Business

Neither the Bankruptcy Code nor the Bankruptcy Code’s legislative history contains an exception to the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). As a result, bankruptcy courts grappling with whether to enforce an arbitration clause in bankruptcy have focused on whether there is an inherent conflict between the Bankruptcy Code and enforcement of arbitration pursuant to the FAA. The determination that arbitration is required could be the death knell for bankruptcy debtors. This panel will explore, in instances where arbitration is required, how to avoid jeopardizing the central objectives of the Bankruptcy Code that enable debtors to obtain a fresh start, as well as how to ensure uniformity of results to avoid what could be “wildly inconsistent” outcomes in arbitration that impact debtors on an individual and case-by-case basis.

The purchaser has bought all the assets, and management has a new boss. Who is left to clean up, and what are the tax, governance, potential claims against management and D&O implications that need to be addressed should the case convert? This session will address these issues and more.

Earlier this year, a chapter 11 case was filed and a plan confirmed in 19 hours. A one-day prepack offers several advantages to creditors and debtors alike. What cases are a good fit for a lightning-speed chapter 11, and what due process concerns must be satisfied?

Will the new Small Business Reorganization Act lead to more successful restructurings and fewer liquidations of small businesses while still protecting creditors’ rights?

This panel will explore recent cases and trends of credit bidding in chapter 11 cases. Many lenders are now requesting up-front approval of credit bid rights in debtor-in-possession financing orders, which would curtail the bankruptcy court’s ability to modify or limit credit bidding rights under Bankruptcy Code § 363(k) later on when the assets are auctioned. The panel will examine recent decisions on credit bidding and what limitations courts have applied to a secured creditor’s right to credit bid in bankruptcy cases. The panel will also explore cross-border issues concerning credit bidding on groups of assets that are be owned by foreign entities, and the interplay between courts concerning the sale of these types of assets.

This panel will be led by a senior program analyst for the Law Assistance Program for the State Bar of California and will be an interactive discussion about how prevalent substance use and mental health issues are among attorneys, and how substance use and mental health issues impair an attorney’s ability to perform legal services competently. The panelists will also describe the signs and symptoms of substance abuse, addiction, depression, anxiety and stress, and provide information on lawyer-assistance programs and other resources.

All constituents in the chapter 11 plan process want their reorganized debtors to be wildly successful. This panel will focus on how the chapter 11 process can be used to satisfy the feasibility standard in § 1129(a), with an emphasis on avoiding subsequent filings, and will outline the top 10 tricks to improve feasibility.

This session will focus on the views of patient care ombudsmen (PCOs) on the quality-of-care issues they routinely confront in chapter 11 cases; how debtor, secured lender and committee professionals react to either support or suppress the findings made by health care experts; in-depth analysis of what constitutes the proper protocol to evaluate quality of care; the differences in the approaches made to the PCO role by a doctor, nurse and/or health care administrator; whether PCOs universally should be doctors, nurses or health care administrators and not lawyers posing as health care professionals; the obligations of PCOs to tell quality-of-care stories without concern for the potential economic impact on an exit strategy in the bankruptcy (i.e., sale, potential loss of license, etc.); the impact of transfer trauma on a change of control arising from a potential sale of the health care business; how the PCO is differentiated from a state long-term-care ombudsman, Medicare and Medicaid surveyors; and the PCO’s role as patient advocate in bankruptcy cases.

Featuring Keynote by Dr. Jen Welter, the First Female NFL Coach

The panel will discuss proposed and newly enacted legislation and how it will affect bankruptcy practice. The panel will review the Haven Act and other veteran legislation, the small business reorganization bill, the chapter 12 debt limit bill, various student loan bills and other legislation.