No CLE

There has been an increasing trend toward using creative structures to transact around limitations in debt documents in order to raise debt, sell assets and/or distribute value to certain stakeholders, including transferring assets to unrestricted subsidiaries, sale/leaseback transactions and FILO loan structures. Take a look into the resulting litigation surrounding these transactions (e.g., Windstream, iHeart, J.Crew) and discuss how the credit default swap market is affecting financing structures.

A frequently asked question by an individual considering bankruptcy is, “What will it mean on my credit report?” This session is designed to help answer that question and other questions regarding credit reporting. What is a credit report? Who provides the information, and what gets reported? What are the range of scores, and what do they mean? How does chapter 7 impact an individual’s credit score going forward? How does chapter 13 impact it? What can an individual do if something untrue is reported? What can you do as the individual’s attorney to help out? What are a creditor’s responsibilities? Does it make any difference if some debts are reaffirmed? What is the effect of not reaffirming a mortgage or automobile purchase? How long does information stay reported? How does a bankruptcy by one spouse affect the credit of the nonfiling spouse?

This session will explore the following questions: Should all similarly situated creditors have the right to participate in rights offerings, financings, etc.? Does it violate Bankruptcy Code provisions or policy to allow a subset of creditors to receive fees and increase their recovery at the expense of similarly situated creditors? Is mandatory market-testing a viable solution?

In this session, the panel will delve into recent chapter 15 decisions and the use of cross-border protocols in complex multijurisdictional cases ( e.g., SDNY General Order M-511, Delaware LBR 9029-2). Learn about preparing a cross-border case and cash-management issues across cross-border estates, difficulties that arise when dealing with foreign boards, subsidiaries in foreign jurisdictions and limited resources to manage the complications, and the winding down and liquidation of cross-border estates.

This panel of experienced professionals will discuss and analyze what it takes to maximize results for unsecured creditors in today’s chapter 11 cases.

This panel will explore current topics of interest involving third-party releases, including issues regarding: "deemed consent" of releasing parties; the scope of third-party releases; and the impact of jurisdictional or constitutional limits on bankruptcy courts to approve non-consensual third-party releases.

How Clear is “Free and Clear” under § 363? You’re a Real Character: When Can Debt Be Recharacterized as Equity? How Can I Get a One of Those: A Third Party Release? A panel discussion of lawyers with more than 100 years of bankruptcy experience, moderated by a bankruptcy judge who used to be a corporate lawyer. The panel will discuss recent court decisions and focus on unique issues that can arise when a debtor seeks to sell estate property “free and clear,” including whether § 363 can be used to sell real property free of an otherwise valid lease, the debate over whether and under what circumstances a bankruptcy court may rule that a facially valid loan is really subordinated equity, and whether post-Stern bankruptcy courts have the authority to grant releases to non-debtors and, if so, under what conditions.

This panel will cover the effects of the recent Supreme Court decision under § 546(e) of the Bankruptcy Code, valuation of avoidance actions, pre-bankruptcy planning, creditor intervention, and conflicts preventing individual debtors from pursuing claims.

The way that we practice law is changing, as the legal industry is going through a dramatic digital transformation. Cybercriminals are increasingly seeing law firms as targets for cybercrime, and clients are putting pressure on professionals to create and maintain appropriate security programs to keep their data secure. This panel of experts will discuss the current state of cybersecurity, as well as best practices for how to protect yourself from and respond to a cybersecurity attack. We will also explore how blockchain technology may be the tool of the future to keep data secure.

The only D&O insurance policy issues that get much attention — in the restructuring world, at least — are (1) the insured-vs.-insured exclusion and (2) obtaining stay relief to access policy proceeds. The panel will tell the “rest of the story” by addressing important — but often overlooked — coverage issues and offering practical advice for purchasing D&O insurance policies (on behalf of distressed entities) and monetizing such policies (on behalf of fiduciaries).