Legislation

This panel will focus on the changing tides of chapters 7 and 13 due to recent legislation, including the CARES Act, Consolidated Appropriations Act, Bankruptcy Administration Improvement Act of 2020 and other nonbankruptcy legislation/policies that have an impact on bankruptcy filings. The panelists also will take a peek at what is on the horizon for potential new legislation.

This panel will discuss the impact of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 on bankruptcy cases, the latest automatic stay cases, employment of professionals and fee applications, and § 363 sales in the Zoom era.

Back by popular demand! This panel is in the format of the classic current-events TV program “Crossfire” and will address “hot” and “interesting” bankruptcy issues that are not being addressed in the other sessions. Each topic discussed will have parties taking opposing positions (pro/con).

Bankruptcy Judges Elizabeth Brown and Michael Romero will discuss the year’s widest splits and most controversial opinions with ABI Editor-at-Large Bill Rochelle. They also will analyze important decisions from the Tenth Circuit, the BAPs and the District of Colorado.

The record-setting 11-year national economic expansion has now been displaced by the worst pandemic in a generation. In this session, moderated by Bankruptcy Judge Michelle Harner (D. Md.), Professors Abbye Atkinson (UC Berkeley School of Law) and Roger Tutterow (Kennesaw State University) consider how pandemic-related economic challenges are impacting household spending, corporate performance, and the ability of both consumers and corporate entities to service existing debt obligations. The discussion will also engage with issues such as reductions in labor force participation, the Federal Reserve’s commitment to low short-term interest rates, trends in access to credit and forbearance of debt, the role of debt in smoothing household consumption, and the socioeconomic implications of these shifts. You will not want to miss this lively discussion concerning the perfect storm we are now experiencing.

Members of ABI's Commercial Fraud Committee will discuss hot topics related to COVID-19, particularly fraudulent schemes likely expected due to the pandemic and schemes that may be revealed as a result of the pandemic's economic repercussions. The panelists will also address the coronavirus relief bill and resulting potential fraudulent schemes, as well as the international impact of the pandemic.

Join us for a discussion on the key features of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the current legal landscape regarding the eligibility of companies in bankruptcy to receive PPP Loans, including an overview of SBA guidance and recent court decisions.

More than 14 years after Congress amended the Bankruptcy Code to provide special rules and procedures for “small business debtors,” it enacted the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019. In the wake of the economic damage caused by COVID-19 and the necessary governmental response, Congress then amended the SBRA in the CARES Act to raise the debt limit to $7.5 million (subject to a possible one-year sunset). How will the SBRA change your practice? With a $7.5 million debt limit, standing trustees, a streamlined reorganization process, the elimination of the absolute priority rule and § 1129(a)(10), and the possible modification of certain mortgages, the SBRA presents new opportunities for small business debtors and their stakeholders. This panel will take a look at cases under the new law in its early days, as well as how it impacts eligible individual debtors (and their creditors).

Join our panel of automotive and insolvency experts as they discuss the current state of the global automotive industry, as well as the bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy processes that may be utilized to address insolvency issues in the wake of COVID-19.

Please join a distinguished panel of Squire Patton Boggs professionals, including former House Speaker John Boehner and current senior U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), who will share their thoughts on how best to safely and gradually re-open business across America. In addition, they will provide first-hand insight and guidance regarding the existing stabilization programs (CARES Act, Main Street Lending, PPP), the important role that U.S. Treasury is playing during the pandemic, and the most recent flurry of funding initiatives, including the $3 trillion HEROES Act that has been proposed in Congress in an effort to manage the far-reaching effects of the COVID-19 crisis.