The United States Bankruptcy Court's Attorney Constituent Group (ACG) was created in September 1997 through the efforts of the Court's Strategic Planning initiative. This group included bankruptcy attorneys throughout the district to provide input to the Judges in a variety of areas. The initial group of 18 bankruptcy practitioners focused on four areas: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Technology, Uniformity and Standardization, and Practitioners' Concerns. Recommendations were made to focus attention in these areas and many improvements resulted from the work of the ACG, including the adoption of standardized motions, orders, and notices that are submitted to the Court district-wide.

The Attorney Constituent Group subsequently provided assistance in planning periodic bench-bar retreats with the intent to improve communication between practitioners and the Judges. The first retreat was held in October 2000 and was followed by events in 2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2024. The retreats have covered a variety of practical and procedural aspects of bankruptcy practice, including electronic case filing, uniformity, local rules, office management, attorney succession, website design, and post-BAPCPA issues. The 2007 retreat resulted in the ACG's formulation of several recommendations. The Court's response to the recommendations is available here.

The success of the ACG has been the result of dedicated attorneys willing to give their personal time to provide input to the Judges of this Court. Since 2006, the Judges have invited recommendations from the bar associations throughout the Northern District of Ohio for membership in this group. The current membership can be found by clicking here, and the complete list of all attorneys who have served on the ACG since 1997 can be found by clicking here. Meetings of the ACG are held periodically, including the subcommittees formulated to focus attention in a variety of practice areas. Contact information is provided as the ACG welcomes comments from attorneys throughout the district.