2020

Most office employees have been working from home throughout the pandemic, and businesses are increasingly realizing that office space is not as essential as once thought. In addition, retailers are closing their doors permanently or shifting exclusively to online sales. Can corporate real estate survive or reinvent itself?

Is the committee’s role shrinking? This session will cover statutory vs. ad hoc committees; challenging exclusivity; judicial reactions to the use of ad hoc committees; whether all committees have a fiduciary duty, and if so, to whom; how far committees can go in representing different unsecured creditor groups (divergent interests, or multiple committees?); ad hoc lender groups; whether gifting has survived; and the risk of extinction by examining Constellation and the problem of sudden death to committee by conversion on demand.

Should § 363 sales occur early in a case? Should the Federal Foreclosure Act be invoked? The panelists will discuss these issues, as well as sales in confirmation; circumstances under which a court may preclude or limit credit bidding under § 363(k); whether to push for dismissal, conversion, or a liquidating trust; mootness and appeals; Rule 9019 settlements combined with sales to make them harder to appeal; whether Fulton will further increase the power of secured creditors; and extraordinary changes in the economy (delay or convert?).

This panel will focus on the removal and consolidation of tort claims, including those against nondebtors (e.g., Imerys); the aggressive estimation of tort claims for voting purposes (e.g., PG&E and the one-dollar estimation effort); third-party releases (e.g., the effort we are likely to see in BSA to get releases for local councils); channeling injunctions outside of the asbestos context (being used increasingly, but will the bench eventually push back?); the impact of criminal proceedings on a mass tort debtor’s ability to reorganize (e.g., PG&E and some of the pharma cases); the need for multiple committees (e.g., creditors + victims in BSA; the UCC and TCC in PG&E; and the failed effort to appoint a public entities committee in cases); notice and due process issues (e.g., notice to fire victims in PG&E); proposed trust structures; class actions in chapter 11; and Garlock.

Listen in on 2 Debates argued by bankruptcy judges and experts in the industry on the following topics: Debate 1: Resolved - Trustees can claw back transfers by and between foreign transferees. Debate 2: Resolved that the current Code provisions regarding Committees preclude true parties in interest and largest constituents from participating

This session will discuss the impact of extraordinary and unforeseen changes in the economy; feasibility in a COVID-19 world; the split between § 1141 analysis and traditional opt-in/opt-out provisions for third-party releases; the best-interest test in connection with third-party releases; the fate of Till and cramdown; valuation issues such as what happens when projections are totally wrong; exclusivity termination; attempts to put assets beyond the reach of lenders; plan voting/§ 1129(a)(10) and artificial impairment; and estimation for voting purposes.

This session will highlight several of the Rules of Professional Conduct, including RPC 1.5 (Fees); the Alix/McKinsey litigation; RPC 3.3 (Candor to Tribunal); RPC 4.1 (Truthfulness to Others); the U.S. Trustee guidelines concerning retainers; RPC 7.1 (Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services); overbilling, RPC 8.4 (Misconduct); fee examiners, RPC 1.3 (Diligence); disclosures, Bankruptcy Rule 2014; RPC 1.7 (Conflict of Interest); and RPC 7.3 (Solicitation of Clients).

Global markets continue to shift as the world confronts today’s unprecedented challenges. But in this uncertain time, there are also opportunities that savvy investors can capitalize on if they know where to look. Join this interactive panel as leading experts representing renowned capital-raising gurus, global private-equity firms and one of the world's largest independent financial advisory groups discuss the leading trends taking place in the M&A space today. Understand trends and considerations private-equity firms are currently facing, analyze the landscape for alternative lending and learn how traditional capital fundraising has shifted, and assess strategies for success in the long term as we continue to battle COVID-19 in the global marketplace.

A better understanding of what trustees do in their day-to-day work can help debtors and credit and finance professionals appreciate some of the complexities of the bankruptcy process. Bankruptcy trustees are often painted as the bad guys: Creditors sometimes think that trustees sell assets at bargain-basement prices for a quick result, or that they're only in it for the fees, and debtors may view the trustee as their arch enemy. But the role of bankruptcy trustees is very challenging, involving and rewarding — not to mention highly regulated. Their work has been further complicated by the emergence this year of subchapter V trustees. This session will provide a better understanding of what trustees do, and will compare the roles of chapter 7 trustees versus the newly minted subchapter V trustees to help debtors and credit and finance professionals appreciate some of the complexities of the bankruptcy process, primarily when it comes to (1) appointment processes; (2) roles; (3) day-to-day duties; (4) fiduciary duties; (5) compliance obligations; (6) immunity, liability and court supervision; and (7) the steps to take to make the trustee happy.

Do the safe harbor provisions of 11 U.S.C. § 546(e) also provide shelter to transferees from state law fraudulent transfer actions in nonbankruptcy courts? Does the doctrine of pre-emption apply to impact litigation outside of bankruptcy court? This panel will review § 546(e) after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Merit Management Corp. LP v. FTI Consulting Inc. After the Merit decision, the Supreme Court sent back the case of In re Tribune Co., fraudulent conveyance litigation that was also pending before the Supreme Court, to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. What did the appeals court do in Tribune II, and what impact does the court’s decision have on fraudulent transfer litigation by private litigants under nonbankruptcy law?