2020 Insolvency Summit

For two years this group has studied the influence of a judge’s gender on the processing and outcomes in bankruptcy cases. Leveraging several studies in non-bankruptcy cases on whether gender influences judicial decision making, this study has looked at 837 student loan discharge opinions and compared the outcomes of those cases based on the gender of the judge and the gender of the debtor. The results demonstrate a statistically significant difference in the way men and women decide such cases. The study now expects to examine survey results from male and female judges to assess discernible patterns. This panel will present the results of this study and will discuss some or all of the following questions: Does gender affect case management? Does gender affect the perception of witnesses? Implicit bias and gender Should counsel tailor case, trial and argument based on the gender of the judge? If so, how can counsel do so? Does the gender of a party ever play an appropriate role in judicial decision making? What can judges do to ensure that gender plays an appropriate role in case determination?

This panel will discuss areas in which debt-collection laws and the bankruptcy system treat service members, veterans and their families (especially disabled service members and their beneficiaries) differently from civilians. The panel will also discuss such recent legislative changes as the Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need (HAVEN) Act and the National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Extension Act, the work of the ABA and other various volunteer bar organizations, issues that can arise when representing service members, veterans and their families, and how you can assist veterans on a pro bono basis. *This program is in memoriam to Hon. Nancy Dreher, who served as a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge in the District of Minnesota for many years and who wrote about and spoke on the importance of pro bono services.

This October 22, 2020 session from the Insolvency 2020 Summit addresses the use of technology by bankruptcy professionals inside and outside of the courtroom. The panel covers practicing in court in a pandemic, lawyers behaving badly, use of technology, lawyers and law firms as bankruptcy debtors, and best practices in fee applications.

The panel will review the criteria to establish insolvency in the context of fraudulent transfers and avoidance actions. We will look at decisions related to the determination of solvency, as well as some of the more challenging valuation and evaluation issues that arise in the conduct of an evaluation. The panel will also review some of the areas subject to challenge on cross-examination.

Type “Small Business Reorganization Act” or “Subchapter V” into your search engine, and there is no lack of questions that have been posed: what the Act means, the CARES amendment, pros and cons, and whether it’s been good for businesses (the answer: maybe not). With all this interest, there is no doubt that the Act is having an impact. Questions about its implementation are being answered as the days go by and as more and more cases find their way into the courts. This session will focus on the results to date, the questions that have been settled, and the questions still in need of answers.

This program will present expert practitioner and judicial ABI Views on current developments in chapter 15 practice, including new decisions and legislative proposals. It will also introduce the new UNCITRAL model law as to enterprise group insolvency, and discuss developments in cross-border practice with Mexico.

Survey the landscape of current filing trends and gain an informed statistical perspective of what may happen next in bankruptcy. Join experts as they examine data provided by Epiq, statistical partner to ABI and a Premier Sponsor of the Insolvency 2020 Virtual Summit.

Intellectual Property assets present unique challenges in bankruptcy. Article 9 financing statements may or may not be enforceable, and, in some instances, may actually be to your client’s detriment. Can a debtor assume and assign IP rights? Revoke them by rejecting a license? How is a security interest in intellectual property perfected and enforced? How you define the intellectual property assets can greatly impact your client’s rights, and those rights are constantly changing. This panel will cover practical issues and problems, including how to document and value IP assets, to help you spot the issues and navigate your way out of the bankruptcy riptide, whether you represent a secured lender, debtor, or contract counterparty.

The healthcare industry in general, and hospitals in particular, have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in many respects. At its most basic level, the impact has been devastating financially. The restructuring of a healthcare entity, whether in or out of court, raises unique and significant issues, in large part because federal and state governments pay for the bulk of medical care in the United States and the industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the nation. This program will discuss several issues which, although not necessarily new, have been pushed to the forefront by recent decisions in bankruptcy cases in Delaware, New York and Los Angeles.

The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning is becoming increasingly prevalent in the practice of law. Lawyers are using AI to assist in a multitude of tasks, including document management and review, analytics, and legal research. This program will provide an overview of how AI is being used by lawyers today, the advantages and drawbacks in using AI, and the potential ways in which AI may be used now and in the future in bankruptcy practice.