Thursday, September 10

8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Optional Event: Golf Tournament

Sponsored by Administar Services Group LLC and Union Bank of California, NA

9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

American Board of Certification Exams

11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Optional Event: Charter Fishing

2:00-5:00 p.m.

Optional Event: International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation

2:00-3:30 p.m.

Women and Finance: A Winning Hand (part of IWIRC program)

Kesli Jensen

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; Salt Lake City

Elizabeth B. Monty

Veriti Consultting; Scottsdale, Ariz.

Lori L. Payne

BDO Seidman LLP; Los Angeles

Leigh Ann Schultz

AlixPartners LLP; Washington, D.C.

Susan M. Smith

Mesirow Financial Consulting, LLC; Miami

3:30-4:00 p.m.

Refreshment Break

4:00-5:00 p.m.

Perspectives from the Bench and Ethical Issues (part of IWIRC program)

Jeanette E. McPherson, Moderator

Schwartzer & McPherson Law Firm, Las Vegas

Hon. Eileen W. Hollowell

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, (D. Ariz.); Tucson

Prof. Nancy B. Rapoport

William S. Boyd School of Law, Univ. of Nevada Las Vegas

Hon. Maureen A. Tighe

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, (C.D. Calif.); Woodland Hills

2:00-6:00 p.m.

ABI Registration Desk Open

2:30-3:30 p.m.

Rolling Ethics CLE: Multimedia Ethics Extravaganza with Prof. Nancy Rapoport

From Reno Airport to the Hyatt Lake Tahoe and Back (additional fees apply)

That's right! Rolling CLE means you'll pass the time in a luxury motor coach on your way from Reno International Airport to the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe with fellow ABI members (and some light refreshments)! You'll get some laughs, some great networking and best of all, a full hour of ETHICS! The $75 fee includes round trip transportation and CLE credit. The motor coach will leave Reno Airport on Thursday, September 10, at 2:30 p.m. and arrive at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe at approximately 3:30 pm. The return motor coach will leave the Hyatt on Saturday, September. 12, at 1:00 p.m., with arrival to the Reno Airport at approximately 2:00 p.m. Please plan your flight accordingly. 

Sponsored by Shea & Carlyon, Ltd.

5:00-6:00 p.m.

ABI Ambassador Reception

6:00-8:00 p.m.

Opening Reception

Sponsored by Bridge Associates LLC and Winston & Strawn LLP

Friday, September 11

6:00-8:00 a.m.

Optional Event: Early-riser Tahoe Shoreline Hike

7:00 a.m-5:00 p.m.

ABI Registration Desk Open

7:30-8:00 a.m.

Networking Breakfast

Sponsored by Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP and GlassRatner Advisory & Capital Group LLC

8:00-9:30 a.m.

Great Debates

Mitchell Ryan, Moderator

Epiq Systems; Orange, Calif.

Resolved: The Court may approve carve-outs for certain professionals and class skipping distributions upon the approval of affected secured creditors.

Pro: Mark Shinderman

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP; Los Angeles

Con: Brett A. Axelrod

Greenberg Traurig, LLP; Las Vegas

Resolved: BAPCPA provisions mandating contribution of post-petition earnings unconstitutionally mandate involuntary servitude.

Pro: Hon. Samuel L. Bufford

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (C.D. Calif.); Los Angeles

Con: Scott F. Gautier

Peitzman, Weg & Kempinsky LLP; Los Angeles

Resolved: Administratively insolvent cases may be administered for the benefit of secured creditors.

Pro: Eve H. Karasik

Stutman, Treister & Glatt, PC; Los Angeles

Con: Robert L. Eisenbach, III

Cooley Godward Kronish LLP; San Francisco

9:30-9:45 a.m.

Coffee Break

Sponsored by Jefferies & Company, Inc. and Loeb & Loeb LLP

9:45-11:00 a.m.

Concurrent Sessions (4)

Current Developments (Consumer)

What's new in consumer bankruptcies, including recent developments in case law and legislation.

Ford Elsaesser

Elsaesser, Jarzabek, Anderson, Marks, Elliott & McHugh, Chtd.; Sandpoint, Idaho

Hon. Eileen W. Hollowell

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Ariz.); Tucson

Hon. Christopher M. Klein

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D. Calif.); Sacramento

Randy Nussbaum

Nussbaum & Gillis, PC; Scottsdale, Ariz.

Ethics - Walking in the Grey Areas: Advising Clients and Avoiding Pitfalls in Ethically Unsettled Areas

A discussion to include representation of corporate entities with potential claims against insiders, attorney client privilege, duty of disclosure to court, and use of the court process as negotiation aid.

August B. Landis

Office of the U.S. Trustee; Las Vegas

Larry Lattig

Mesirow Financial Consulting, LLC; Dallas

Hon. Randall J. Newsome

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (N.D. Calif.); Oakland

Prof. Nancy B. Rapoport

William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada; Las Vegas

Evidence/Litigation Skills

A "how-to" discussion/demonstration of when and how to admit evidence in bankruptcy proceedings, and other litigation skills and strategies.

Steven M. Berman

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP

Candace C. Carlyon

Shea & Carlyon, Ltd.; Las Vegas

Brian I. Swett

Winston & Strawn LLP; Chicago

Donna S. Tamanaha

Office of the U.S. Trustee; San Francisco

Hon. Michael G. Williamson

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (M.D. Fla.); Tampa

The Contested Confirmation: Traps, Potholes and Strategies (Tricks?) in a Cramdown

The panel will focus on contested confirmation hearings, with a discussion of the strategies, evidence and preparation necessary to assure a successful result for the debtor's plan confirmation.

Robin E. Phelan

Haynes and Boone, LLP; Dallas

Mark Shinderman

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP; Los Angeles

Hon. Leslie J. Tchaikovsky

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (N.D. Calif); Oakland

John Tittle, Jr.

NachmanHaysBrownstein, Inc.; Dallas

11:00-11:15 a.m.

Coffee Break

Sponsored by  Kibel Green Inc. and Warner Stevens, LLP

11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions (3)

Fraudulent Conveyance Claims:  Offense and Defense

Chapter 11 debtors and chapter 7 and 11 trustees are looking for new ways to apply fraudulent-transfer law to enhance their estates.  Transferees are looking for all available defenses.  This workshop will briefly review the basics and then survey the issues arising in these new claims, including indirect transfers, Ponzi scheme claims and subsequent transferee claims, and the possible defenses to those claims. 

Kathy Bazoian Phelps

Danning, Gill, Diamond & Kollitz, LLP; Los Angeles

Hon. Steven W. Rhodes

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, (E.D. Mich.); Detroit

Brenda Moody Whinery

Mesch, Clark & Rothschild, PC; Tucson

Daniel R. Williams

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; Chicago

Technology Transformation - Leverage the Newest Technologies Being Used by the Bench & Bar

Learn about the latest techno-advancements that make our practice and the administration of justice more efficient and effective.

Karim Guirguis

American Bankruptcy Institute; Alexandria, Va.

Lorenzo Mendizabal

Epiq Systems; New York

Hon. Eugene R. Wedoff

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, (N.D. Ill.); Chicago

Bankruptcy Alternatives: Receiverships, Foreclosures, and Workouts - In Search of a Better Way

When bankruptcy is not the best option, the panel will explore cost-effective alternatives including assignments, receiverships, foreclosures, and workouts.

Geoffrey L. Berman

Development Specialists, Inc.; Los Angeles

Bruce Cox Conklin, Jr.

Kibel Green Inc.; Irvine, Calif.

Caroline Case Fuller

Fairfield & Woods, PC; Denver

Dean G. Rallis, Jr.

Alston & Bird LLP; Los Angeles

12:30-1:15 p.m.

Networking Lunch

Sponsored by Proskauer Rose LLP and LEGG, LLC

1:15-2:00 p.m.

Luncheon Keynote by Jerry Nickelsburg, PhD

Senior Economist, UCLA Anderson Forecast

Speaker Sponsored by Sherwood Partners, LLC

2:15-3:30 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions (3)

Who Is Still Eligible for Bankruptcy Relief? Current Issues on the Means Test, Debt Limits and Serial Filers

Discussion to include Section 108, means testing, debt limits, and serial filers.

Kevin A. Darby

Darby Law Practice, Ltc.; Reno

Hon. Mike K. Nakagawa

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Nev.); Las Vegas

Claire Ann Resop

Von Briesen & Roper, SC; Madison, Wisc.

Understanding Cross-Border Issues in a Restructuring Situation

The panel will discuss a broad range of topics related to cross-border restructurings/bankruptcies, including a basic understanding of chapter 15, different approaches to bankruptcies in other countries, dealing with foreign buyers in distressed M&A situations as well as foreign creditors on U.S.-based creditor committees, and a variety of other relevant issues. 

Scott K. Brown

Lewis and Roca LLP; Phoenix

Hon. Samuel L. Bufford

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, (C.D. Calif.); Los Angeles

Nicole Horton

Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc.

Claude D. Montgomery

Salans LLP; New York

Josefina Fernandez McEvoy

Fox Rothschild LLP; Los Angeles

Around Chapter 11 in 80 Days for Rapid Reorganizations or Liquidation

The practical and legal considerations with prepackaged and prenegotiated bankruptcies. 

Laurel E. Davis

Fennemore Craig PC; Las Vegas

Franklind Davis Lea

Tactical Financial Consulting, LLC; Alpharetta, Ga.

Victor A. Sahn

SulmeyerKupetz, APC; Los Angeles

Hon. Gregg W. Zive

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Nev.); Reno

3:30-3:45 p.m.

Refreshment Break

Sponsored by Greenberg Traurig, LLP and Mesirow Financial Consulting, LLC

3:45-5:00 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions (3)

Residential Mortgages:  Burning Down the House

Claims and defenses involving the administration of residential mortgages in consumer bankruptcies will be discussed in addition to voluntary and mandated workout strategies, and economic impact. 

Rudy J. Cerone

McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC; New Orleans

Hon. David W. Houston, III

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (N.D. Miss); Aberdeen

Kathleen A. Leavitt

Las Vegas

Lenard E. Schwartzer

Schwartzer & McPherson Law Firm; Las Vegas

Current Developments (Commercial)

This panel will discuss recent developments in commercial bankruptcies, including recent developments in case law and legislation.

Holland N. O'Neil

Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP; Dallas

Thomas E. Patterson

Klee, Tuchin, Bogdanoff & Stern LLP; Los Angeles

Michael D. Warner

Warner Stevens, LLP; Fort Worth, Texas.

Repeat: Ethics - Walking in the Grey Areas: Advising Clients and Avoiding Pitfalls in Ethically Unsettled Areas

5:00-6:00 p.m.

Networking Reception/ABI Happy Hour

Sponsored by NachmanHaysBrownstein, Inc., SB Capital Group LLC and Stutman, Treister & Glatt, PC

Saturday, September 12

6:30 a.m.

Optional Event: Tour de ABI: Tahoe Style

8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

ABI Registration Desk Open

8:30-10:15 a.m.

Hotcakes and Hot Topics: Networking Breakfast Followed by a Judges' Roundtable Q&A

Sponsored by Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc.

Hon. Samuel L. Bufford

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (C.D. Calif.); Los Angeles

Hon. Eileen W. Hollowell

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Ariz.); Tucson

Hon. Christopher M. Klein

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, (E.D. Calif.); Sacramento

Hon. David W. Houston, III

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (N.D. Miss.); Aberdeen

Hon. Mike K. Nakagawa

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Nev.); Las Vegas

Hon. Randall J. Newsome

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, (N.D. Calif.); Oakland

Hon. Steven W. Rhodes

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, (E.D. Mich.); Detroit

Hon. Maureen Tishe

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (C.D. Calif.); Woodland Hills

Hon. Michael G. Williamson

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, (M.D. Fla.); Tampa

Hon. Leslie J. Tchaikovsky

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, (N.D. Calif.); Oakland

Hon. Eugene R. Wedoff

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, (N.D. Ill.); Chicago

Hon. Gregg W. Zive

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, (D. Nev.);  Reno

10:15-10:30 a.m.

Coffee Break

Sponsored by  Imperial Capital, LLC and The Nassi Group, LLC

10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Plenary Session:  Understanding Capital Markets

This presentation will discuss the ongoing turmoil in the capital markets and related restructuring trends.  The panel will also discuss recent opinions regarding the treatment of financial derivatives in bankruptcy.

Laura Davis Jones

Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP; Wilmington, Del.

David L. Herman

Gordian Group, LLC; New York

Frank A. Merola

Jefferies & Company, Inc.; Los Angeles

Hon. Maureen A. Tighe

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, (C.D. Calif.); Woodland Hills

12:00 p.m.

Adjourn

1:00 p.m.

Optional Event: Squaw Valley Tram Ride

On-Site Registration Only