Consumer

Resolved: Hiring an independent CRO displaces the need for the appointment of a chapter 11 trustee under § 1104(e) of the Bankruptcy Code. Resolved: Holders of acquired claims should be required to disclose the basis in such a claim as a condition for seeking relief in a bankruptcy case. Resolved: Holders of acquired claims should be required to disclose the basis in such a claim as a condition for seeking relief in a bankruptcy case.

This panel will address hot topics in the consumer bankruptcy world, including analysis of the UpRight decision and the ongoing evolution of fee arrangements.

Members of the commission will provide an update on recent public meetings, relevant topics and the commission reporting process.

This panel will present a lively discussion of key issues decided in business and consumer bankruptcy cases throughout the country over the past year.

This panel will discuss current litigation/case law on discharge injunction violations and remedies, including sanctions.

This panel will discuss and analyze the New Model Chapter 13 Plan and other changes in the Bankruptcy Rules that became effective in December 2017, the process of implementation, and any issues that have arisen since the new Rules took effect.

This panel will discuss the chapter 7 trustee’s ability to avoid and surcharge the taxing authority’s secured lien for the benefit of the estate. The panelists will review in detail 11 U.S.C. § 724 and related Code sections, the proper procedural approach, preemption, and related § 363 sales and their implication on property that debtor’s counsel thought was safe or exempt.

This panel will review the implications — both good and bad — of the new plan and Rule changes from the debtor, creditor and trustee perspective and discuss what is working, what is not, workarounds, and what further reform is needed.

Is the legal profession’s vision for the law firm of the future already outdated? Can the law firm of today cope with the incredibly dynamic and changing competitive legal services environment, or will it go the way of the dinosaur? Greater and new competition in the forms of artificial intelligence, disruptive technology, the Big Four accounting firms, enlarged in-house legal staffs, and alternative legal service providers are eating law firms’ lunch. Clients are demanding service, efficiency and transparency in a way that puts tremendous pressure on the traditional law firm model. On top of that, the battle for the best talent is intensifying while the very nature of that talent is transforming as millennials start to dominate the talent pool. Our panel will discuss what a law firm must do to evolve and survive and how it potentially can thrive in a rapidly changing legal market.