Northeast Consumer Forum
9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
ABC Exams
2:00 p.m.
ABI Registration Desk and Exhibit Hall Open
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Opening Reception
Co-sponsored by AlixPartners LLP and Greenberg Traurig, LLP
7:30-8:30 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast
Co-sponsored by Gavin/Solmonese and Pepper Hamilton LLP
8:30-10:00 a.m.
Consumer Session
Home Sweet… uh oh: Owners, Obligors, Options and Obstacles
Homeowners and their creditors continue to face variety of emerging challenges in bankruptcy cases. What rights do lien holders have when only one of the obligors files bankruptcy? What potential issues await all owners after only one receives a discharge? Can a debtor modify a mortgage loan without reaffirming the debt, and if not, what are the considerations for all parties? This panel of experienced debtor and creditor attorneys will explore the many obstacles that complicate the goal of preserving a debtor’s interest in real estate and maximizing the return for secured creditors, as well as potential options and considerations for those seeking the relief they need.
William J. McLeod, Moderator
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Mass.); Boston, Springfield and Worcester
Eleanor Wm. Dahar
Dahar Law Firm, Manchester, NH
Hon. Diane Finkle
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. R.I.); Providence
Deirdre Keady
Harmon Law Offices, Newton, MA
Christopher Somma
Goodwin Procter, Boston
Steven Weiss
Shatz, Schwartz, and Fentin, P.C., Springfield, MA
10:00-10:30 a.m.
Coffee Break
Sponsored by Candlewood Partners, LLC
10:30 a.m.-12:00 noon
Consumer Session
The Storm II: Remain Calm and Carry On
Even before the first discussion in Newport at the 2011 ABI Consumer Forum, practitioners have experienced the difficulties inherent with managing a client with a mental illness or impairment. There can be even more challenges to managing any client matter when an opposing party suffers from a mental illness, especially when that party is self-represented. This panel of experienced practitioners and mental health professionals will discuss the evolving legal and practical issues surrounding mental illness and its impact on the bankruptcy system, as well as discuss methods of remaining calm in what can be an unpredictable and increasingly unavoidable storm.
Joseph G. Butler, Moderator
The Law Office of Joseph G. Butler, Westwood, Ma.
Hon. Mildred Caban
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. P.R.); San Juan
David R. Chenelle
Perkins & Anctil, P.C.; Westford, Ma.
Jared D. Correia
Law Office Management Assistance Program (LOMAP); Boston
Aria Eee
Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar; Augusta, Me.
Hon. Louis H. Kornreich
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Maine); Bangor
Jacob Simon
Liss Law, LLC; Brookline, Ma.
Optional Events
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Second Beach Shuttle Service
Sponsored by Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP
1:00 p.m.
Golf Tournament at Newport National Country Club
Sponsored by BlumShapiro, Finn Dixon & Herling LLP, Neubert, Pepe & Monteith, PC, PullmanComley, Reid and Riege, PC, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, PC and Zeisler & Zeisler, PC
Tennis Tournament
Sponsored by Mesirow Financial Consulting, LLC, Parker & Associates and Raftery Law Offices
Tour de ABI
Sponsored by Sheehan, Phinney, Bass + Green
Sport Fishing
Sponsored by Murphy & King, PC and Seyfarth Shaw
Sailing Regatta
Sponsored by Argus Management Company, Gordon Brothers Group LLC and Verdolino & Lowey, PC
6:00-7:30 p.m.
Friday Cocktail Reception
Sponsored by Duane Morris LLP and Salus Capital Partners
Friday Cocktail Reception Entertainment
Kids Entertainment
Sponsored by Sullivan & Worcester LLP
7:00-7:30 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast
Sponsored by Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP
7:30-9:00 a.m.
Plenary Session
The Cause and Effect of Municipal Insolvency and the Limits of Chapter 9
This single plenary session will feature a policy-oriented panel discussing the reasons for municipal insolvency nationally, with a particular focus on the New England Region. The panel of highly-experienced government officials, municipal receivers and thought leaders will review and debate the challenges faced by state and local leaders in their efforts to address the financial stress facing many of our cities and towns. Among the issues to be addressed are: the pressures of labor contracts, legacy benefits, and pension and retirement plans on municipal budgets; creditor and bondholder relations; sections of the code that impact these issues; and trends arising from the most recent cases. The panel may also touch on needed Chapter 9 reform. Lawyers, lenders, insolvency specialists, as well as those interested in the future of our cities and towns, will be interested in this program.
Jim Stergios, Moderator
Pioneer Institute; Boston
Hon. Frank J. Bailey
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Mass.); Boston
William A. Brandt, Jr.
Development Specialists, Inc.; New York
Marilyn Shannon McConaghy
Rhode Island Department of Revenue; Providence, R.I.
Phil Puccia
Infrastructure Capital LLC; Boston
Theodore Orson
Orson and Brusini, Ltd.; Providence
9:00-9:30 a.m.
Coffee Break
Sponsored by Summit Investment Management LLC
9:30-10:45 a.m.
Consumer Session
Pomp and Circumstances, Part I: Education Loans
Debtors frequently emerge from bankruptcy still burdened by a burgeoning student loan debt. A private “loan for an educational benefit” can limit the fresh start many debtors need is increasingly being used to test the nondischargeability of might have once been general unsecured claims. This panel will discuss the emerging issues and case law surrounding nondischargeability, as well as strategies for maximizing the benefits of the bankruptcy system for struggling debtors.
James F. Molleur, Moderator
Molleur Law Office; Portland, Me.
Prof. Daniel A. Austin
Northeastern University School of Law, Boston
Hon. Mildred Caban
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. P.R.); San Juan
John Rao
National Consumer Law Center, Boston
Anne J. White
Demeo, LLP, Boston
10:45-11:15 a.m.
Coffee Break
Sponsored by Murtha Cullina LLP
11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Consumer Session
Pomp and Circumstances, Part II: Evidence in Student Loan Dischargeability Claims
The information you glean from Part I needs to be viewed with the practical approach found in Part II. If you are challenging dischargeability, how do you prove it? All debtors are in a hardship, but what is an undue hardship, and again, what evidence should you have at the ready to prove the debtor’s case. Using a short vignette, this panel will address the evidentiary and practical quandaries that must be overcome in order to plead and prove a case for dischargeability of loans under Section 523(a)(8).
Stacie D. McHale, Moderator
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Boston
Joyce Leary Clark
Scarborough Legal Center, Scarborough, Maine
Hon. Diane Finkle
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D.R.I.); Providence
David B. Madoff
Madoff & Khoury, LLP, Foxborough, Ma.
Walter Oney
Oney Law Office, Fitchburg, Ma.
Optional Events
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p. m.
Second Beach Shuttle Service
Sponsored by Development Specialists, Inc.
1:00 p.m.
Kayaking on the Narrow River
Sponsored by Goodwin Procter LLP
2:00 p.m.
Sailing Aboard the Schooner Aurora
Sponsored by Day Pitney
4:00-5:15 p.m.
Bayside Chat
Hon. Joan N. Feeney
U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Mass.); Boston
Prof. Michelle Morgan Harner
University of Maryland School of Law
Robert J. Keach
Bernstein Shur; Portland
6:00-7:00 p.m.
Sponsor Reception (by invite only)
Sponsored by Foley Hoag LLP and Spinglass Management Group LLC
7:00-10:00 p.m.
Saturday Clam Bake
Sponsored by Deloitte CRG
Saturday Entertainment
Sponsored by Nixon Peabody LLP and WilmerHale
Kids’ Buffet
Sponsored by Bingham McCutchen LLP
Kids’ Entertainment
Sponsored by Goulston & Storrs, PC
Mark your calendar
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