Hot Topics with Bill Rochelle
This panel will explore the thorniest questions that have plagued the courts and created circuit splits regarding consumer bankruptcies, including: Does the Bartenwerfer rule only apply to partnerships and agencies; how much, if anything, may chapter 13 debtors contribute to 401(k)s; who gets post-petition appreciation in a home in chapter 13; and are trustees paid if dismissal precedes confirmation?
ABI-Live: Directors' Duties Across Borders in the Insolvency Zone, Episode 1: Europe
This is the first in a series of webinars that will cover key jurisdictions around the globe, focusing on developments you and your clients need to consider when thinking about bankruptcy-type proceedings in foreign jurisdictions. What you don’t know may hurt your clients, and you can’t just assume that the same rules apply as in the United States. For this first webinar, the panelists will be examining the situation in France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
ABI-Live: SCOTUS Crossfire: Will Purdue Be the Last Mass Tort Bankruptcy?
The Supreme Court on Aug. 10 granted an emergency application for a stay and granted certiorari in the case of Harrington v. Purdue Pharma L.P. The Court will consider whether the Bankruptcy Code authorizes a court to approve, as part of a plan of reorganization under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, a release that extinguishes claims held by nondebtors against nondebtor third parties without the claimants’ consent. The case is scheduled to be argued in the December 2023 argument session. Hear experts on both sides of the issue as they prognosticate on how the use of third-party releases may unfold before the Supreme Court.
Ethics (2023 Views from the Bench)
This session will focus on conflict issues, getting retained and paid, and § 327/disclosure issues.
Cross-Border Practice
This panel will discuss eligibility issues and strategies related to chapters 11 and 15, filing in other jurisdictions, and cases such as Modern Land, Global Cord Blood and Comair Ltd.
Bridging the Gaps: Issues of First Impression in Subchapter V Cases, and How Courts and Practitioners Are Creatively Resolving Them
Subchapter V opinions of first impression are being entered around the country every year. This panel will discuss the most recent subchapter V opinions and analyze how bankruptcy practitioners and courts are creatively filling subchapter V's statutory gaps.
The Wild West of Unconventional Lending: “I Need Money!” A Look at Factors, Merchant Cash-Advance Lenders and Litigation-Funders
This panel will discuss the various issues surrounding merchant cash advance (MCA) lenders from the perspectives of MCA lenders, debtors, the bench, and other secured creditors whose interests may be affected by MCA lenders.
Ethics Potpourri
Advising and interacting with clients remotely, with a strong reliance on electronic rather than in-person communications, is the reality for most bankruptcy professionals in a post-pandemic world. This session will focus on the resulting ethical issues facing consumer practitioners, including issues regarding the verification of debtor identity, authority issues regarding the use of client signatures, protection of confidential client information, conduct during telephonic (or video) § 341 meetings, and ethical obligations in the face of data breaches. The panelists will use hypothetical scenarios to demonstrate the ways in which these ethical issues often arise, and will discuss best practices to handle these issues, as well as highlight potential access-to-justice problems that clients can face.
Top Issues for Public Company Bankruptcies
This panel will present views from the perspectives of management, debtor’s counsel and creditors' committee’s counsel on hot-button and common issues in public company bankruptcies. These large and interesting cases are not filed every day, but their frequency has been on the rise because of the role of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). The panelists will discuss the nuances of what makes public company bankruptcies different.