2015 was a busy year for the Business Reorganization Committee. We have an active and involved membership base, and took part in multiple panels, newsletters, publications and networking. We have terrific plans for 2016 and beyond in support of you, our members, in the arena of business reorganizations.
We continue to grow the reach and impact of the committee, and ideas for new publications and other special projects are always welcome. Please contact either of our co‑chairs, Hank Baer or Steve Krause, with suggestions.
Educational Programming
Each year, our committee presents panels at the Annual Spring Meeting and the Winter Leadership Conference. Last spring at the Annual Spring Meeting (Washington, D.C.), the Business Reorganization Committee teamed up with the Bankruptcy Taxation and the Young & New Members Committees to present a panel titled “Tax Sharing Agreements in Bankruptcy that Have Been the Subject of Recent Appeals Court Decisions.” Recently, at the Winter Leadership Conference, the Business Reorganization Committee joined forces with the Real Estate Committee to present “Big and Little Boxes: The Ins and Outs of Retail Restructuring.” Both presentations were a great success, with informative speakers and lively discussions, and we hosted networking receptions in connection with each that were equally successful.
We are looking forward to 2016, and are already busy working with the Legislation Committee on a panel at the 2016 Annual Spring Meeting on communication with the public markets during large bankruptcies. We expect the panel to include representatives from various federal regulatory bodies, and it should be a great discussion about the critical facets of publicly traded business reorganizations. Proposals for future panel topics can be sent to either our co-chairs (Steve or Hank) or our education director, Shane Ramsey.
Continuing a successful tradition that we began in 2012, in 2016 we are again hosting networking events immediately after our educational programs at the Annual Spring Meeting and the Winter Leadership Conference. If you are interested in assisting with these events, please contact one of our co-chairs. Details for these events will follow in a future newsletter.
Special Projects
Together with the Ethics and Professional Compensation Committee, we conducted a highly successful committee call in July examining the ABI Chapter 11 Reform Commission’s Recommendations on Professional Fees and Expenses. We also completed a committee-wide survey, the results of which were summarized in an article published in our November newsletter. We have several more special projects that are in the works, including webinars and a book, and are always open to additional ideas. If you are interested in assisting with any of these special projects or have another idea for a special project, please contact one of our co-chairs or Special Projects Directors Patrick Mohan and Dan Besikof.
Newsletter
2015 was another great year for the committee’s newsletter. We published 12 different scholarly and professional articles in multiple newsletters, including at least two special supplemental publications, during 2015. These articles remain available on the ABI website (http://committees.abi.org/business-reorganization#newsletters). As we have done in the past, we coordinated several of our newsletters with other events and presentations to better present meaningful substantive content to our members, including the November newsletter, which was tailored, by publication date and content, to complement and supplement the presentation on retail bankruptcy at the Winter Leadership Conference. Many of our members have enjoyed the profile-raising benefits of publishing in our widely distributed newsletter. If you are interested in writing an article or have any ideas or suggestions, please contact either of our co-chairs or Newsletter Editor Jordana Renert.
Listserve
Finally, the listserve continues to provide a meaningful opportunity to foster useful discussion of bankruptcy-related topics and to provide a means for announcing ABI-related business. For example, the listserve can be used to:
- start discussions regarding recent court opinions, pending legislation, rules, etc.;
- raise or answer questions regarding practice, procedure, precedent, etc.;
- provide or solicit insight on and discussion of a particular substantive topic;
- locate specific professionals (by experience or geographic region) for an assignment;
- raise or discuss bankruptcy-related news in the popular and trade press; and
- publicize or discuss ABI-related business, such as upcoming programs or new publications.
If there is a specific topic that you would like to see addressed in our listserve, please contact either of the co-chairs or our listserve facilitator, Charlie Berk.
Our membership is vibrant, and we welcome new members. If you are interested, please contact either of our co-chairs or our membership relations director, Andrew Parlen. Our goal is to make membership in the Business Reorganization Committee a valuable and rewarding experience, and we are working to continue to make it even more so. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, comments or suggestions.