Nebraska State Approved Sessions

This panel will discuss the assessment of a subject company and its situation, the nature of the assets in the distressed situation (i.e., company-specific or endemic of the industry), and other considerations for valuing companies in distress.

Asset Sales/Secured Credit Committees: This panel will debate the controversial proposal being considered by the ABI Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 to assess a charge or hold-back on secured lenders for a § 363 asset sale, including the pros and cons, mechanics, application in various circumstances, consequences and policy issues.

Health Care/Young & New Members Committees: Health care is a key area in which restructuring work is likely to grow significantly in the coming years. This panel will focus on the basics that professionals should know when it comes to handling bankruptcies and restructurings in the health care industry. The panel will also address tips and strategies as to how professionals can develop health care-related work.

Labor & Employment/Financial Advisors & Investment Banking/Legislation Committees: This panel will address public pension law, including their financial magnitude, and will focus on a number of timely current issues ranging from constitutional matters to state authorization, § 903 and 904 concerns, and relevant legislation. The panelists will draw upon their recent experiences, particularly from municipal bankruptcy cases, to highlight key themes and provide relevant insights.

Business Reorganization/Bankruptcy Litigation Committees: This panel will discuss the current trends in white-collar criminal and securities law issues by examining such past cases as Drexel, Adelphia and GSC.

Educational Session of Committees: The Bankruptcy Code provides enhanced and often unique opportunities to resolve tax issues faced by distressed businesses and individuals. Our program will provide a primer on how to address tax issues before and after filing for bankruptcy relief, followed by a discussion on significant tax problems faced by business and consumer debtors.

This panel will discuss how a number of recent bankruptcy decisions have curtailed the rights of the “new” investor, including hedge funds, to obtain the typical benefits that a buyer would otherwise be entitled to in a bankruptcy case. The focus will include a review of rulings in which a secured creditor’s rights to credit-bid in connection with a § 363 asset sale were limited and in which a hedge fund’s vote was not counted. Is this fair? Should your claim be worth less if you buy at a discount?

This panel will conduct a mock confirmation hearing in an individual’s chapter 11 case. Issues unique to individuals who file for chapter 11, such as the applicability of the absolute priority rule and best efforts under § 1129(a)(15), will be explored during the course of the mock hearing.

This panel will explore cutting-edge issues dealing with the ethical implications of social media and advancing technology on the practice of law. Issues to be discussed include professional responsibility requirements for attorneys using social media for advertising and other purposes, best practices for crafting social media policies, and a review of recent case law and state rules and opinions.

The Till v. SCS Decision was handed down in May 2004, making 2014 the 10-year anniversary of one of the most important bankruptcy decisions of all time. This panel, which features the lawyers who argued the matter before the Supreme Court (Eric Brunstad), as well as others who have argued significant post-Till interest rate cases, will discuss the evolution of Till and where we are today.