Consumer

ABI’s Consumer Commission is charged with researching and recommending improvements to the consumer bankruptcy system that can be implemented within its existing structure. Join us for the first of two commission hearings at the WLC to solicit what such changes might include, from amendments to the Bankruptcy Code and Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, to administrative rules or actions, to recommendations on proper interpretations of existing law, and other best practices that judges, trustees and lawyers can implement. The hearings will be on matters common to both chapters 7 and 13.

How to Survive Your Client’s 341 Meeting; The Elderly or Incapacitated Client; Exemption Issues

Bringing together the perspectives of debtors, creditors and judges, this panel will survey the universe of nondischargeability causes of action, the realistic costs of pursuing and defending these actions, effective discovery and trial strategies, the impact of issue and claim preclusion based on pre-petition judgments, the anatomy of nondischargeability settlement agreements, the challenges of collection, and the prospects for recovery of attorneys’ fees.

Home value is all in the perspective. If you want to learn how to convince the court that your client’s perspective on the value of a residence is the right one, this is the panel for you! Experienced litigators will discuss best practices for litigating the value of a home by using familiar scenarios from everyday valuation practice.

From your first contact with your client until the entry of a discharge order and the closing of the case, risks for consumer malpractice claims abound. This panel will focus on minimizing those risks, including properly engaging the client, effectively gathering the information necessary to adequately comply with the myriad requirements and disclosures necessary to successfully commence and conclude a consumer bankruptcy case, and guarding against other hazards that could create problems for your client and for you.

Attorney/Client Privilege and the Crime/Fraud Exception; Busting Up “Bankruptcy Remote” Entities