Business

As cross-border restructurings become increasingly common, understanding how different jurisdictions approach restructuring plans is essential for practitioners advising multinational clients. This panel will examine and compare key features of restructuring frameworks in the U.S., U.K., Canada and the Netherlands, highlighting similarities, differences, and recent developments shaping international practice.

Valuation often hinges on critical company-specific statistical and methodological decisions, raising questions about their necessity or potential for manipulation. This session will examine such topics as mean vs. median, discounts for lack of marketability, premiums for control, and size premiums and company-specific premiums, and will offer insights into how these decisions shape valuation outcomes.

This session will explore the complex legal doctrines that define the rights and limitations of trustees and debtors in bankruptcy. The panelists will examine when trustees and debtors step into the shoes of the debtor, including how pre-petition rights and defenses impact the estate. The discussion also will analyze the application and limits of the in pari delicto doctrine, along with potential workarounds, and provide a close look at the Barton doctrine — its reach, exceptions, and whether protections continue after case closure. In addition, the panelists will consider the implications of the Fifth Circuit’s recent Highland Capital Management decision, including how gatekeeper provisions may reshape Barton protections for post-confirmation estate representatives.

In this session, trustees of all types — chapter 7, subchapter V, chapter 12 and chapter 13, together with an attorney for court-appointed fiduciaries and liquidating trustees — share their perspectives on the commonalities and differences under each chapter. The panelists discuss how to avoid common mistakes and offer tips for success for counsel to debtors and creditors. Is the trustee a friend or foe? What if a case converts from one chapter to another? Can a subchapter V trustee act as a mediator? What happens if a trustee suspects fraud? Do trustees have any discretionary powers? Join us and find out!

This panel provides an overview of commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) financing and the role of special servicers in a distressed context. The panelists also provide recent insights into the CMBS market and practitioner trends from the panelists’ viewpoints.

Have you ever fallen in and then out of love with someone or something? If you have, was that love ever rekindled? Those questions set the stage for our Saturday morning plenary conversation between Prof. Melissa Jacoby, author of Unjust Debts, and Sam Gerdano, formerly the executive director of ABI. The story involves a deep analysis of, among other things, bankruptcy law’s origins, policy objectives, interpreting the Bankruptcy Code, lawyers’ ethical duties, and consequences in practice. Both Prof. Jacoby and Mr. Gerdano bring a wealth of experience and knowledge; it should be quite the conversation.

Hosted by the Business Reorganization and Asset Sales Committees. This panel will examine the strategic use of LMEs in the context of asset sales within restructuring frameworks, such as the role of LMEs in facilitating sales, structuring them as conditions to closing, funding LMEs through sale proceeds, or utilizing asset sales as an exit strategy from LMEs or restructuring plans. The panelists will share their insights on the current trends and practical considerations that are shaping these increasingly sophisticated transactions.

Valuation disputes are a critical tool for junior creditors in chapter 11 cases, but their effectiveness depends on strategic timing and approach. This panel will examine key moments where valuation issues arise, including DIP/priming fights, adequate protection and financings with equity rights. Topics will include timing considerations such as access to valuation data, the impact of ongoing sale processes, and cost-benefit analyses. The panelists also will provide insights into how junior creditors can tactically engage in valuation disputes to protect their interests while navigating the complexities of large chapter 11 cases.

Content valuation in the AI era presents unique challenges, as disputes over unauthorized use, such as those raised by The New York Times, highlight the need for innovative solutions. Stakeholders are increasingly turning to settlement and licensing frameworks that retroactively and prospectively value content. This session will address methodologies like the relief-from-royalty and venture capital methods, tackling complex issues of ownership, collateralization and growth projections with practical examples to illuminate these emerging dynamics.

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s Purdue Pharma decision, courts and practitioners are navigating new uncertainties around third-party releases in bankruptcy. This panel will examine how courts are distinguishing estate property from third-party claims, the impact on stay provisions and litigation strategy, and the evolving standards for voting mechanisms and plan confirmation in both chapter 11 and chapter 15 cases.