2014

A broad array of potential restructuring clients — private equity, examiners, traditional bank clients, industry clients, etc. — will share their thoughts about best practices, dos and don’ts, and helpful anecdotes. What characteristics distinguish a great bankruptcy or restructuring practitioner? What advice should someone give to younger professionals in the industry who want to be future leaders? What are some examples of the challenging ethical dilemmas that younger professionals face, and how should they be handled? How will changes in the industry impact younger professionals who want to remain in the industry for their entire career?

Business Reorganization/Bankruptcy Litigation Committees: This panel will discuss the current trends in white-collar criminal and securities law issues by examining such past cases as Drexel, Adelphia and GSC.

Asset Sales/Secured Credit Committees: This panel will debate the controversial proposal being considered by the ABI Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 to assess a charge or hold-back on secured lenders for a § 363 asset sale, including the pros and cons, mechanics, application in various circumstances, consequences and policy issues.

Health Care/Young & New Members Committees: Health care is a key area in which restructuring work is likely to grow significantly in the coming years. This panel will focus on the basics that professionals should know when it comes to handling bankruptcies and restructurings in the health care industry. The panel will also address tips and strategies as to how professionals can develop health care-related work.

Labor & Employment/Financial Advisors & Investment Banking/Legislation Committees: This panel will address public pension law, including their financial magnitude, and will focus on a number of timely current issues ranging from constitutional matters to state authorization, § 903 and 904 concerns, and relevant legislation. The panelists will draw upon their recent experiences, particularly from municipal bankruptcy cases, to highlight key themes and provide relevant insights.

Educational Session of Committees: The Bankruptcy Code provides enhanced and often unique opportunities to resolve tax issues faced by distressed businesses and individuals. Our program will provide a primer on how to address tax issues before and after filing for bankruptcy relief, followed by a discussion on significant tax problems faced by business and consumer debtors.

Commercial Fraud/Mediation Committees: This mock mediation of commercial fraud litigation will utilize the talents of several of the leading mediation experts in the country. This program will demonstrate best practices in representing parties in mediation, as well as highlight key practice pointers for all involved in an effective mediation process.

Ethics & Professional Compensation/Real Estate Committees: This panel will explore various ethical issues that often arise in a single asset real estate bankruptcy case from the perspectives of the debtor, secured creditor and bankruptcy judge — via an entertaining and interactive fictional case study.

This nuts-and-bolts panel will cover the mechanics of § 363 sales, featuring discussions on pros and cons, current trends and recent cases, with a particular focus on credit-bidding (Fisker, Philly News and Free Lance-Star) and challenges to free-and-clear-sales (GM, Chrysler, Energytec).

A timely and wide-ranging keynote discussion among leading professionals, market advisors and educators concerning current and future economic trends, predictions about the high yield and leveraged lending markets going forward and what it all means for restructuring practice in the short and long term.