No CLE

This session discusses to whom a debtor surrenders his residence, and whether a surrender prohibits the debtor from opposing a state court foreclosure action. The recent case of In re Failia (11th Cir.) sheds light on these questions.

This session will focus on providing a framework to help mid-level professionals develop a plan for advancement in the bankruptcy and restructuring industry, including best practices for developing and maintaining client relationships, creating a personal brand, navigating intra-firm politics, identifying opportunities for growth, and the use of business and personal networks to achieve career goals.

This panel will discuss lessons learned from leveraging technology in administering mega-, mid-size and small chapter 11 cases. The panelists will discuss and demonstrate the use of technology in administering chapter 11 cases, including submission of e-proofs of claim and e-ballots, electronic noticing and solicitation, case administration websites, and electronic claims reconciliation. The panel will also address how to improve the efficiency of using such technologies within the context of small or mid-size chapter 11 cases.

This session will highlight particularly interesting case law developments to date in 2017 and their impact on bankruptcy law and practice.

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

Lawyers representing mortgage creditors, car creditors and unsecured creditors in consumer chapter 7 and 13 cases are familiar with the routine actions they can take to protect their clients (e.g., move to lift the stay, file proofs of claims and analyze disposable-income issues). But what actions can they take to protect their clients when an individual or small business debtor files chapter 11? What strategies and considerations should secured creditors use to decide whether to move to lift the stay? How active should unsecured creditors be in a chapter 11 before the debtor files a plan of reorganization? What strategies and considerations go into creditors’ evaluations of and voting on the debtor’s plan of reorganization? What initial issues do creditors’ attorneys need to think about when they receive notice of a chapter 11 petition, and how do these issues differ from the initial issues they need to think about when they receive a notice of a chapter 7 or 13 petition? Are proofs of claims handled differently in chapter 11, and if so, how? How do you explain the options to your client and manage your client’s expectations in chapter 11 so that they understand the potential costs and time involved?

Many consumer bankruptcy lawyers now find themselves filing chapter 11 petitions for individuals and small businesses, but chapter 11 cases are different than chapter 13 cases. This session will focus on the basics of filing and handling a chapter 11 case, including who is eligible to file a chapter 11 petition, the reasons to file chapter 11 rather than chapter 7 or 13, the ongoing reporting responsibilities of a debtor in possession, what goes into the preparation of a plan of reorganization and disclosure statement, how a chapter 11 plan differs from a chapter 13 plan, how the process of balloting on the plan of reorganization works, the requirements that must be met to confirm a plan of reorganization, and the time frames that govern the handling of chapter 11 cases.

How to keep your equity when those about you are losing theirs (and blaming it on you).