Contact: John Hartgen
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(703) 739-0800
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href='mailto:jhartgen@abiworld.org'>
color='#0000ff' size='3'>jhartgen@abiworld.org
size='3'>MORTGAGE MODIFICATION, GOVERNMENT BAILOUTS AND RETAIL
INSOLVENCIES AMONG THE HOT TOPICS AT ABI’S 27
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>TH ANNUAL
SPRING MEETING IN APRIL
size='3'>January 28, 2009 Alexandria, Va.
--More than 1,000 bankruptcy professionals are expected to attend the
American Bankruptcy Institute's (ABI) 27th Annual Spring Meeting, April
1-4, 2009, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in
Washington, D.C. ABI’s largest conference features a number of
educational programs to address a wide array of timely insolvency
issues, and will offer 19.5 hours of CLE credit, including a record 6.75
hours of ethics.
With a new administration and
Congress facing serious financial challenges, the meeting has a strong
policy orientation. Speakers from Congress and the Obama administration
are expected on the program.
The conference
educational program sessions begin with ABI's Thirteenth Annual Great
Debates, moderated by ABI's Vice President of Education
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>James T. Markus
size='3'>of Block, Markus & Williams, LLC (Denver). In the first
debate, “Assets May Not Be Sold Free and Clear over the Objection
of Junior Secured Creditors,” Eve H. Karasik of Stutman
Treister & Glatt, PC (Los Angeles) will debate
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Candace C. Carlyon
size='3'>of Shea & Carlyon, Ltd. (Las Vegas).
In Debate No. 2,
“Not Too Big to Fail – Bankruptcy Is Better than
Bailout,” Peter S.
Kaufman of Gordian Group LLC (New York) will
debate Michael P.
Thomas of BBK (Southfield,
Mich.).
Debate No. 3, “The
Time Is Now for Consumer Bankruptcy Reform,” will feature
Prof. Katherine M.
Porter of the University of Iowa College of
Law (Iowa City) debating
size='3'>Philip S. Corwin of Butera &
Andrews (Washington, D.C.).
Expert panels have been
organized in concurrent sessions, allowing conference attendees to
choose the ones that most interest them.
size='3'> Speakers include bankruptcy
judges, accountants, attorneys, turnaround managers, law professors,
trustees and others. The sessions include:
“Protecting
Consumer in Financial Markets: New Developments in BAPCPA Reform, Credit
Cards and Unsafe Credit Products” plenary session, moderated
by Brady C.
Williamson of Godfrey & Kahn SC (Madison,
Wis.), will feature panelists
size='3'>Oliver I. Ireland of Morrison
Foerster (Washington, D.C.),
size='3'>Travis Plunkett of the Consumer
Federation of America (Washington D.C.) and John Rao of the National
Consumer Law Center (Boston).
size='3'>William A. Brandt, Jr. of Development
Specialists, Inc. (Chicago) will moderate the plenary session “The
Government-Managed Economy – TARP, Mortgage Modification, etc.: Is
Anything Working?” featuring Harvey R. Miller of Weil,
Gotshal & Manges, LLP (New York), Alex J. Pollock of American
Enterprise Institute (Washington, D.C.) and Mark Zandi of Moody's
Economy.com (West Chester, Pa.).
The “Trimming the
Hedges: Liquidations of Private Equity/Hedge Funds” session,
moderated by Jeff J.
Marwil of Winston & Strawn LLP (Chicago),
will include panelists
size='3'>Marc Abrams of Willkie Farr &
Gallagher LLP (New York), Bankruptcy Judge James M. Peck of
(S.D.N.Y.; New York),
size='3'>Steven J. Reisman of Curtis,
Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP (New York) and
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Anthony H.N. Schnelling
size='3'>of Bridge Associates LLC (New York).
size='3'>Ford Elsaesser of Elsaesser,
Jarzabek, et
al. (Sandpoint, Idaho) will moderate the
“Sophisticated Planning or Playing a Shell Game – Asset
Protection Planning” session with panelists
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Barry S. Engel
size='3'>of Engel Reiman & Lockwood PC (Denver),
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Robert C. Furr
size='3'>of Furr & Cohen, PA (Boca Raton, Fla.) and
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Paul G. Swanson
size='3'>of Steinhilber, Swanson,
size='3'>et al. (Oshkosh,
Wis.).
The “SOS for
Retail: Only the Strongest Survive” session, moderated by
Jeffrey N. Pomerantz
of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP (Los Angeles),
will feature panelists Bankruptcy Judge Kevin R. Huennekens (E.D. Va.;
Richmond), Robert L.
LeHane of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP (New
York), Scott
Peltz of RSM McGladrey (Chicago)
and Edward Stenger of AlixPartners
LLP (New York).
“After
Marrama
size='3'>: Applying Good-faith Standard in Bankruptcy” will
feature David G.
Baker of the Law Office of David G. Baker
(Boston) with panelists
size='3'>Alane A. Becket of Becket & Lee,
LLP (Malvern, Pa.),
size='3'>Steven L. Higgs of Steven L. Higgs,
PC (Roanoke, Va.) and
size='3'>John Rao of the National Consumer Law
Center (Boston).
“The State of Real
Estate Industry and What's Next in Bankruptcies and
Restructurings,” moderated by Debra Ann Riley of Allen
Matkins, et
al. (San Diego), will feature panelists
Neil R. Aaronson
of The Hilco Organization (Northbrook, Ill.),
Matthew Bordwin
of Keen Consultants - The Real Estate Division of KPMG
Corporate Finance LLC (Melville, N.Y.) and William N. Lobel of Irell
& Manella LLP (Newport Beach, Calif.).
size='3'>C. R. “Chip” Bowles of
Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC (Louisville, Ky.) will be joined by
panelists Jacob C.
Cohn of Cozen O'Connor (Philadelphia),
Donald L. Gaffney
of Snell & Wilmer, LLP (Phoenix), Bankruptcy
Judge Barbara J.
Houser (N.D. Tex.; Dallas) and
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Joel H. Levitin
size='3'>of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP (New York) for the
“Third-party Releases, Exculpation Provisions, Plan Injunctions
and Postconfirmation Jurisdiction” session.
The “Water in the
Sahara: What's Next in the Credit, DIP Lending and Exit Financing
Markets?” session will be moderated by Howard Brod Brownstein of
NachmanHaysBrownstein, Inc. (Narberth, Pa.) with panelists
Steven Ballantine
of
size='3'>Thomson West (Saint Paul, Minn.), Larry Lattig of Mesirow
Financial Consulting, LLC (Dallas), M. Freddie Reiss of FTI
Consulting, Inc. (Los Angeles) and Timothy G. Skillman of Grant
Thornton LLP (Los Angeles).
“Ethical Issues for
Creditors in Consumer Cases,” moderated by Prof.
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>G. Ray Warner
size='3'>of St. John's University School of Law (Jamaica, N.Y.), will
include panelists Robert
S. Bernstein of Bernstein Law Firm, PC
(Pittsburgh) and Ramona
D. Elliott of the Executive Office for U.S.
Trustees (Washington, D.C.).
size='3'>Jonathan P. Friedland of Levenfeld
Pearlstein, LLC (Chicago) will moderate the “Selling Strategies
– Finding Buyers and Managing an Effective Sale Process”
session with panelists
size='3'>Charles Reardon of Houlihan Lokey
(McLean, Va.), Daniel F.
Dooley of MorrisAnderson & Associates,
Ltd. (Chicago) and
size='3'>Thomas J. Salerno of Squire, Sanders
& Dempsey, LLP (Phoenix).
The “New Wave of
Litigation – Fraudulent Transfers, Broken Commitments, Failure to
Fund, Lack of Good Faith” session with moderator
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>JoAnn J. Brighton
size='3'>of K&L Gates LLP (Charlotte, N.C.) will feature
panelists John M.
Duck of Adams and Reese LLP (New Orleans),
Bankruptcy Judge Steven
W. Rhodes (E.D. Mich.; Detroit) and
Sheryl L. Toby
size='3'>of Dykema (Detroit).
Moderator
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>William K. Snyder
size='3'>of CRG Partners Group LLC (Dallas) along with panelists
Diana G. Adams
size='3'>of the Office of the U.S. Trustee, Region 2 (New York),
Lorie R. Beers
size='3'>of KPMG Corporate Finance LLC (New York) and
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Patrick M. O'Keefe
size='3'>of O'Keefe & Associates (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) will
participate in the “Staying Out of the Quicksand: Ethical
Considerations in Bankruptcy for Turnaround Professionals”
session.
The “Practical
Strategies to Maximize the Debtor’s Ability to Get a Discharge in
Chapter 13” session will be moderated by Bankruptcy Judge
Joan N. Feeney
size='3'>(D. Mass.; Boston) with panelists Henry E. Hildebrand of
Lassiter, Tidwell, Davis, Keller & Hogan, PLLC (Nashville, Tenn.)
and Steven L.
Rayman of Rayman & Stone (Kalamazoo,
Mich.).
size='3'>Robert M. Fishman of Shaw Gussis
Fishman, et
al. (Chicago) will moderate the
“Judicial Roundtable: Proving Valuation-What's Persuasive and
What's Not” plenary session, featuring Bankruptcy Judges
Kevin J. Carey
size='3'>(D. Del.; Wilmington),
size='3'>Dennis R. Dow (W.D. Mo.; Kansas
City), Barry
Russell (C.D. Calif.; Los Angeles),
Eugene R. Wedoff
(N.D. Ill.; Chicago) and Gregg W. Zive (D. Nev.;
Reno).
Prof.
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Nancy B. Rapoport
size='3'>of the William S. Boyd School of Law University of Nevada, Las
Vegas will facilitate the “Multimedia Ethics Extravaganza”
plenary session.
Best-selling author David
Baldacci will be the keynote speaker at this year's conference. Baldacci
has published 17 novels, including the best-seller
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Absolute Power
size='3'>, and more than 60 million copies of his books have been
published worldwide. Baldacci practiced law for nine years in
Washington, D.C., as both a trial and corporate attorney.
size='3'>
Also featured will be
speaker and author Gail Evans, who will address the Wednesday, April 1,
luncheon sponsored by the International Women’s Insolvency &
Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC).
Evans, the author of the books
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Play Like A Man, Win Like A
Woman and She Wins, You Win, is seen as
a pioneer of advancing women’s status in the workplace, having
worked at CNN since its inception in 1980 through
2001.
The conference also features a
final night concert with recording artist Kenny Loggins.
In addition, ABI’s 25
committees will present educational programs on topics ranging from the
new realities of today’s credit markets to financial distress in
the health care sector. Committee programming at the conference will
also include ethical considerations for turnaround professionals and a
joint session with the National Auctioneers Association on maximizing
the value of commercial real estate through the auction
process.
Press interested in attending
the conference should contact John Hartgen at jhartgen@abiworld.org. For
more information about ABI’s 27th Annual Spring Meeting, please
visit
href='http://www.abiworld.org/ASM09'>www.abiworld.org/ASM09.
###
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
11,700 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 http://www.abiworld.org/conferences.html.