Contact: John Hartgen
(703) 739-0800
color='#0000ff'>jhartgen@abiworld.org
ABI’S
DETROIT CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY CONFERENCE TO BE HELD NOVEMBER
11
size='3'>July 15, 2009, Alexandria, Va.
— Detroit-area practitioners will have the
opportunity to examine current issues affecting the consumer bankruptcy
profession at the American Bankruptcy Institute’s (ABI) Second
Annual Detroit Consumer Bankruptcy Conference on Nov. 11 at
size='3'>Hyatt Regency Dearborn in Dearborn, Mich. Faculty members
include experienced local chapter 7 and 13 consumer attorneys,
bankruptcy judges and panel trustees from around the state of
Michigan. In addition, the program will feature a
keynote speech by Dr.
size='3'>Robert D. Manning, Ph.D., Research
Fellow at the Filene Institute, director of the Center for Consumer
Financial Services at the Rochester Institute of Technology, founder of
the Responsible Debt Relief Institute and author of
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Credit Card Nation
size='3'>. The judicial chair of the Detroit Bankruptcy Conference is
Bankruptcy Judge Steven
W. Rhodes (E.D. Mich.; Detroit). The event is
cosponsored by the Detroit Consumer Bankruptcy
Association.
Panel sessions
include:
The “Making Your
Case Go Smoother: A Trustee Panel” session, moderated by
Bankruptcy Judge Steven
W. Rhodes (E.D. Mich.; Detroit), will feature
Chapter 13 Trustee Carl
L. Bekofske (Flint, Mich.), Chapter 7
Trustee Kelly M.
Hagan (Acme, Mich.), Chapter 7 Trustee
Gene R. Kohut
size='3'>(Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.), Chapter 7 Trustee
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Michael A. Stevenson
size='3'>(Southfield, Mich.), Chapter 13 Trustee
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Tammy L. Terry
size='3'>(Detroit) and Chapter 13 Trustee Mary K. Viegelahn
size='3'>(Kalamazoo, Mich.).
size='3'>John C. Lange of Gold, Lange &
Majoros PC (Southfield, Mich.) will moderate the “What’s
New: Cases You Need to Know” session with panelists
Thomas D. DeCarlo
of the Office of Chapter 13 Trustee (Southfield, Mich.)
and Michael P.
Hogan of Kilpatrick & Assoc., PC (Auburn
Hills, Mich.).
“The Special
Challenges of High-income Debtors (Including the Means Test and
Individual Chapter 11 Cases)” session will be moderated by
Mark H. Shapiro
of Steinberg, Shapiro & Clark (Southfield, Mich.) and
feature panelists
size='3'>Michael E. Baum of Schafer &
Weiner PLLC (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Charles D. Bullock of
Stevenson & Bullock PLC (Southfield, Mich.) and Bankruptcy
Judge Philip J.
Shefferly (E.D. Mich.;
Detroit).
Moderator
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Caralyce M. Lassner
size='3'>of Scarletta
Lassner PLC (Pleasant Ridge, Mich.) will be joined by
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>David W. Allard
size='3'>of Allard & Fish PC (Detroit) and
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>James H. Cossitt
size='3'>, chair of the ABA Best Practices Working Group (Kalispell,
Mont.) for the “Best Practices in Representing Debtors: From
Preparing Papers to Reaffirmation Agreements.”
The “Non-Bankruptcy
Alternatives” session, moderated by Julie Beth Teicher of
Erman Teicher Miller Zucker & Freedman PC (Southfield, Mich.), will
feature panelists David
Findling of Findling Law Firm PLC (Royal Oak,
Mich.) and Brian J.
Small of Thav Gross Steinway & Bennett PC
(Bingham Farms, Mich.).
The “What Are
Mortgage Companies Doing Now?” session will be moderated by
Heather D. McGivern
of Orlans & Assoc., PC (Troy, Mich.) and include
panelists Roberta W.
Andrews of Firebaugh & Andrews PLLC
(Westland, Mich.) and
size='3'>Terrence A. Keith, Chief Deputy
Treasurer and Representative of Michigan State Housing Development
Authority (Wayne County, Mich.).
Bankruptcy Judge
James D. Gregg
size='3'>(W.D. Mich.; Grand Rapids) will moderate the “Fraudulent
Transfers and Preferences” session with panelists
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Michael D. Lieberman
size='3'>of Lieberman Gies & Cohen PLLC (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
and Kenneth A.
Nathan of Nathan Zousmer PC (Southfield,
Mich.).
The “Judges’
Panel” session, moderated by Philip J. Shefferly (E.D.
Mich.; Detroit), will feature Bankruptcy Judges
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Scott W. Dales
size='3'>(W.D. Mich.; Grand Rapids), James D. Gregg (W.D. Mich.;
Grand Rapids), Jeffrey
R. Hughes (W.D. Mich.; Grand Rapids),
Marci McIvor
size='3'>(E.D. Mich.; Detroit),
size='3'>Daniel S. Opperman (E.D. Mich.; Bay
City), Steven W.
Rhodes (E.D. Mich.; Detroit),
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Walter Shapero
size='3'>(E.D. Mich.; Detroit) and Thomas T. Tucker (E.D. Mich.;
Detroit).
For more information on
ABI’s Detroit Consumer Bankruptcy Conference, please visit
color='#0000ff'
size='3'>http://www.abiworld.org/Detroit09
size='3'>.
###
ABI is the largest
multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and
education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to
provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy
issues. The ABI membership includes more than 12,000 attorneys,
accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround
specialists and other bankruptcy professionals, providing a forum for
the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on
ABI, visit www.abiworld.org. For additional conference information,
visit
face='Times New Roman' color='#0000ff'
size='3'>http://www.abiworld.org/conferences.html
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>.