Delaware State Approved Sessions

Creditors’ committees are integral to the success of chapter 11 cases. This panel will discuss what it takes to maximize results for unsecured creditors in today’s chapter 11 cases, including how to deal with the different interests of the creditors who sit on creditors’ committees.

Insolvency professionals work in a multitude of environments, including firms of all sizes, in-house and at financial advising companies. Not every job will have a dedicated DEI department or director. This panel will address how legal professionals can still encourage diversity within the insolvency profession and promote the inclusion of diverse legal professionals at every level.

This panel of ABC-certified judges will discuss the applicable rules of professional conduct and other authority implicated in electronic filing, the use of email, “phishing” scams and hacking, and technology issues raised by today’s pandemic practice. The panelists will also consider issues raised by the requirement that many professionals must file public fee applications in bankruptcy cases, as well as fee issues stemming from converted cases, insufficient content in the applications, and problems that arise when the results achieved and the fees sought bear little relationship to each other. Finally, the panelists will consider unique professionalism issues raised by attorneys and law firms as bankruptcy debtors, particularly involving clients and the use of IOLTA accounts, along with more general do’s and don’ts about practicing in bankruptcy court before, during and (hopefully) after the pandemic.

Hosted by the Claims Trading and Financial Advisors & Investment Banking Committees This panel will discuss out-of-court loan-priming issues such as Serta and Transocean, among others.

The hotel and hospitality industry has been massacred by the pandemic. How can the Bankruptcy Code, chapter 11 and subchapter V help the industry restructure and survive? This panel will provide analysis and perspective.

A year into the global pandemic, U.S. businesses and consumers remain affected in unprecedented ways. This panel of public policy and insolvency experts will share their insights and answer questions relating to the most recent federal stabilization programs, including updates to the PPP program, relief for municipalities and other relief provisions. The panelists will also discuss the administration's priorities and additional potential congressional action. Sure to be part of the discussion are student loans, the Consumer Bankruptcy Reform Act and the SBRA.

Hosted by the Consumer Bankruptcy and Legislation Committees This panel will compare Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s bill with the ABI Consumer Commission’s Final Report, released in 2019, and will address consumer bankruptcy legislation that could be introduced this spring.

Hosted by the Emerging Industries & Technology and International Committees This panel will address what happens when cannabis-producers become insolvent, and the resulting cross-border implications. The discussion will include how to structure a reorganization to address the legal issues that surround cannabis-producers, and bankruptcy courts' role in the process.

Cancellation of debt income (CODI) will be one of the largest post-COVID-19 issues for consumers, businesses and business owners. This session will explain what happens when cancellation of a debt generates taxable income, and the resulting effects on the taxpayer and equityholders. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of whether they should counsel their clients to file bankruptcy.

This session will outline the top 10 consumer issues any bankruptcy or other attorney practicing consumer law needs to know.