abiLIVE Webinars

Sponsored by the Financial Advisors and Investment Banking Committee Three cryptocurrency industry experts — a lawyer, a technical consultant and an investment banker — will cover the complexity of valuing cryptocurrency and provide their expert views on the cryptomarket’s volatility, both currently and going forward. The presenters will also offer their insights into the adoption of cryptocurrency in the U.S. and globally, and will address regulatory changes in banking as they relate to cryptocurrencies.

Hosted by ABI's Commercial Fraud and Young and New Member Committee Hear tips and real-life stories from industry experts on how best to pursue a career path in commercial fraud and fraud litigation. *CLE isn’t available in VA.

First Day by Reorg Midyear Review: 2020 Bankruptcy Boom Subsides; 2021 Real Estate, Hotel Chapter 11s Peak In a presentation moderated by ABI Editor-at-Large Bill Rochelle, the First Day by Reorg Research, Inc. team will provide an overview of its midyear review, detailing chapter 11 filings data and trends during the first half 2021. They will provide industry-level insights across various sectors and highlight key takeaways. Background to the First Day by Reorg Midyear Review 2021 Coming off a record-setting year of chapter 11 filings in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe and impacted multiple industries, the first half of 2021 trended well below historical averages, with a low point in May. Compared to the busiest second and third quarters of 2020, when consumer discretionary sector cases and, in particular, brick-and-mortar-heavy companies were filing with unprecedented frequency, 2021’s H1’s consumer discretionary chapter 11 cases dropped by almost half. Real estate was the only industry to see an increase in chapter 11 filings, as compared with both H1 2020 and H2 2020, as hotels and commercial real estate struggled.

Sponsored by American Bankruptcy Institute and INSOL International A distinguished panel of legal and business professionals from the U.S., Canada, U.K. and E.U. will explore the current state of the commercial and office markets, where the markets are headed, and creative strategies for both landlords and tenants to address the hardships posed by the pandemic. The relevant issues will be addressed across the panelists' varied jurisdictions.

The panelists will revisit real estate and real estate-based business workouts, bankruptcies and restructurings during the peak of the pandemic and extrapolate the lessons learned as guidance for debtors, tenants, landlords and investors moving forward as we begin the recovery period. The panelists also will focus on important pandemic bankruptcy cases and key rulings on leases and workout strategies, and will assess issues surrounding asset valuations and projections.

Many higher-education institutions find that COVID-19 simply shined a harsh spotlight on what had already been a slow burn, ignited by demographics, debt, distress and denial. Join our panelists for a thoughtful conversation about how we got here, and which institutions are most at risk. A discussion of chapter 11 issues and alternatives for nonprofit colleges will follow, with time for questions at the end.

Sponsored by the ABI's Asset Sales and Ethics and Professional Compensation Committees This webinar will discuss ethical issues professionals may face in asset sales and weave in some real life stories from previous deals our panelists have been involved with. Topics to be addressed include collusion, confidentiality, and fiduciary responsibility.

On January 14, 2021, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of City of Chicago, Illinois v. Fulton that the mere retention of estate property after the filing of a bankruptcy petition does not violate 11 U.S.C. § 362(a)(3), which operates as a “stay” of “any act” to “exercise control” over the property of the estate. ABI Editor-at-Large Bill Rochelle will host a discussion with two leading bankruptcy academics who filed amicus briefs in the case, Profs. John Pottow of the University of Michigan Law School (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Ralph Brubaker of the University of Illinois College of Law (Champaign, Ill.), to analyze the decision and its impact on future bankruptcy case law.

Sponsored by ABI's Diversity and Inclusion Working Group Build a better law practice while building a more diverse and inclusive workplace! Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) leaders from the public and private sectors will discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion's impact on career trajectory, mentorship, and the bottom line, while providing tips and best practices to retaining and attracting talent. The session will begin with a plenary session, followed by breakout rooms staffed with a D&I expert and a bankruptcy judge. Confirmed participants in the Breakout Room Discussions: Hon. Christopher M. Alston, Western District of Washington Hon. Daniel P. Collins, District of Arizona Hon. Robert D. Drain, Southern District of New York Hon. Barbara J. Houser, Northern District of Texas Hon. Laurel M. Isicoff, Southern District of Florida Hon. Klinette H. Kindred, Eastern District of Virginia Hon. Christopher M. Lopez, Southern District of Texas Hon. Brendan L. Shannon, District of Delaware Hon. Sage M. Sigler, Northern District of Georgia Hon. Kathy A. Surratt-States, Eastern District of Missouri Hon. Deborah L. Thorne, Northern District of Illinois Kori Carew, Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer, Seyfarth Shaw LLP Mary Ellen Connerty, Director of Diversity & Engagement, O'Melveny & Myers LLP Carlos Davila-Caballero, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett, LLP Maja Hazell, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion, White & Case LLP John Iino, Diversity & Inclusion Global Chair, Reed Smith LLP Sylvia James, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Winston & Strawn LLP Melique Jones, Director of Talent Pipeline, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Nimesh Patel, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP Peter Wilson, Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Proskauer Rose LLP

Sponsored by the Consumer Bankruptcy Committee On December 9, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.) introduced the Consumer Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2020. The Act proposes a fundamental reform of the consumer bankruptcy process under the Bankruptcy Code, with the goal of making the process easier, less expensive, and more equitable. Among other things, the Act proposes to replace chapter 13 and chapter 7 with a new chapter 10 that simplifies the consumer bankruptcy process and provides flexibility in terms of the consumers’ retention of assets and commitment of income toward the repayment of claims. Please join our panel in a discussion of the Act’s highlights, including their initial impressions on the contrast between current processes under chapters 7 and 13 and the proposed processes under chapter 10.