Texas State Approved Sessions

The first half of 2022 set a First Day record for fewest chapter 11 filings over any calendar six-month period, but chapter 11s picked up in the second half of the year, with Q4 concluding as the year’s busiest quarter and December closing out as the year's busiest month. Ignoring real estate cases, which peaked in 2021, the frequency of chapter 11 cases fell by only 1% in 2022. Despite the waning of COVID-19, companies continue to cite the pandemic as at least part of the reason for their bankruptcy filings. However, during 2022 the cause of many chapter 11 filings moved away from pandemic factors, such as work stoppages and lower demand, to supply-side macroeconomic factors, including supply chain issues, labor costs and inflation. Rising interest rates and the collapse of crypto are also becoming prominent reasons for bankruptcy filings.

Set in the game show format of “Jeopardy,” this interactive ethics session will test the knowledge of the audience, provide valuable ethics information, and encourage networking among the participants. The panelists will cover ethical and evidentiary issues that have arisen in bankruptcy cases within the Tenth Circuit and elsewhere.

This keynote will dive into the current economic environment in Utah and the U.S. Take part in this lively discussion on the trending issues impacting the economy, such as employment, wages, interest rates and population growth, and learn how to prepare for success in uncertain times.

This panel will review the largest issues facing consumer practitioners today, including filing numbers, student loan legislation, proofs of claim and much more.

This session will highlight particularly interesting case law developments to date since 2022, and their impacts on bankruptcy law and practice.

Bankruptcy judges will discuss the most talked-about current events and controversial opinions in the insolvency world with ABI Editor-at-Large Bill Rochelle.

On direct appeal, the Third Circuit on Jan. 30 reversed the bankruptcy court and directed the dismissal of the petition that had been filed by LTL Management LLC, the subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson created to file in chapter 11 to deal with talc and asbestos claims arising from the sale of Johnson’s Baby Powder. Although Circuit Judge Thomas Ambro pointedly declined to rule on whether LTL improperly used chapter 11 as a “litigation tactic,” what are the legal steps J&J can take to settle roughly 40,000 cancer lawsuits concerning its talc-based products? A panel of top academics will examine the decision and the issues surrounding J&J's case, and will discuss what could happen with the case moving forward.

ABI's Financial Advisors and Investment Banking and International Committees. International and cross-border disputes often involve collections issues and venue considerations. This panel of experts in cross-border and international litigation will share their professional experiences and insights on how best to approach these types of claims, and ways to collect on them.

Sponsored by ABI's Real Estate Committee, Keen-Summit Capital Partners LLC and Summit Investment Management LLC Summit Investment Management LLC, Keen-Summit Capital Partners LLC and ABI's Real Estate Committee are pleased to present this webinar on the economic outlook for commercial real estate, once again featuring real estate economist and futurist Kiernan “KC” Conway, who drew rave reviews from his presentation last year. Mr. Conway is the chief economist for the CCIM Institute, principal and co-founder of consulting firm Red Shoe Economics, and a former commercial real estate subject-matter expert for the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank. Program topics will include a review of key asset classes, the impact of inflation on the real estate economy, lasting changes stemming from remote work, how geopolitics pose risks to the sector, and other timely topics to arm practitioners with important information about the real estate economy. Industry veterans will kick off the program with an overview of the credit and transaction markets.

Presented in the style of the ever-popular TED Talks, this year’s ABI Talks will focus on four hot topics: the state of the bankruptcy judiciary, Cinemark, civil contempt issues and venue reform.