Business

The panelists will provide a practical checklist for preparing — and delivering — effective oral arguments, and will explore which strategies have worked best for them throughout the years, highlight pitfalls to avoid, and provide valuable reminders to practitioners at all levels of experience. Finally, the panelists will respond to questions and offer strategies to help young lawyers seek (and obtain) oral argument opportunities.

This panel of Central States judges will discuss 25 years of key opinions.

Hosted by the Legislation and Commercial Fraud Committees.

Bankruptcy judges sound off on the best (and worst) behavior of our bankruptcy brothers and sisters. Join us in our first ABC-sponsored session!

Join us for a round of the “ABI Talks,” with speakers focusing on the ABI Consumer Commission, litigation finance in bankruptcy, transfers and more.

This year the conference opens with ABI Talks, one of our highest-rated programs ever! Based on the incredibly popular “TED Talks” format, ABI Talks address diverse and interesting bankruptcy topics. If you consider yourself a bankruptcy guru, or just want to be one, you will not want to miss this featured session! DID THAT REALLY HAPPEN IN COURT TODAY? Judge Carey will take a reminiscent trip through a typical day in court by recounting the successful presentations and skill sets employed by lawyers that work really well for him, as well as the ones that don’t — all in an entertaining and informative way. #METOO: WHERE I’VE BEEN, AND WHERE BANKRUPTCY PROFESSIONALS ARE GOING Cathy Hershcopf graduated from law school in 1985 and entered into “big law” restructuring practice immediately — a world where women were rarely found. Her personal journey is one that will resonate, especially in today’s environment. Her impactful talk will also present, in an interactive format, several challenging fact scenarios from the legal workplace for the audience to consider. SOVEREIGN CITIZENS MOVEMENT (BEST MID-ATLANTIC BANKRUPTCY WORKSHOP PROGRAM) Tom Horan will introduce everyone to the beliefs of sovereign citizens — a loose collection of individuals who contend that the U.S. government is illegitimate and who seek to transform American society into one where government plays a minimal role. Find out what happens when their belief system collides with the Bankruptcy Code and the courts. A ROSE IS A ROSE IS A ROSE — OR IS IT? Is a deposit in a bank a transfer of the debtor’s assets? Ron Peterson will discuss this and more, as well as review appellate court decisions of the Fourth, Sixth, Seventh and Ninth Circuits. THE JAY ALIX/MCKINSEY DISPUTE: "SOUR GRAPES" TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT, OR THE NEW NORMAL? Tom Salerno will explore the dynamics of the extraordinary pending litigation involving retention disclosures between McKinsey & Co. and Jay Alix, and will discuss the potentially far-reaching legal, political and practical ramifications of that dispute for the restructuring community on all sides of the industry. Is this a tipping point for the bankruptcy world that will create a new industry order, or just a “sour grapes,” spurned advisor’s tempest in a teapot?

This panel will focus on what the numbers mean, who cares about them and why they care — and why you should care, too.

This panel will discuss pre-petition considerations, disposition of assets and conversion concerns at issue in individual chapter 11 cases.

Limited liability companies did not exist when the Bankruptcy Code was enacted. Case law related to LLCs and bankruptcy is conflicting and sometimes confusing. This panel will discuss the unique issues related to LLCs and bankruptcy law.