2026

The law of secured transactions is often called a "trap for the unwary," especially for bankruptcy lawyers. This session will address common (and costly) mistakes that result in avoidance and missteps in the repossession and sale of collateral. The panelists will take up tricky perfection issues, priority and questions of scope — so you can navigate secured transactions with confidence, not caution tape.Learning Objectives:Understand the scope of UCC Article 9 — what it covers and when other law governs.Identify errors that lead to avoidance and learn how to prevent them.Apply the legal requirements for repossession and sale of collateral, with particular attention to the law developed in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.

What do you do when your client comes to you in an emergency, and what is and is not an emergency for the purpose of first-day motions? How do you prepare for a bankruptcy filing with virtually no time to spare? How do you stabilize operations through a short transition, and what do you do if there is an out-of-the-gate motion to dismiss for bad faith? This panel will aim to help you keep your calm in a crisis so that your efforts culminate in a successful case.Learning Objectives:Attendees will recognize common crisis scenarios that arise immediately before and after a bankruptcy filing and distinguish true emergencies requiring first-day relief.Attendees will develop strategies for rapidly preparing a bankruptcy filing and first-day motions when time and information are limited.Attendees will examine practical approaches for stabilizing operations and responding to early case challenges, including motions to dismiss for alleged bad faith.

We’ve all seen intangible assets on balance sheets — from intellectual property (IP) and franchise agreements to customer lists and goodwill. What do we do with IP, and how do we use it or value it to have a successful reorganization and not just a sale? This session will provide takeaways you can use to inform your next case.Learning Objectives:Define the evolving scope of intellectual property (IP): Participants will be able to identify the major categories of IP and explain how modern business models are expanding what counts as IP, including data, algorithms, customer relationships, and other emerging intangible assets.Analyze why IP matters in restructuring strategy and negotiation: Participants will understand how IP can influence leverage, value and deal dynamics in a reorganization, and evaluate ways to use IP assets or IP gaps to shape plan negotiations, monetization strategies, and outcomes beyond a simple sale.Apply practical approaches to protecting and maximizing IP value in distressed situations: Participants will be able to spot common pitfalls such as overlooked, unprotected or undervalued IP, and apply practical tools and case study strategies to preserve, enhance, or monetize IP to reach a successful restructuring solution.

Featuring the regional judges of the Rocky Mountain Bankruptcy Conference, this session will strive to answer questions you have on current issues.Learning Objectives:Attendees will identify current issues and emerging trends in bankruptcy practice as viewed from the perspective of regional bankruptcy judges.Attendees will gain insight into judicial expectations, procedural preferences, and effective advocacy strategies in bankruptcy court.Attendees will analyze common challenges and questions arising in bankruptcy cases and how courts are addressing them in practice.

Join us for an intensive, practical workshop developed for bankruptcy attorneys and financial advisors who want to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in their daily practice. Moving past the theoretical debate surrounding the use of AI, this bootcamp will focus entirely on its practical applications in a § 363 sale context from start to finish by demonstrating the use of cutting-edge AI tools in a restricting case.Learning Objectives:Attendees will identify practical ways artificial intelligence tools can be integrated into bankruptcy and restructuring workflows, particularly in the context of a § 363 sale.Attendees will evaluate how AI can assist with common tasks in a restructuring case, including document drafting, data analysis, and transaction management from the beginning through the closing of a § 363 sale.Attendees will apply best practices for using AI tools responsibly and efficiently in legal and financial advisory practice while navigating ethical and professional considerations."

Hosted by the Financial Advisors and Investment Banking CommitteeCourts have begun addressing the admissibility of AI-assisted expert work, including in bankruptcy and analogous litigation contexts, with some uses excluded and others permitted depending on verification, disclosure and methodology. This program examines recent decisions, including In re Celsius Network LLC, Matter of Weber, Kohls v. Ellison and Ferlito v. Harbor Freight; the December 2023 amendments to Federal Rule of Evidence 702; and emerging court guidance on AI disclosure.The panelists will discuss the ways in which AI tools may assist with valuation work in bankruptcy proceedings, and what documentation courts are likely to expect from experts. They also will focus on the practical uses of AI in financial analysis, the legal standards governing expert testimony, and the circumstances under which traditional valuation methods remain essential.

Hosted by American Bankruptcy InstituteSpirit Airlines filed for liquidation and ceased operations on May 2, and other international carriers have also filed for bankruptcy in recent months citing increasing jet fuel prices, debt and regulatory issues. Is the airline industry on course toward stabilizing or is further distress on the horizon?Join a distinguished panel of experts to examine current airline industry distress and get their perspectives on the direction the industry may be headed on a special abiLIVE Webinar!

This panel will provide newer attorneys with a practical overview of first-day motions in chapter 11 cases, covering the essential relief debtors typically seek at the outset of a bankruptcy filing and offering guidance on how to effectively prepare, organize and present these critical early-case pleadings.Learning Objectives:Attendees will identify the key types of first day motions commonly filed in Chapter 11 cases and understand the relief typically sought at the outset of a bankruptcy proceeding.Attendees will evaluate best practices for preparing and organizing first day pleadings to effectively support debtor needs in the early stages of a case.Attendees will assess practical strategies for presenting first day motions in a clear and persuasive manner before the court.

This session will explore how subchapter V operates in practice, with a focus on eligibility and debt limits, plan confirmation requirements, and the critical role of trustees. The panelists will discuss recent legal developments shaping the evolving landscape of small business reorganization, and provide practical strategies for navigating these changes effectively.Learning Objectives:Attendees will identify the current debt eligibility requirements for Subchapter V, analyze key ambiguities in plan confirmation (including, for instance the treatment of vacant classes, the three-to-five year disposable income commitment, and the availability of discharge for corporate entity debtors). Participants should come away with tools to apply that knowledge to advise small business clients considering reorganization and help participants recognize circumstances where their clients may be eligible.Attendees will assess current empirical data on Subchapter V confirmation rates and repeat filings, identify best practices for quality filings and effective use of local court forms, and understand the unique challenges presented by pro se debtors in the Subchapter V context.

The crypto crash of 2022 resulted in multiple chapter 11 cases, yielded both substantial losses and unexpected recoveries for market participants, and created an array of legal precedents in an area where none previously existed. With markets in turmoil, could another crash lie ahead? This panel will look back at key issues in the 2022 wave of cases, and will speculate as to how those and related issues might play out in the next wave of cryptocurrency filings against the backdrop of market, regulatory and legislative developments.Learning Objectives:Revisit and reevaluate how key insolvency issues were addressed and resolved in the wave of cryptocurrency chapter 11 cases that commenced in 2022.Evaluate how the crypto world is changing, both on the business/financial and legal side. New players and evolving expectations will be discussed.Engage in informed speculation as to how the same set of issues might be addressed/resolved in future cryptocurrency chapter 11 cases, particularly in light of recently enacted and pending legislation and regulation.