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As the financial health of many of our municipalities continues to deteriorate, this very timely discussion, with experts experienced in the largest cases, will provide the pros and cons of a chapter 9 filing.

Efficient and effective preparation of petitions is a core competency for debtors’ lawyers. To that end, this panel will examine such issues as counsel’s duty to investigate a debtor’s financial affairs, best practices for doing so, appropriate use of staff, avoiding ECF misuse, and the consequences of failing to discharge these duties.

A debtor’s real property is worth less than the debt it secures. Taxes, HOA fees, fines and liability for accidents can pile up on property that a debtor can’t afford and no longer wants. This panel will examine whether a debtor can get rid of the property and these problems in bankruptcy.

Creditors seemingly rarely get paid in full in a bankruptcy, and without allowed claims, they can pretty much forget about getting anything at all. This panel will discuss the recent developments in claims litigation and strategies employed to maximize returns in bankruptcy cases for creditors (and possibly debtors).

This panel will explore claims for substantial contribution claims in connection with asset sales, involuntary petitions and other contexts in light of the expansive reading given to 11 U.S.C. 503(b)(3) by the Sixth Circuit in [Connolly title]. The panel will also address other hot topics in commercial bankruptcy cases related to claims.

We all know how hard it is to confirm a chapter 11 plan. This panel will discuss cutting-edge issues related to confirming your chapter 11 plan so that you can arm yourselves for the inevitable battle — or negotiate confirmation with superior knowledge of the likely outcome.

"This panel will address emerging professional responsibility issues in commercial cases, including a recent Seventh Circuit decision involving the duty to advise of alternative transactional structures and other competency issues that affect fee awards and liability, standards for fee awards, disclosure and disinterestedness problems, and conflict problems in retention and the curative limits of use of conflicts and special counsel. "

This discussion will keep attendees informed about the most recent developments on the most powerful procedural remedy in bankruptcy: the automatic stay. Learn the latest strategies and nuances in the still-developing case law concerning the stay.

This panel will discuss various sections of the Bankruptcy Code as they impact or are impacted by divorce proceedings. The panel will discuss the § 101(14A) definition of “domestic support obligations,” the rights of a representative appointed for the debtor’s children, post-nuptial agreements, the standing of an estranged spouse under §§ 523 and 727, §§ 523(a)(5) and (a)(15), equitable distribution awards and § 541, fraudulent conveyances and divorce decrees, and much, much more.

Recent changes to the Federal Rules of Evidence and their impact on bankruptcy proceedings, from 2004 examinations to contested matters to adversary proceedings, will be the subject of this discussion, along with the treatment of electronically stored evidence.