Welcome and Opening Remarks: Chief Judge John Kolwe (WDLA)

A discussion of recent national and circuit court decisions of note to Bankruptcy practitioners. Topics to include cases on reorganization, consumer bankruptcy, municipal debt adjustment, cross-border insolvency and numerous subtopics of each. 

The Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 created subchapter V which provides struggling small businesses with a cost-e3ffecrive and efficient means to reorganize in chapter 11. Subchapter V's benefits are not limited exclusively to debtors. Creditors also benefit from a subchapter V reorganization. From the addition of the subchapter V trustee to the section 1188 status conference to the expedited plan confirmation process, this panel will explore how all parties can maximize the many benefits of a small business reorganization in subchapter V.

Expert witness considerations in bankruptcy cases

Hot Topics in Chapters 7 and 13

A discussion of recent national and circuit court decisions of note to Bankruptcy practitioners. Topics to include cases on reorganization, consumer bankruptcy, municipal debt adjustment, cross-border insolvency and numerous subtopics of each. 

Whether in chapters 7, 11, or 13, when a bankruptcy case has gone off track, the court must find “cause” before implementing equitable relief.  While cause is not specifically defined by the Bankruptcy Code, both the Code and case law provide illustrative - but not exhaustive - examples.  This panel will discuss the mechanics of establishing cause when seeking dismissal, conversion, or appointment of a trustee, from the cost/benefit analysis to bringing an action, the (sometimes shifting) evidentiary burden, and alternatives to litigation.

The panel will discuss practicing professionalism while interacting with courts, colleagues, and clients.  The focus will be on reminding attorneys practicing in this post-Covid world of in-person, hybrid, and telephonic interactions to rely on patience to tolerate problems and meet all disturbances with peace, while doling out pithy advice.

In this CLE, our panel consisting of a bankruptcy jurist and practitioners and legal ethics counsel will discuss the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential impact on the bankruptcy practice. In addressing these issues, the panel will consider such questions as: What constitutes AI? How may it change the bankruptcy practice and when? What will be the role of attorneys once AI is adopted in the practice? Will AI ultimately improve bankruptcy practice or harm it? What ethical duties are implicated by AI? How may ethical duties change with the adoption of AI?