Ethics Presentation: Selected Ethical Issues in Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy attorneys are faced with ethical issues every day. This plenary session will cover a variety of issues that every bankruptcy attorney should be aware of.
Professional Development Track: Oral and Written Advocacy in Bankruptcy
This panel of local bankruptcy judges will address what works and what doesn’t work in both written and oral advocacy. Thus, whether you are a new lawyer just starting out or a seasoned litigator looking to hone your skills, this session is for you.
Business Track: Select Issues from the ABI Chapter 11 Commission Report
Two of the commissioners from the ABI’s Chapter 11 Reform Commission (and former ABI presidents) will give a report on two parts of the Commission Report that could impact your everyday practice. Jim Markus will discuss the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises section and Geoff Berman will discuss Avoidance Actions
Consumer Track: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau- Consumer Industry Watchdog
Many consumers feel the mortgage and credit industry has been nipping at their heels for a long time without any rhyme or reason. The CFPB was enacted as the watchdog to protect the consumer through education, enforcement of the law and through studying the behavior of the creditor industry. This Panel will introduce you to the benefits and services of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
Professional Development Track: Negotiating Successful Workout Agreements: The Human Element
This panel will deal will the human side of workouts and how deals get successfully negotiated. Some of the topics to be covered may include managing expectations, creating common understanding of facts, building and earning trust, face-to-face meetings, understanding motivations and concerns, managing disruptive personalities, back-channel communications, win-win vs. win-lose negotiating styles and more.
Business Track: Intellectual Property in Bankruptcy
Intellectual Property can constitute one of the most valuable and significant assets that a company may own. This panel will discuss what happens when two very unique areas of law collide and what every insolvency practitioner needs know when dealing with intellectual property in distressed circumstances.
Consumer Track: Square Pegs in Round Holes- How Partnership and LLC Interests are Treated in Bankruptcy
The unique nature of partnerships and limited liability companies causes great uncertainty when a debtor owns a part of them. The bankruptcy code has almost nothing explicitly to say about these entities, leaving practitioners and courts to work out the details. Our panel will cover the fundamental nature of these entities, how that nature affects what a trustee or debtor can do with them, and problems that arise for the entity when a part owner files bankruptcy.
Pitfalls and Ethical Dilemmas of a Solo Practice or Small Firm
This panel is for participants who are either solo or small-firm practitioners and will include such topics as paperless offices, trust funds and accounting, managing workflow, and the implications on the office in the event of a natural disaster.
Training the Senior Partner
A panel of younger lawyers and financial professionals will talk about the issues and challenges of working for senior lawyers and will suggest ways to improve the working relationships between senior and junior lawyers.
Getting Bang for Your Buck When Engaging Financial Advisors and Expert Witnesses
This panel will provide helpful guidelines for creating clear client expectations, adequately defining work scope and managing fees when engaging FAs and expert witnesses. We have all had cases where clients were unhappy because work product didn’t meet expectations or fees were significantly higher than expected. This panel will help the practitioner learn how to use financial professionals more effectively to decrease the risk of having an unhappy client.