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Municipal bankruptcies are on the rise. This panel will discuss chapter 9 issues, including eligibility to file, recent developments, plan confirmation and cramdown issues, case-management issues, municipal bondholder claims, labor and pension issues, the role of mediation, alternatives to chapter 9, and the Detroit, Stockton, San Bernardino and Harrisburg municipal cases.

This panel will discuss recent advanced fraudulent transfer case law and the application of § 546(e)’s “safe harbor” to failed leveraged transactions, as well as the “good faith” defense under § 548(c), especially regarding Ponzi scheme fraudulent transfer litigation. Key cases will include In re Lyondell Chemical, In re Tribune Co. Fraudulent Conveyance Litig., In re Derivium Capital, LLC and Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Quebecor World (USA) Inc. v. American United Life Insurance Co.

Do new opnions suggest doubt about the right of a lender to bid the full value of claims in Chapter 11?

A working understanding of cross-border restructuring principles has become a mainstay of contemporary practice. This panel will cover cross-border fundamentals, including the application of § 109 to foreign cases, the enforceability of foreign judgments and granting comity in a chapter 15 case involving third-party releases (In re Sino-Forest Corp. and Ad Hoc Group of Vitro Noteholders v. Vitro, S.A.B. de C.V. (In re Vitro S.A.B. de C.V.)).

This panel will discuss recent confirmation issues, including whether a plan that offers new value from an insider can be confirmed without an auction process (In re Castleton Plaza, LP); the effect of third-party guarantees (In re Loop 76); whether claims-purchasers must have “good cause” to change a plan vote (In re J.C. Householders Land Trust #1); and treatment of non-recourse claims under § 1111(b) (In re B.R. Brookfield Commons No. 1 LLC).

This panel is for participants who are either solo or small-firm practitioners and will include such topics as paperless offices, trust funds and accounting, managing workflow, and the implications on the office in the event of a natural disaster.

A panel of younger lawyers and financial professionals will talk about the issues and challenges of working for senior lawyers and will suggest ways to improve the working relationships between senior and junior lawyers.

This panel will provide helpful guidelines for creating clear client expectations, adequately defining work scope and managing fees when engaging FAs and expert witnesses. We have all had cases where clients were unhappy because work product didn’t meet expectations or fees were significantly higher than expected. This panel will help the practitioner learn how to use financial professionals more effectively to decrease the risk of having an unhappy client.

This panel of Midwestern judges will discuss some of the common mistakes that they are seeing in consumer cases, and how those mistakes can be avoided.

This panel will present the current trends in the industry, where the work is and isn’t, and where it may be in the future.