Vermont State Approved Sessions

Please join ABI’s International Committee for the next installment in its webinar series on cross-border insolvency topics. This session will focus on key issues and strategies surrounding asset recovery in the Caribbean. Leading practitioners from the Cayman Islands, BVI, Bermuda and the Bahamas will discuss the legal, financial and logistical challenges of recovering assets across jurisdictions, and will share practical insights and tools for navigating those complexities. The panelists also will address industry-specific considerations that arise in insurance and cryptocurrency matters.

A focused discussion on the systemic pressures shaping today’s affordable housing landscape, using the Pinnacle Bankruptcy as a real‑world example. Speakers will highlight key legal, financial, and practical issues from the case, then expand the conversation to broader market trends, fiduciary challenges, and legal considerations affecting affordable housing across regions.Learning Objectives:Attendees will learn to:Apply key legal and financial lessons from the Pinnacle bankruptcy case to identify systemic pressures and fiduciary challenges in affordable housing restructurings.Distinguish between case-specific issues and broader market trends affecting affordable housing operators and financing structures across multiple jurisdictions.Formulate legal strategies to address regulatory compliance and practical considerations unique to distressed affordable housing matters.

AI is transforming bankruptcy fee examination. This session demonstrates how Legal Decoder and similar platforms analyze billing data in high-profile cases (PG&E, Purdue Pharma, Toys "R" Us, Rite Aid) to ensure compliance with Section 330 and the 2013 U.S. Trustee Fee Examiner Guidelines. Learn how these tools function both as forensic instruments for post-filing for fee application review and as prophylactic measures for pre-submission invoice cleanliness—and why understanding them is essential to meeting your ethical obligations under Model Rules 1.1, 1.5, and 3.3. Whether you bill $10K or $10M annually, the same principles apply. Discover how AI-driven analytics can become a value driver that enhances client relationships and positions you as a forward-thinking practitioner who proactively ensures reasonable fees.

This panel will provide attendees with strategies to handle complex issues that can arise in consumer cases – sometimes common, sometimes not. Topics that will be covered include UCC-1 fixture filings, multi-filers, extensions or imposition of the automatic stay, and when a debtor should consider filing a Chapter 11 petition under Subchapter V. The panel will also discuss recent trends in consumer cases.

What really happens when the Federal Rules of Evidence collide with the practical realities of bankruptcy court? Too often, practitioners raise objections that sound right but fail to move the needle with bankruptcy judges. Others overlook evidentiary opportunities that could have made or broken their client’s position. In this lively and highly practical 75-minute program, seasoned bankruptcy litigators will unpack how evidence is actually admitted, challenged and weighed in contested matters, adversary proceedings and other bankruptcy hearings — and why relying on “trial court instincts” can sometimes cost you the case.This webinar will cut through the myths and focus on what works — and what doesn’t — in the unique procedural and evidentiary environment of bankruptcy litigation. Whether you represent debtors, creditors, trustees or other parties in interest, the panelists will help you sharpen your courtroom instincts and litigate more effectively in bankruptcy court. You’ll gain a stronger understanding of how to use the Rules of Evidence as both a sword and a shield — and how to avoid the common traps that can turn a winning case into a losing one.

This panel will provide an in-depth examination of the statutory frameworks governing fraudulent transactions in both the Cayman Islands and the U.S. Through a comparative lens, the discussion will analyze how different jurisdictions approach avoidance actions and fraudulent-transfer claims. The panelists also will explore recent and influential decisions from the U.S., Cayman and English courts — including Bilta and Air Arabia — to illustrate emerging trends and judicial reasoning in cross-border insolvency matters. The session will conclude with a practical discussion of the strategic considerations, procedural hurdles and real-world challenges insolvency practitioners face when investigating and pursuing fraudulent transaction claims across jurisdictions.

This panel will provide an overview of recent developments and trends in chapter 15 cross-border insolvency practice. The panelists will discuss notable recent cases, emerging issues in recognition, comity and cooperation, and evolving approaches taken by U.S. courts when coordinating with foreign proceedings. The session will highlight practical considerations for foreign representatives and parties in interest navigating chapter 15 proceedings and related cross-border disputes.

This panel will discuss the key legal frameworks governing foreign evidence collection and judgment enforcement across several jurisdictions, including the U.S., England and the Cayman Islands. The panelists will discuss practical strategies for obtaining and using evidence from cross-border investigations in insolvency proceedings, including cross-border cooperation and recognition mechanisms, as well as discovery tools such as § 1782 and Rule 2004, Norwich Pharmacal orders and officeholder powers.

This session provides a practical roadmap for preparing and trying issues in consumer bankruptcy cases, with a particular focus on common consumer trial issues such as asset valuation and exemption disputes. Moderated by Judge Vaughan, the panel brings together judicial and practitioner perspectives to guide attendees through the critical stages of trial readiness, including pretrial preparation, discovery strategy, subpoena practice, evidentiary considerations, and effective trial presentation. In addition, the session addresses the financial considerations facing consumer practitioners, including strategies for structuring fees, obtaining court approval, and effectively getting paid for litigating consumer matters. The session emphasizes practical tips, best practices, and common pitfalls encountered in consumer trials. 

Get a real-time look at today’s commercial real estate landscape across U.S. retail, office, industrial and multifamily sectors. This panel will discuss how valuation resets, capital market conditions and operating challenges are reshaping both equity and debt strategies. Industry leaders will share frontline insights on how owners and lenders are navigating market shifts, executing regionally and by asset class, and identifying opportunities emerging from market dislocation and distress.Learning Objectives:Attendees will learn to:Analyze current valuation methodologies and capital market conditions affecting commercial real estate equity and debt strategies across retail, office, industrial and multifamily sectors.Identify regional and asset-class-specific operational challenges and market dislocations that present restructuring opportunities for owners and lenders.Evaluate emerging distressed investment strategies in response to commercial real estate market shifts and weakening property fundamentals.