2022

This panel will cover recent pertinent case law, analyze trends in increased district court oversight of bankruptcy courts, and examine the policy considerations for and against both consensual and nonconsensual nondebtor third-party releases, the relevant standards for approval on the merits, the scope of consent (opt-in vs. opt-out), the use of death-trap plan voting to encourage a consensual release, and the question of a bankruptcy court’s power to award them.

This panel will discuss the issues that arise when the growing state-sanctioned cannabis trade intersects with the insolvency world, in both commercial and consumer settings. The panel will discuss the federal statutory scheme governing marijuana, its tension with state laws governing marijuana businesses, and the ability or inability of marijuana-related businesses and individuals involved in the industry to access the relief provided in the bankruptcy courts when facing financial insolvency. The panel will also address state court receiverships and other non-bankruptcy methods for dealing with cannabis related businesses, and special concerns that lenders and other parties should address when dealing with those in the industry.

The petition is filed. At the § 341 meeting, the trustee asks the debtor whether there have been any personal-injury actions, whether the debtor has the right to sue someone, and whether the debtor inherited any assets 180 days prior to the petition date or within 180 days after the petition date. However, debtor clients often intentionally or inadvertently fail to disclose an asset. This panel will explore best practices for dealing with these and other post-filing litigation pitfalls, and for handling cases where there are undisclosed or undiscovered assets.

This panel will cover the various overlapping bankruptcy law and regulatory issues facing the transfer of a health care business, including financing obstacles, license transfers, successor liability, recapturing of Medicare or Medicaid overpayments, attorney general consent procedures, and related governmental issues particular to health care transactions. This practical panel will include tips of the trade for paving the way to a smooth closing and transition.

Which contract counterparty rights survive rejection, and what can be done when negotiating a contract at the front end to plan for or defend against the rule of Tempnology? This panel will discuss these issues and more.

This program considers the life cycle of a small business reorganization. Beginning 30 days before the debtor files its petition, continuing through the 90-day plan filing deadline, and hurtling toward confirmation, the panel discusses pre-bankruptcy planning and negotiation, debates eligibility and case management issues, considers best practices for utilizing the Subchapter V trustee throughout the case, and highlights tips and traps of plan formulation, contested confirmation hearings, and post-effective date matters. Our distinguished panel features the perspectives of the debtor (Chris Keach, Molleur Law), creditor (Kellie Fisher, Drummond Woodsum), the Subchapter V trustee (David Mawhinney, Bowditch & Dewey), and the bench (Hon. Peter Cary, United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maine).

FERC & PUC jurisdictions are not confined to oil and gas. What lessons can we take from that space for broader application in other regulated energy sectors? When does CFIUS review come into play, and what is involved?

This panel will cover assessing and negotiating a fee structure, how to prepare for the mediation, guiding participants toward making mediation statements useful, and tips for breaking the impasse.

Think you can cross-examine the opposing expert on her/his opinions that have been rejected or criticized in the past? Not so fast. What’s the appropriate premise of value? How many feet from the deathbed does the debtor have to be to adopt a liquidation premise? Does satisfaction of a contractual obligation conclusively establish reasonably equivalent value? Must you also avoid the obligation? What are the ways to establish compliance with industry standards under § 547(c)(2)? Will a fact witness suffice? What do you do when the opposing expert (or your own!) offers an opinion that’s not disclosed in the expert’s report? This panel of experts, litigators and a retiring judge will tackle these common-but-complex evidentiary issues.

Survey the landscape of filing trends through the first half of 2022 (Jan. 1-June 30), and gain an informed statistical perspective of what could happen next in bankruptcy, with this panel of key experts, who will be utilizing data provided by Epiq Bankruptcy Analytics.