FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         UST
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 1997                           (202) 514-2008
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888

        ATTORNEY GENERAL APPOINTS U.S. TRUSTEE TO OVERSEE
       BANKRUPTCY CASES IN FLORIDA, GEORGIA, PUERTO RICO
                     AND THE VIRGIN  ISLANDS


     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Attorney General Janet Reno has
appointed C. David Butler as the U.S. Trustee to oversee the
administration of bankruptcy cases in the Judicial Districts of
Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, the Justice
Department announced today.

     Butler, whose appointment for Region 21 runs for five years,
assumed his duties on June 16, 1997.  As U.S. Trustee, Butler
will play an important oversight role in the administration of
the bankruptcy process--appointing and monitoring individuals
employed to represent bankruptcy estates, assessing the
feasibility of plans of reorganization, commenting on the fee
applications of attorneys and other professionals, and
investigating and assisting in the prosecution of bankruptcy
crimes. 
 
     The principal office for Region 21 is located in Atlanta,
with district offices in Savannah and Macon, Georgia; Tampa,
Orlando, Miami and Tallahassee, Florida; and San Juan, Puerto
Rico.

     Butler brings nearly 30 years of experience in the
bankruptcy field to his new role as U.S. Trustee.  He earned a
B.A. from the University of Georgia in 1964 and his Juris Doctor
in 1967 from that University's Lumpkin School of Law.  Butler has
spent his career in private practice with an emphasis on
corporate reorganizations and bankruptcy litigation.  Prior to
his appointment, Butler was a Partner in the Atlanta firm of
Alston & Bird.

     Butler is active in a number of professional organizations,
including the Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute where he
served as President from 1995 to 1996.  In addition, he has
served on the American Bar Association's Business Bankruptcy
Subcommittee of the Business Law Section and he is a fellow in
the American College of Bankruptcy.  He is a member of the State
Bar of Georgia, as well as the Atlanta Bar Association, of which
he is a past President.  Butler has been a frequent lecturer on
bankruptcy, speaking at seminars and classes offered by the
American Bar Association Division of Professional Education, the
Emory Law School, the Georgia Institute for Continuing Legal
Education, the Atlanta Bar Committee for Continuing Legal
Education, and the Business Law Institute.

     Butler is also involved in a number of charitable and
community organizations.  He sits on the Board of Directors of
the Sandy Springs Learning Center, an organization that teaches
English and job skills to the Hispanic community; and is also
active with the YMCA, serving on the Board of Directors and as
Secretary of the Metropolitan YMCA of Atlanta and as Past
Chairman of the Downtown Branch of the YMCA.

     A native of Georgia, Butler is married with five adult
children.
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