2021

Ever get stuck with one of “those” clients? (We’ve all been there.) What do you do when you uncover serious problems with a debtor? Learn the right —and wrong —ways to extract yourself from a problem case.This panel will discuss limited-scope representation and the ability of the attorney to withdraw before, during and after the bankruptcy case.

Sometimes a bankruptcy case isn’t over when it’s over, especially when certain issues arise (like the debtor suddenly “discovering” a bank account he or she forgot to “mention”). Learn how to navigate some of the most common post-filing problems that can crop up.

Bankruptcy discharges go to “honest but unfortunate debtors,” but creditors (because they want their money!) don’t always give up their quests to extract money, even after a bankruptcy case concludes. These useful case examples will guide practitioners through a survey of the most common quarrels over discharges and exceptions.

Getting paid in a world populated by bankrupt debtors is a tricky dance, but there are ways to make it happen. What you learn in this session is sure to be music (and money) to your ears! This panel will address chapter 7 fee bifurcation, effective chapter 13 fee applications and step-up plans, as well as practice-management profitability strategies, budgeting, billing and retirement.

Ranking on Google is perhaps the most important thing you can do to market your law firm. In this presentation, we’ll dig into how PPC (Google paid ads) complement your SEO (search engine optimization), social media and email marketing; how connecting your paid ads to your Google My Business (GMB) listing helps get your practice in front of more prospective clients; how search terms in paid ads are an invaluable source of information on consumer behavior and intent; and how geo-scheduling ads down to the zip code and overlaying such demographics as age, income and audience can help make sure your ads reach the right people. This session will also explain the intricacies of Google Ads rebranding from AdWords, including YouTube and more than 2 million websites in the Google Display Network.

There has been a lot of chatter floating around Congress surrounding student loans. Right now, all student loan debt discharges hinge on a “hardship” definition that is almost impossible to achieve. But the rules might change soon — or at least bend a little, as recent court decisions suggest. Join this session to learn the latest surrounding this pertinent issue.

Ever have a case dismissed because you overlooked some critical detail? We’ve all been there. This informative session will help guide you through some of the missteps that can scuttle a case right at the finish line.

Rule 3002.1 exists to protect debtors and creditors from unnecessary disputes over the status of current and former chapter 13 debtors’ mortgage loans. A recent Second Circuit opinion (In re Gravel) calls into question the ability of bankruptcy courts to impose monetary sanctions on mortgage-servicers that fail to comply with Rule 3002.1’s requirements. In this session, the panelists will cover both Gravel (and the dissent) and a recent bankruptcy court opinion (In re Blanco) that rejects the reasoning in Gravel. Can the two cases be reconciled? What is the standard that must be established to justify the imposition of sanctions when mortgage-servicers fail to comply with Rule 3002.1’s requirements, and what are the limitations on the amount of sanctions that can be considered appropriate? The panelists will discuss these questions along with additional legal actions and notices that consumer attorneys should take in these cases, as well as using an adversary proceeding in lieu of a motion.

You’ve read the headlines: hacked databases, stolen information, all becoming increasingly commonplace. Unfortunately, the question now is not whether your information is going to be accessed or stolen, but when. This session will inform attendees of current developments in the digital underground, and will provide realistic advice for cyberprotection. Included in the discussion will be recent high-profile cybercrime events, including website breaches impacting a variety of organizations and sectors, and particularly dangerous types of threats that might affect individuals involving the so-called dark web, the internet of things, phishing and wi-fi attacks, and the value of leveraging digital evidence and ESI in bankruptcy proceedings.

This panel will discuss why understanding gender identity is important to your practice, with a focus on key concepts and terms, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation and pronoun usage, and how we can best implement gender identity/expression in our professional lives.