abiLIVE Webinars

Sponsored by the Unsecured Trade Creditors Committee Independent directors are taking on larger and more frequent roles in complex commercial cases. What role do official committees have in these cases, where special committees have often been appointed prepetition to consider and authorize transactions, or may be tasked post-petition with investigating transactions authorized before their appointment? This webinar will explore how the roles and incentives of independent directors/special committees differ from those of official committees; analyze the hurdles each type of entity faces when investigating and raising challenges to company transactions; and consider how each serves the estate—and whether there is room for cooperation.

Join the ABI and SRS Acquiom for a webinar discussing the state of middle-market loans. This segment of the marketplace includes businesses that are too small to attract large bank financing and too large to qualify for small business loans. The event will feature industry experts discussing: current trends impacting the extension of loans; effects of COVID-19; and fresh challenges to the extension of credit facilities.

Sponsored by ABI's Consumer Bankruptcy Committee It is commonly understood that student loans are nearly impossible to discharge in bankruptcy. The standard has become mythical — akin to a “certainty of hopelessness.” Are the Brunner and totality-of-the-circumstances tests realistic standards? If not, what should legislators consider as an alternative? Will successful litigation break the mythical standard, and what could that look like? The prevalence of these cases is increasing every day, as courts are asked more often to evaluate the appropriateness of, and apply, these impossible standards. Simultaneously, the total amount of U.S. student loan debt continues to accelerate toward $2 trillion. Join ABI’s Consumer Committee as two consumer bankruptcy experts, Ed Boltz and Ray Hendren, debate what can — and should — come next.

Hosted by ABI's Mediation Committee Subchapter V trustees, who are likely to be lawyers, accountants or financial advisors, often don't have any formal training in facilitation. This webinar, featuring subchapter V trustees, lawyers and a retired judge with years of experience in bankruptcy and mediation, will cover the fundamentals of facilitation — including its purpose — and basic skills trustees may wish to employ in their work.

Join the ABI and SRS Acquiom for a webinar discussing the state of middle-market loans. This segment of the marketplace includes businesses that are too small to attract large bank financing and too large to qualify for small business loans. The event will feature industry experts discussing: current trends impacting the extension of loans; effects of COVID-19; and fresh challenges to the extension of credit facilities

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.