Bowling-Pfizer Settlement Funds


	Trustees

James A. Higgins, ESQ.
- Mr. Higgins was appointed by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio as Special Master Trustee of the Bowling-Pfizer Heart Valve Settlement Funds. Mr. Higgins succeeds Judge Robert L. Black, Jr., who passed away in February of 2008.
  
  From 1973 to 2007, Mr. Higgins served as the Circuit Executive for the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. In that position, he managed a $17 million annual budget and a staff of 150, and was responsible for numerous administrative duties related to the Court, the Sixth Circuit Judicial Council, and the Judicial Conduct and Disability process.
  
  During his time as Circuit Executive, Mr. Higgins was appointed by United States Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist to the Judicial Conference of the United States, the principal policy-making body of the federal judiciary. He served on the Committee from 1987 to 1988.
  
  From 1971 to 1973, Mr. Higgins served as the Clerk of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. From 1969 to 1971, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. John W. Peck on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
  
  Throughout his career, Mr. Higgins has been an active leader in the John W. Peck Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He has served on the Executive Committee since 1981, including a year as President, and has served in numerous other leadership roles for the past 25 years. In 2006, he was awarded the Judge John W. Peck Award for Outstanding Leadership.