is hopefully both fair and consistent with the law. That is sometimes a real challenge. The second is the opportunity to deal on a daily basis with the impact that bankruptcy has on people's lives, and hopefully help all who are affected by that process move on with their lives."

Give us some personal information.

Federman is 49 and with the exception of his time in Washington, D.C., after law school, has lived in the Midwest all of his life. He and his wife Diana have two grown daughters, Audrey and Carla. Federman is a past president and a board member of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, which is based in the Kansas City area. He also serves as the vice president for Planning and Allocations, a division of the Jewish Federation of Kansas City.

What book are you currently reading?

"I'm reading The Great Republic' by Winston S. Churchill and A Dangerous Friend' by Ward Just."