Illinois State Approved Sessions

Sponsored by Inspira FinancialIn this session, you will learn practical strategies to oversee/manage retirement plan terminations that are required due to corporate bankruptcies and merger-and-acquisition transactions. From understanding your clients’ fiduciary responsibilities to finding missing and unresponsive participants and reconnecting them with their retirement savings, this session will inform attendees on the steps necessary to successfully terminate a company's retirement plan.

This panel will explore best practices for selecting, preparing and effectively using expert witnesses in bankruptcy disputes, including in valuation, fraudulent-transfer and preference actions. The panelists will discuss common pitfalls, ethical considerations, and how opposing counsel can effectively challenge expert credibility and methodology. Attendees will gain practical tips for maximizing the value of expert testimony and avoiding costly missteps in contested bankruptcy matters. 

As data privacy concerns grow more urgent, bankruptcy professionals must be prepared to confront the unique challenges that arise when companies holding sensitive consumer data (like genetic information) enter financial distress. This panel will use the high-profile case of 23andMe as a launching point to explore the intersection of data privacy laws and bankruptcy practice. The panelists then will examine the heightened risks and responsibilities for debtors, creditors and trustees handling data-heavy assets in restructuring and liquidation scenarios. 

This lively panel of bankruptcy judges will debate the most pressing and controversial issues shaping bankruptcy law today. Gain unique insights from the bench on evolving case law, procedural challenges and emerging trends affecting practitioners across the bankruptcy spectrum.

The restaurant and franchise sectors present unique challenges in chapter 11 restructurings, from complex lease negotiations to brand preservation and franchise agreement compliance. Whether representing debtors, creditors or franchisors, attendees will gain practical insights into navigating the distinctive legal and business hurdles faced by restaurants and franchises in chapter 11. 

This panel will consider and discuss practice points, deployment of technology, and ethical considerations for attorneys following the COVID-19 pandemic.

This panel will discuss the ins and outs of mediating consumer bankruptcy issues, including the types of issues typically mediated, selecting a mediator, and special considerations involved.

Ponzi and other fraudulent schemes continue to proliferate. Many of these schemes, event if primarily targeted at Americans, operate using offshore entities in the Caribbean. As a result, resolving such schemes typically involves domestic receiverships or bankruptcy coupled with offshore liquidation proceedings. The victims’ recoveries may vary widely depending on whether the distribution of the scheme’s remaining assets is determined by U.S. bankruptcy law, U.S. common law or foreign law. This panel will explore the various ways in which U.S. and foreign laws implicate victims’ recoveries, as well as potential changes to those laws.

This unique, interactive panel will be presented as a mock trial where financial advisors will be cross-examined by attorneys on valuation issues, including liquidation value.

This panel will explore the basics of privilege and how it is used in bankruptcy litigation. Do members of an LLC have access to privileged info? Do former board members have rights to privileged info? Does a trustee of an individual debtor have rights to the individual debtor's privileged information? Is a trustee required to turn over his/her privileged information to the debtor after it retakes possession? Can mediation privilege be used to cloak an entire bankruptcy case so that all information is immune from discovery from non-mediation parties or its adversaries?