This panel will explain the practice of “unbundling,” along with the ethical and legal considerations involved, and will provide sample engagement letters where services are unbundled. The panel will discuss evolving case law on this issue wherein debtors and their attorneys attempt to use alternative agreements to limit the scope of their representation. ABI's Ethics Task Force Final Report might also be applied.
Review of GSC case (bankruptcy court decision pending); what are the lessons of GSC for practitioners regarding disclosure, fee sharing, disinterestedness and conflicts, etc?; review of disinterestedness standards under § 101(14) and related disclosure requirements; additional ethics topic might include conflicts waivers (when is it necessary to obtain a waiver? Distinctions may be drawn based on current vs. recent vs. former clients, directly adverse vs. positionally adverse, relatedness to a prior matter, use of confidential information); Brown Publishing
A panel of participants in ABI’s Civility Task Force will discuss the work of the task force in an interactive program designed to further the conversation about civility in our profession.
The Judicial Conference Advisory Committees on Bankruptcy and Civil Rules have proposed amendments to their respective rules. This panel will discuss the proposed rule changes and the impact they will have on bankruptcy case administration.
In 2013, ABI issued its Final Report of the ABI National Ethics Task Force, and the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees set forth new guidelines for reviewing applications for compensation and reimbursement of expenses filed under § 330 of the Bankruptcy Code for attorneys in larger chapter 11 cases. In addition, the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas have experienced developments with respect to retention and compensation of attorneys. This panel will discuss the ethical implications of these developments.
Following an introductory video clip about the dangers of social networking in litigation, a panel featuring a judge, a trustee and a practitioner will lead a discussion on the inherent risks in using social networking, some of the ethical issues involved, and suggestions for how to manage these business and ethical risks that are associated with the ever-changing world of social networking.
ABI’s panel of experts will discuss the ethical and compensation issues that can arise while representing chapter 7 and 13 debtors as well as individual chapter 11 debtors. Topics covered include client fraud and an attorney’s duty to verify client information, attorney fee structures, and complex issues in individual chapter 11 cases. The panel includes perspectives from the attorneys and trustees, as well as the academic reporter for the ABI Ethics Task Force.