Arkansas State Approved Sessions

Hosted by The Claims Trading Committee Amid the financial crisis due to the COVID-19 coronavirus, when is a trade (whether it is bank debt, bond debt, bankruptcy trade claim) a trade? When are they broken, despite industry standards and practices? Listen to a panel of experts explore the answers to these questions and more.

Hosted by the Young and New Member Committee The panel will discuss the Small Business Reorganization Act’s requirement that a trustee (or debtor-in-possession) take into account a defendant’s defenses before bringing an action. This amendment, which is applicable in all cases, requires the plaintiff to engage in reasonable due diligence regarding a defendant’s affirmative defenses before initiating a preference action. The panel will discuss different approaches to satisfy the new requirement.

Hosted by The Consumer Bankruptcy Committee The CARES Act, which was signed into law on March 27, 2020, has many important economic stimulus measures — including some that will impact bankruptcy. This webinar will discuss Section 1113 of the CARES Act, which, in part, excludes from the definition of “current monthly income” COVID-19 payments made by the federal government related to the COVID-19 federal emergency, and allows debtors who have been affected by the pandemic to modify their chapter 13 plans to allow payments for up to seven years after the first payment was due if their plans were confirmed prior to the enactment of the law. The webinar will also discuss how bankruptcy courts have reacted on a local basis to the need for debtors to suspend their plan payments for extended periods of time due to the COVID-19 federal emergency.

Please join our distinguished panel of experts as they decipher the most recent federal bailout programs and developments. The panel will also discuss how best to successfully navigate the liquidity issues arising in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Join our panel of experts as they explore the recently enacted provisions within the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) to temporarily raise the debt limit for small businesses looking to file under the new subchapter V of the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA). In addition, the panel will explain how these new laws help people in chapter 13 by allowing them more time to complete their plans and retain government benefits.

The Supreme Court has handed down three rulings during its current term that impact bankruptcy practice: The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on January 14 in Ritzen v. Jackson Machinery that an order denying a motion to modify the automatic stay is a final, appealable order “when the bankruptcy court unreservedly grants or denies relief.” In a per curiam opinion on February 24 in Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan v. Acevedo Feliciano, the Supreme Court has banned the term “nunc pro tunc” from the bankruptcy lexicon. The Court also ruled that a state court altogether lacks jurisdiction in a removed action until the case has been formally remanded. The Supreme Court ruled on February 25 in Rodriguez v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. that federal courts may not employ federal common law to decide who owns a tax refund when a parent holding company files a tax return but a subsidiary generated the losses giving rise to the refund. A panel of distinguished bankruptcy experts will discuss each of these cases to provide you with insights for your practice.

This session will provide insight into the healthcare dealmakers’ perspective across the health services spectrum. We’ll hear from strategic buyers, private equity and institutional capital regarding current deal metrics, capitalization requirements, various industry multiples and the impact the elections may have on deal making.

The rise and fall of the rule of law in Russia since the breakup of the Soviet Union has been dynamic and unpredictable. What started out as a robust, exciting and uncertain fledgling democracy and reform to a market economy based on the rule of law devolved into something different, something less. Judge Brooks will trace his experience since 1991 working with Russian legal reformers as they endeavored to establish a nascent democracy and market economy built on a rule of law, an independent judiciary, principles of transparency, private property and open society.

Signed into law on August 23, 2019, the “Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need (HAVEN) Act of 2019” grants significant relief to consumer debtors that have military ties. Are you up to speed on the HAVEN Act and how to use it in your practice? This panel of experts will discuss the events leading up to the HAVEN Act’s passage, the new exemption from Current Monthly Income created by the Act, suggestions on how to talk with your clients about military or VA benefits and documents, and how the Act applies to your pending cases.

“Burnout” is officially classified as a legitimate medical diagnosis by the World Health Organization in its International Classification of Diseases handbook, which guides medical providers in diagnosing diseases. According to the handbook, a stressed-out, unhappy attorney who does not want to practice law any longer can be “officially” diagnosed with burnout if he or she meets certain symptoms. Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, and it is characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy. This session will shine a spotlight on practitioner mental health and coping with burnout and stress.