Contact: John
Hartgen
size='3'>
Phone: (703) 739-0800
Email: jhartgen@abiworld.org
ABI ANNUAL SPRING MEETING SET FOR APRIL
20-23
size='3'>FEBRUARY 6, 2006,
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Alexandria, Va
size='3'>. --More than 1,000 bankruptcy professionals will attend the
American Bankruptcy Institute's (ABI) 24th Annual Spring Meeting, to be
held April 20-23, 2006, at the
size='3'>JW Marriott in Washington, D.C. The conference features a
number of programs to address a wide array of timely insolvency
issues.
The special guest speaker
at this year's meeting will
size='3'>be Kathleen Ligocki, president and CEO of Tower Automotive, who
will discuss the problems
w:st='on'>
size='3'>U.S.
size='3'>manufacturers currently face at a special plenary session on
Friday morning. Also featured will be political
pundit Morton Kondracke,
size='3'>executive editor of
size='3'>The Weekly Standardand co-host of
“The Beltway Boys” on
size='3'>Fox News. Mr. Kondracke is the
luncheon keynote on Friday, April 21.
In addition to the 19
hours of CLE credit, ABI will also hold Bankruptcy Fundamentals: Nuts and Bolts for Young
Practitioners on Thursday, April 20. At this
special seminar, an outstanding faculty of judges and practitioners will
explain the fundamentals of bankruptcy in separate consumer and business
tracks.
The conference
educational program begins on April 21 with ABI's Tenth Annual Great
Debates, moderated by
size='3'>ABI's Vice President of Education Neil P. Olack
of Duane Morris LLP (
w:st='on'>
size='3'>Atlanta
event consists of three debates.
In Debate No. 1,
size='3'>'A Chapter
11 Case Should Be Dismissed if it Would Only Benefit Secured
Creditors,' Judy A.
O’Neill of Foley & Lardner LLP
(Detroit)will debate
size='3'>Debra I. Grassgreen of Pachulski,
Stang, Ziehl, Young, Jones & Weintraub PC (San
Francisco).
In Debate No. 2,
'
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Installment Redemption Is No Longer
Available in Consumer Cases,'
size='3'>Richardo I. Kilpatrick of Kilpatrick
& Associates, PC (
size='3'>Mich.
size='3'>will debate
size='3'>Ford Elsaesser of Elsaesser,
Jarzabek,
size='3'>Anderson
McHugh, Chtd. (
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Sandpoint
size='3'>,
size='3'>Idaho
size='3'>).
In Debate No. 3,
'
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>The New Legislation Is
Unconstitutional,'
size='3'>Deborah D. Williamsonof Cox Smith
Matthews Incorporated (
size='3'>)will debate Mark M. Maloneyof King
& Spalding LLP (
w:st='on'>
size='3'>Atlanta
size='3'>).
Expert panels have been
organized in concurrent sessions, allowing conference attendees to
choose the one that most interests them.
size='3'> Speakers include bankruptcy
judges, accountants, attorneys, turnaround managers, law professors,
trustees and others.
In '
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>New World of International Insolvencies:
Chapter 15 and Beyond,'
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>George M. Kelakos
size='3'>of Kelakos
Advisors LLC (
size='3'>Greenwich
w:st='on'>
size='3'>Conn.
featuring
size='3'>Judge
size='3'>Charles G. Case, II (
w:st='on'>
size='3'>Phoenix
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Steven G. Golick
size='3'>of Osler, Hoskins & Harcourt LLP (
w:st='on'>
size='3'>Toronto
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Timothy P. O'Connor
size='3'>of Jefferies & Company, Inc. (
w:st='on'>New
York
Geldards LLP (
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Nottingham
size='3'>,
size='3'>).
size='3'>William A. Brandt, Jr. of Development
Specialists, Inc. (Chicago),
size='3'>Melissa Kibler Knoll of Mesirow
Financial Consulting LLC (Chicago) and John Tittle, Jr. of LECG LLC
(Dallas) will take part in the plenary session on
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>'Can the Problems Facing U.S. Manufacturers Be
Fixed?'
size='3'>Judge Eugene R. Wedoff of U.S.
Bankruptcy Court (Chicago) will moderate a “
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Judges’ Roundtable
size='3'>” session with
size='3'>Judge Colleen A. Brown
size='3'>(
size='3'>Rutland
w:st='on'>Vt.
size='3'>Judge Robert R. Gerber
size='3'>(
size='3'>New York
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Judge Jeffrey P. Hopkins
(
size='3'>Cincinnati
Judge Marjorie
Rendell (
w:st='on'>
size='3'>Philadelphia
size='3'>).
size='3'>Brian L. Shawof Shaw Gussis Fishman
Glantz Wolfson & Towbin LLC (Chicago) will moderate the
'More Mouths to Feed:
Professional Compensation in the Post– BAPCPA
Environment' and joined on the panel by
Judge Stephen W.
Rhodes (
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Detroit
size='3'>), Prof.
Stephen J. Lubben of
w:st='on'>
size='3'>Seton
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Hall
size='3'>Law
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>School
size='3'>(
size='3'>Newark
David S. Miller
of Giuliani Capital Advisors LLC (
w:st='on'>
size='3'>Atlanta
size='3'>).
In '
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Implementing BAPCPA: More Rules and New
Roles,'
w:st='on'>
size='3'>Lawrence
size='3'>R. Ahern, III, of Greenebaum Doll
& McDonald PLLC (
size='3'>Tenn.
featuring Judge Bruce A.
Markell (
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Las Vegas
size='3'>) and Felicia
S. Turner with the U.S. Trustee's Office
(
size='3'>).
size='3'>Nancy A. Petermanof Greenberg
Traurig, LLP (Chicago) will moderate 'Anatomy of a Health Care Insolvency
size='3'>' and joined by panelists Sarah B. Foster of Haynes and
Boone, LLP (Austin, Texas),
size='3'>David Hillman of Verrill Dana
LLP/Innolex (New York),
size='3'>Paul J. Ricotta of Mintz, Levin,
Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo, PC (Boston) and
face='Times New Roman'>Guy Sansone of Alvarez &
Marsal, LLC (
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>New
York
size='3'>Rebecca A. Roofof AlixPartners LLC
(
will moderate '
size='3'>Turnarounds after BAPCPA: Should We All Become
Liquidators?' The panel will also
features Mitchell H.
Cohen of Gordon Brothers Group, LLC
(Boston), Steven N.
Cousins of Armstrong Teasdale, LLP (St.
Louis), Cynthia
Nelson of FTI Consulting, Inc. (Los Angeles)
and Judge Mary F.
Walrath (Wilmington, Del.).
'
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Asset Protection after BAPCPA: Testing
the Limits' will be moderated by Rudy
J. Cerone
size='3'>of McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC (New Orleans) and featuring a
panel of Howard Brod Brownsteinof
NachmanHaysBrownstein, Inc. (
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Narberth
size='3'>,
size='3'>Pa.
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Thomas O. Wells
size='3'>of Berger Singerman PA (
w:st='on'>
size='3'>Miami
size='3'>).
size='3'>Michael P. Richmanof Mayer, Brown,
Rowe & Maw LLP (New York) will moderate a plenary session titled
'Effective Appellate
Practice: A Mock Presentation' and will be
joined by Judge Joan N.
Feeney (Boston), Judge James D. Gregg
size='3'>(Grand Rapids, Mich),
size='3'>Judge Jennie D. Latta (Memphis,
Tenn.) and Daniel W.
Sklar of Nixon Peabody LLP (Manchester,
N.H.).
'
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>New Case Law Developments and Other Hot
Topics' will be moderated by
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Christopher F. Graham
size='3'>of Thacher Proffitt & Wood, LLP (New York) and be joined by
a panel featuring ABI
Resident Scholar Prof. John D. Ayer of the UC
Davis School of Law (Chico, Calif.), Jo Ann J. Brighton of Kennedy
Covington Lobdell & Hickman, LLP (Charlotte, N.C.),
face='Times New Roman' size='3'>Daniel F. Dooley
size='3'>of Morris-Anderson & Associates, Ltd. (Des Plaines, Ill.)
and Judge C. Ray
Mullins (Atlanta).
size='3'>David J. Doyaga(
w:st='on'>
size='3'>Brooklyn
w:st='on'>
size='3'>N.Y.
by Judge Catharine R.
Carruthers (Winston Salem, N.C.) and
Beth Roberts Derrick
of the Office of the U.S. Trustee (
w:st='on'>
size='3'>Nashville
w:st='on'>
size='3'>Tenn.
panel titled 'Consumer
Lawyer vs. Client: The Ethics of Disclosure after BAPCPA
size='3'>.'
size='3'>Prof. Jack F. Williamsof Georgia
State University/BDO Seidman, LLP (Atlanta) will moderate
'Business: Ethics and
the Plan Process– When is the Client a Fiduciary, and What Does
That Mean?' and be joined on the panel
by Daniel C.
Cohn of Cohn of Whitesell & Goldberg LLP
(Boston), Dawn
Ragan of XRoads Solutions Group (Dallas, TX)
and Judge Linda B.
Riegle (
w:st='on'>Las
Vegas
The Annual Spring Meeting
has consistently been ABI's biggest conference. It is one of two annual
conferences where ABI committees and subcommittees meet. More than 20
such committees will hold programs for CLE credit. The four-day
conference offers approximately 19 hours credit, including three hours
of ethics.The conference also provides attendees
with numerous opportunities to network with their
colleagues.
Those who register by March 24
will receive a $20 discount on the late registration rate.
The American Board of
Certification (ABC) will offer its Consumer Bankruptcy, Business
Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights exams on Thursday, April 20, from 9:00
a.m.5:00 p.m. at The JW Marriott. For
details please visit the ABC web site at
href='http://www.abcworld.org/'>
size='3'>www.abcworld.org or e-mail
href='mailto:certification@abcworld.org'>
size='3'>certification@abcworld.org
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 11,000 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
href='/am/events.html'>http://www.abiworld.org/events.html.