Business

This panel will explore current chapter 11 issues from case inception to exit and will discuss current case law and trends, including nonconventional financing obstacles, the ability of a lender to obtain default interest post-petition, plan-support agreements, structured dismissals, cramdown interest rates, third-party releases and the erosion of the equitable mootness doctrine on appeal.

This year’s mountainside chat will address recent developments in the requirements for employment of disinterestedness, disclosure and disqualification. It will focus on two recent decisions relating to the extent to which a lack of disinterestedness or the presence of an ethical conflict of one firm member is, or is not, imputed on others within the same firm, and whether there is a difference between the two. The discussion will also address different views expressed by courts on the impact of receipt of a retainer, outstanding obligations for pre-petition services, and the potential for avoidance of pre-petition payments.

This panel will discuss how to make sure management (and the board) plays the role of neutral stakeholder throughout a plan and/ or § 363 process. Can the same board and management team truly represent the interests of stakeholders of BOTH a corporate parent and its subsidiaries? What if there are dozens of affiliates whose creditors have disparate interests? Why is the issue of corporate separateness (and related conflicts) overlooked in some multiple-debtor cases, but addressed in others? What are the pros and cons of various tools for addressing potential conflicts? Who should investigate when issues are raised about the validity of intercompany debt, the reasonableness of cost allocations, the ownership of intellectual property and the potential for fraudulent conveyance claims among debtors? Examples discussed may include Nortel, Caesars, EFH, Lehman, Tribune and others.

This panel will address a variety of current issues including “disinterestedness” and “the 1% Rule,” attempted workarounds in the aftermath of Baker Botts v. ASARCO LLC and other ethical challenges, along with guidance under various applicable Rules of Professional Conduct, such as rules regarding fees (RPC 1.5), confidentiality (RPC 1.6), conflicts of interest (RPC 1.7) and candor with the court (RPC 3.3).

This panel will provide a brief, general overview of the mechanics and statutory framework for involuntary bankruptcies, with more in-depth discussions of current hot-button issues, including petitioning creditors’ good faith/bad faith, the conflicting approaches taken by various circuits in determining whether a petitioning creditor’s claim is subject to a bona fide dispute, and the potential legal fees and damage claims petitioning creditors face if their involuntary petition is ultimately dismissed.

Presented by the Business Reorganization and Financial Advisors & Investment Banking Committees

This panel will address the unique issues presented when matters involving fraud, including Ponzi schemes, arise. The discussion will include best practices for responding to, or managing, fraud allegations directed to a client inside and outside of bankruptcy, addressing and investigating fraud from an accounting perspective (including strategies for identifying hallmarks of fraud), and current developments in case law relating to fraud and Ponzi schemes in the bankruptcy context.

Representing public figures whose livelihood depends on their public image presents particular challenges for bankruptcy professionals. This panel of lawyers, each with their own experiences representing celebrities and other prominent figures in their bankruptcy cases, will share their thoughts on the process and the issues that are unique in these cases.

What are the strategies of private-equity sponsors seeking to retain control (or at least a stake) through the bankruptcy process? How do they retain counsel and manage conflicts? What strategies are they using to preserve their interests? What risks do they undertake? This panel will discuss these issues and more.

This panel will discuss the Puerto Rico health care crisis by providing an overview of the changes in the health care industry; the challenges confronting the health care system in bankruptcy cases, including maintaining value before and during the sale process, special considerations in health care asset sales, Medicare/Medicaid cost report and recoupment issues; and medical malpractice liabilities. Can a bankruptcy filing preserve Medicare and Medicaid provider agreements? The panel will also discuss the appointment of patient care ombudsmen in health care business cases and Medicare fraud.