No CLE

We often forget that what we say and how we say it can signal more than we intended. One of the primary ways in which "what we say"/"how we say it" creates such signals is with the wording of time entries, whether or not those time entries are ever reviewed by a bankruptcy court. Clients read bills, too, so if one wants to communicate that their work was valuable and efficiently performed, the fable of Goldilocks comes to mind: The time entries need to be "just right." When they're not, clients and courts can draw conclusions that we never intended them to draw. This panel will discuss these issues and more.

This session will focus on several of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, including 4.1 (Truthfulness to Others), 7.1 (Communications Concerning Lawyer’s Services) and 8.4 (Misconduct). The panelists will address compensation and diversity in U.S. law firms and the elimination of bias; the importance of diversity and inclusion regarding creativity and innovation, the correlation with financial performance, and improving the workplace and client relationships; and ways in which law firms can actively combat unconscious bias and make retention of diverse talent a priority. The Neiman Marcus case will be discussed.

Learn concrete trial and evidentiary skills in this lively mock examination.

Uncle Sam said “Take the money...everything will be OK”. Now, the IRS, SBA and Congress are changing the rules, creating new hurdles for distressed businesses. This panel dives into recent legislation in CARES II and the evolving legal and regulatory landscape governing access to, and repayment of, PPP and EIDL loans.

Getting paid in a world populated by bankrupt debtors is a tricky dance, but there are ways to make it happen. What you learn in this session is sure to be music (and money) to your ears! This panel will address chapter 7 fee bifurcation, effective chapter 13 fee applications and step-up plans, as well as practice-management profitability strategies, budgeting, billing and retirement.

This panel will review the implementation, practical effects, unintended consequences, and foreseen and unforeseen problems related to the Small Business Reorganization Act.

Unemployment rates are slowly dropping after hitting an all-time high in April of this year and remaining in the double digits for four months straight. However, the effects of the ongoing pandemic remain. Rent payments are down, and homeowners are delaying payments on their mortgages. The Federal Reserve has dropped interest rates to near-zero, and small business revenue nationwide is down nearly 20%, even after accounting for the thousands of businesses that have already closed for good. Congress, states and local governments are scrambling to put policies and programs in place that will help forestall financial collapse. As bankruptcy practitioners and scholars, this is our moment — or is it? This presentation will explore the role that bankruptcy policy can and should play in a global pandemic, discuss the role that bankruptcy policy has already begun to play, and query what factors may be limiting the effectiveness of bankruptcy policy in easing financial distress and limiting unnecessary business closures.

Ranking on Google is perhaps the most important thing you can do to market your law firm. In this presentation, we’ll dig into how PPC (Google paid ads) complement your SEO (search engine optimization), social media and email marketing; how connecting your paid ads to your Google My Business (GMB) listing helps get your practice in front of more prospective clients; how search terms in paid ads are an invaluable source of information on consumer behavior and intent; and how geo-scheduling ads down to the zip code and overlaying such demographics as age, income and audience can help make sure your ads reach the right people. This session will also explain the intricacies of Google Ads rebranding from AdWords, including YouTube and more than 2 million websites in the Google Display Network.

NO CLE Norman N. Kinel, Moderator Squire Patton Boggs; New York Resolved: The Bankruptcy Code impliedly repeals the Federal Arbitration Act with respect to disputes regarding the allowance of claims against a bankruptcy estate. Pro: Hon. Ashely M. Chan U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D. Pa.); Philadelphia Con: Hon. Eric L. Frank U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D. Pa.); Philadelphia Resolved: A chapter 11 plan of reorganization may lawfully release the liability of a third party for its own tortious conduct without the consent of the creditor whose claim is being released. Pro: Hon. Janet E. Bostwick U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Mass.); Boston Con: Hon. Frank J. Bailey U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Mass.); Boston

The title says it all — and these sessions are always full of fireworks. We’ll cover post-petition appreciation in chapter 13s (to whom does it belong?), bifurcation of chapter 7 fees, and lien-stripping in chapter 20. You might be picking a side, but you’ll learn a lot from both sides!