Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday
8:00 a.m.
Golf Tournament at Lake Presidential Golf Course
Sponsored by PwC
9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
ABC Exams
4:00-8:00 p.m.
Exhibit Hall Open
Sponsored by Sherwood Partners LLP
4:00-6:00 p.m.
ABI Happy Hour
Sponsored by Loeb & Loeb
5:00-6:00 p.m.
New Member Judges’ Roundtable Reception
Sponsored by Appear By Phone
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Opening Reception
Sponsored by Duff & Phelps, LLC, GCG, Jenner & Block LLP, Mesirow Financial Consulting, LLC, and Protiviti Inc.
8:00-8:30 a.m.
Breakfast
Co-sponsored by Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP & MorrisAnderson
8:30-10:00 a.m.
17th Annual Great Debates
Jeffrey N. Pomerantz, Moderator
American Bankruptcy Institute VP of Education
Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP; Los Angeles
Past Presidents’ Debate
Resolved: The Bankruptcy Code should be revised to eliminate a debtor in possession's and trustee's ability to recover preferential transfers.
Pro: John D. Penn
Haynes and Boone LLP; Fort Worth
Con: Andrew W. Caine
Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP; Los Angeles
Judicial Debate
Resolved: A claim against the debtor’s estate, transferred to a third party, should be treated the same as if in the hands of the original holder.
Pro: Hon. Arthur J. Gonzalez
New York University School of Law; New York
Con: Hon. Kevin J. Carey
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Del.); Wilmington
Consumer Debate
Resolved: An attorney in a consumer case should be able to limit the scope of her employment.
Pro: Brian Michael Shockley
Clark & Washington, PC; Atlanta
Con: Pamela J. Griffith
Office of the U.S. Trustee; Washington, D.C.
10:00-10:15 a.m.
Break
Sponsored by Executive Sounding Board Associates Inc.
10:15-11:45 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions (2)
Mediation: An Irrational Approach to a Rational Result
This panel will focus on the irrational biases for decision-making in bankruptcy. The essence of bankruptcy is deciding how to divide the debtor's metaphorical shrinking economic pie among qualified creditors. At its optimum, bankruptcy decision-making is efficient and rational. However, at other times even the most skilled bankruptcy practitioners are stymied by the inability of bankruptcy participants to make seemingly rational business decisions. Why can't everyone be rational? Decision-making is not a rational process. Behavioral economic scholars such as Daniel Ariely and Daniel Kahneman explain that we all have psychological biases that interfere with our ability to make objectively rational decisions. Bankruptcy practitioners who understand these biases learn strategies to influence them and thus enhance optimal bankruptcy decisionmaking.
Hon. Elizabeth S. Stong, Moderator
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D.N.Y); Brooklyn
C. Edward Dobbs
Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs LLP; Atlanta
Elayne E. Greenberg
St. John's University School of Law; Jamaica, N.Y.
Hon. Raymond T. Lyons
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. N.J.); Trenton
Chapter 11 Track: The § 1111(b) Election, Plan Feasibility and Cramdown Issues
Utilizing a case study, this panel will explore issues surrounding a lender’s decision on whether or not to make an election under § 1111(b), feasibility issues, voting issues and solid mathematical analysis.
Franklind Davis Lea, Moderator
Tactical Financial Consulting, LLC; Atlanta
Richard M. Bendix, Jr.
Eve H. Karasik
Stutman, Treister & Glatt PC; Los Angeles
William N. Lobel
The Lobel Firm, LLP; Newport Beach, Calif.
Hon. Gregg W. Zive
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Nev.); Reno
12:00-2:00 p.m.
Luncheon
Featuring Testimony before the ABI Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11
Co-sponsored by AlixPartners LLP & Seabury Group
2:15-3:45 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions (4)
Chapter 11 Track: Creditors’ Committees and the Role of Indenture Trustees and Related Issues
This panel will focus on the unique issues facing the indenture trustee when it elects to serve on a creditors’ committee, including how to balance potentially conflicting fiduciary duties, how to get paid, how to navigate through the plan-negotiation process and other similar types of issues.
Walter H. Curchack, Moderator
Dennis F. Dunne
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP; New York
Nicholas D. Tally
M. Stephanie Wickouski
Financial Advisors Track: Current Issues for Financial Advisors in Bankruptcy Cases
This panel will discuss the various governance, operational and quasi-legal issues that financial advisors deal with on a day-to-day basis before, during and after the commencement of a chapter 11 case. Topics will include addressing management fraud, dealing with ERISA/labor/WARN Act/union issues, navigating corporate governance issues, Dodd-Frank compliance, and the state of the law on pursuit of accounting and securities fraud claims.
Paul B. Geilich, Moderator
Wright Ginsberg Brusilow P.C.; Dallas
Michael J. Epstein
Deloitte Financial Advisory Service LLP; New York
Perry M. Mandarino
Rebecca A. Roof
Professional Development Track: The End Game and How to Get There
Utilizing a case-study approach, this panel will provide a primer for young practitioners on the goals, motivations and incentives that key constituents in a chapter 11 case have, and the techniques and strategies used to achieve such goals.
Larry G. Halperin, Moderator
Richards Kibbe & Orbe LLP; New York
Jo Ann J. Brighton
K&L Gates LLP; Charlotte, N.C.
Prof. David Carl Smith
University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce; Charlottesville, Va.
Kelly B. Stapleton
Consumer Track: The Individual Conundrum—Chapter 7, 11 or 13?
Deciding on the appropriate chapter for an individual contemplating a bankruptcy filing can be daunting. This panel will explore the considerations that guide the practitioner in advising individual clients in making this decision.
Lee M. Kutner, Moderator
Kutner Miller Brinen, PC; Denver
Douglas W. Kassebaum
Fredrikson & Byron, PA; Minneapolis
Paul G. Swanson
Steinhilber, Swanson, Mares, Marone & McDermott; Oshkosh, Wis.
Hon. Brian K. Tester
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. P.R.); San Juan
3:45-4:15 p.m.
Margarita Reception
Sponsored by Deloitte, Development Specialists, Inc., Freeborn & Peters LLP and Proskauer
4:15-5:45 p.m.
Committee Educational Sessions (3)
Asset Sales/Business Reorganization
The Power to Veto Bankruptcy Sales: Sports Leagues and Other Franchisors
Kevin Cofsky
Perella Weinberg Partners LP; New York
Hon. Arthur J. Gonzalez
New York University School of Law; New York
Scott Greenberg
Thomas J. Salerno
Consumer Bankruptcy/Ethics & Professional Compensation
Nothing Is Impossible: The Complex Requirements and Ethical Duties of Representing Chapter 11 and/or Chapter 13 Consumer Debtors
James H. Cossitt
James H Cossitt, PC; Kalispell, Mont.
Peter C. Fessenden
Standing Chapter 13 Trustee (D. Maine); Brunswick
Prof. Lois R. Lupica
University of Maine School of Law; Portland, Maine
Prof. Nancy. B. Rapoport
William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Las Vegas
Health Care/Real Estate
Real Estate Issues in Health Care Restructurings
Elizabeth J. Austin
Pullman & Comley, LLC; Bridgeport, Conn.
Brian M. Cohen
Neil Hartzell
John Robert Weiss
5:00-11:00 p.m.
Optional Event
Baseball Night Out: Baltimore Orioles vs. Los Angeles Dodgers at Camden Yards
Sponsored by Jefferies & Company, Inc.
Shuttle Service Sponsored by Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP
6:00-7:00 p.m.
Women's Networking Reception
Sponsored by SSG Capital Advisors, LLC
6:00-10:00 p.m.
Optional Event
The Capitol Steps at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center
7:30-8:00 a.m.
Breakfast
Sponsored by Conway MacKenzie and Whiteford Taylor & Preston LLP
8:00-9:30 a.m.
Committee Educational Sessions (2)
Bankruptcy Litigation/Labor & Employment
Law Firm Bankruptcies and Certain Issues that Have Arisen in Them, Including the WARN Act and Recent Case Law
Kelley A. Cornish
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; New York
Allan B. Diamond
Hon. Robert D. Drain
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.); White Plains
Bradford F. Englander
Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP; Falls Church, Va.
Albert Togut
Togut, Segal & Segal, LLP; New York
Financial Advisors & Investment Banking/Secured Credit/Unsecured Trade Creditors
And Now That the Auction Is Over, Let the Bidding Begin
Michael S. Goodman
SSG Capital Advisors, LLC; Conshohocken, Pa.
Gregory M. Gordon
Hon. Kevin Gross
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Del.); Wilmington
Francis J. Lawall
Pepper Hamilton LLP; Philadelphia
Marc S. Weinsweig
Weinsweig Advisors, LLC; Rockville, Md.
9:30-11:00 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions (4)
Chapter 11 Track: Mock Hearing—DIP Financing and 363 Sales
Two experienced chapter 11 counsel will conduct a mock argument before a three-judge panel on key issues that arise in the approval of DIP financing and approval of a 363 sale. DIP hearing issues will include roll-ups, liens on avoidance actions, expedited sale procedures, 506 waiver, no committee carve-out, no plan without lender’s consent, and enforcement of subordination agreements. Sale issues will include assumption and assignment or rejection of IP licenses, as well as the rights of junior lienholders to block sales where not paid in full.
Litigants:
Kristopher M. Hansen
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP; New York
Jeff J. Marwil
Judges:
Hon. Robert E. Gerber
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.); New York
Hon. Kevin Gross
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Del.); Wilmington
Hon. Laurel Myerson Isicoff
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D. Fla.); Miami
Financial Advisors Track: How to Be a Successful Expert
This panel will present practical advice on how to provide persuasive expert witness testimony. Topics will include tips on drafting the expert report, qualifying as an expert, analytical techniques, and direct, cross and rebuttal examination.
Judy D. Thompson, Moderator
JD Thompson Law; Charlotte, N.C.
Hon. Janet S. Baer
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (N.D. Ill.); Chicago
Christian Carl Onsager
Onsager, Staelin & Guyerson, LLC; Denver
Jeffrey R. Truitt
XRoads Solutions Group; Santa Ana, Calif.
Professional Development Track: The Dos and Don’ts of Discovery in the Bankruptcy World
This panel will explore effective strategies for navigating the world of discovery in bankruptcy cases. Topics will include effective use of 2004 examinations, document subpoenas and deposition testimony, as well as other issues.
Mark M. Maloney, Moderator
Kiah T. Ford, IV
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP; Charlotte, N.C.
Hon. Stephani W. Humrickhouse
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D.N.C.); Raleigh, N.C.
Richard A. Robinson
Reed Smith LLP; Wilmington, Del.
Consumer Track: The Appellate Process
This panel will explore recent issues in appellate practice that are of interest to both consumer and business practitioners, including the ability to bypass intermediary appellate courts and take appeals directly to the circuit courts.
Susan M. Freeman, Moderator
Hon. Elizabeth E. Brown
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Colo.); Denver
Prof. Jessica D. Gabel
Georgia State University School of Law; Atlanta
P. Matthew Sutko
Executive Office for U.S. Trustees; Washington, D.C.
11:00-11:15 a.m.
Coffee Break
Sponsored by SNR Denton
11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions (4)
Chapter 11 Track: International Program
This panel session will focus on developments in cross-border bankruptcies, chapter 15 ancillary proceedings, comity for main as opposed to ancillary proceedings, and focusing on nations not part of the EC or otherwise signed up to the UNCITRAL model.
Ronald J. Silverman, Moderator
Bingham McCutchen LLP; New York
Kolja von Bismarck
Linklaters, Frankfurt, Germany
Melanie L. Cyganowski
Otterbourg, Steindler, Houston & Rosen, PC; New York
Claudia R. Tobler
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; New York
ABI/TMA Panel:
Financial Advisors Track: The Ethical Compass: Multiple Ethical Schemes Applicable to Financial Advisors
This panel will focus on the variety of rules, statutes and codes that govern the conduct of financial advisors, including the Bankruptcy Code and Rules, TMA and AIRA Codes of Ethics, Licensure rules (e.g., for CPAs), state law governing trustee roles, etc.
Ronald R. Sussman, Moderator
Bernadette M. Barron
Barron Business Consulting; Chicago
Bradford L. Coulter
O'Keefe & Associates; Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Scott A. Eisenberg, CPA
Amherst Partners, LLC; Birmingham, Mich.
Professional Development Track: The Dos and Don’ts of Effective Oral Advocacy
Robert J. Keach, Moderator
Bernstein Shur; Portland, Maine
Hon. Mary Grace Diehl
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (N.D. Ga.); Atlanta
Hon. Barbara J. Houser
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (N.D. Tex.); Dallas
Hon. Kevin R. Huennekens
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D. Va.); Richmond
Consumer Track: Consumer Class Actions
This panel will explore the potential benefits and pitfalls of class actions by debtors/trustees against creditors in chapter 13 cases, which are highlighted by two recent decisions of the Fifth Circuit.
Rudy J. Cerone, Moderator
McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC; New Orleans
Michael H. Goldstein
Stutman, Treister & Glatt PC; Los Angeles
Johnie J. Patterson
Walker & Patterson, PC; Houston
Hon. Robert E. Grossman
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D.N.Y.); Central Islip
12:30-2:00 p.m.
Luncheon
BK 360 Revisited: ABI Past-Presidents Panel
William J. Rochelle, III, Moderator
Melissa Kibler Knoll
Mesirow Financial Consulting, LLC; Chicago
Robin E. Phelan
Michael P. Richman
Hunton & Williams LLP; New York
2:15-3:45 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions (3)
Chapter 11 Track: Chapter 9s, Nonprofits and Other Nontraditional Restructuring Processes
The financial crisis has taken its toll on municipalities as evidenced by the increasing number of chapter 9 petitions over the last couple of years. Nonprofits have also faced challenges of their own and are increasingly finding themselves in bankruptcy court. This panel will explore the cutting-edge issues involved in these and other nontraditional restructuring processes.
H. Slayton Dabney, Jr., Moderator
Christopher F. Graham
McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP; New York
Hon. Meredith A. Jury
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (C.D. Cal.); Riverside
Charles M. Moore
Conway MacKenzie; Birmingham, Mich.
Andrea T. Porter
Friedman & Springwater; San Francisco
Professional Development Track: Advancing in the Restructuring Profession
This panel of well-known and respected department heads will offer advice to young professionals on how to advance in their careers. From rainmaking to servicing clients to becoming involved in professional organizations, the panelists will offer practical tips that helped guide them in their career advancement.
Reginald W. Jackson, Moderator
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP; Columbus
Mark E. Chesen
SSG Capitol Advisors, LLC; West Conshohocken, Pa.
Thomas J. Salerno
Deborah D. Williamson
Cox Smith Matthews Incorporated; San Antonio
Consumer Track: When Divorce and Bankruptcy Collide, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
The panel will explore the overlapping and sometimes conflicting state and federal objectives and law that can lead to unfair results when a bankruptcy proceeding intervenes in a divorce case.
Lisa S. Gretchko, Moderator
Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC; Royal Oak, Mich.
Hon. Margaret D. McGarity
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D. Wis.); Milwaukee
Lynne F. Riley
James T. Stuckenschneider
Ted Stuckenschneider, PC; Birmingham, Ala.
3:45-4:15 p.m.
Wine & Cheese Reception
Sponsored by Grant Thornton LLP
4:15-5:45 p.m.
Committee Educational Sessions (3)
Bankruptcy Taxation/Legislation/Young & New Members
Developments in Net Operating Losses
Soneet R. Kapila
Kapila & Company; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Kenneth J. Malek
Malek & Associates, LLC; Libertyville, Ill.
Prof. Jack F. Williams
Georgia State University/Mesirow Financial Consulting, LLC; Atlanta
Commercial Fraud/International/Technology & Intellectual Property
A Comity of Errors: International Electronic Communications and Cyber-fraud in Transnational Bankruptcy Cases
Hon. Judith K. Fitzgerald
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (W.D.Pa); Pittsburgh
Cullen Ann Drescher Speckhart
Roussos, Lassiter, Glanzer & Barnhart; Norfolk, Va.
David W. Tohn
CyberPoint International, LLC; Baltimore
Navigating Your Way Through the Latest Complexities of Bankruptcy
This panel of leading bankruptcy lawyers, sponsored by Lexis® Practice Advisor, will feature a discussion of new provisions and practices for debtors, lenders, creditors and buyers in DIP Financings, 363 Sales, and Chapter 15s.Marc Abrams
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP; New York
Neil E. Herman
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP; New York
Kristin C. Wigness
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP; New York
7:00-10:00 p.m.
Final Night Gala Dinner with Entertainment by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
10:00 p.m.
Meet and Greet/Endowment Reception (by Invitation only)
Co-sponsored by Rust/Omni, Tittle Advisory Group, Inc. and Togut, Segal & Segal, LLP
8:30-9:00 a.m.
Breakfast
Sponsored by Donlin Recano & Co., Inc.
9:00-10:00 a.m.
Plenary Session: Circuit Splits and Hot Topics
A panel of judges will discuss current issues that divide the circuits and other hot topics relevant to both consumer and business bankruptcy practitioners.
Brian L. Shaw, Moderator
Shaw Fishman Glantz & Towbin LLC; Chicago
Judge-Elect Bruce A. Harwood
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D.N.H.); Manchester, N.H.
Marci B. McIvor
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D. Mich.); Detroit
Hon. C. Ray Mullins
U.S Bankruptcy Court (N.D. Ga.); Atlanta
Hon. Eugene R. Wedoff
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (N.D. Ill.); Chicago
10:00-10:15 a.m.
Break
10:15-11:45 a.m.
Final Report of the Ethics Task Force
Members of the ABI Ethics Commission will lead a discussion on their work and proposals for change.
Judith Greenstone Miller, Moderator
Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss, PC; Southfield Mich.
James H. Cossitt
James H Cossitt, PC; Kalispell, Mont.
Edward T. Gavin
Gavin/Solmonese; Wilmington, Del.
Prof. Lois R. Lupica
University of Maine School of Law; Portland
Prof. Nancy B. Rapoport
University of Nevada, Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law; Las Vegas
11:45 a.m.
Adjourn
Mark your calendar
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