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A Note from Your Young and New Members Co-Chairs: A Look Back on 2020

Although COVID-19 forced many in our legal community to adapt to working remotely, the Young and New Members Committee remained incredibly productive this year. Below are some highlights — both past and future — since our update earlier this year.

Quarterly Newsletters

In 2020, the committee published newsletters in March, June and September featuring eight articles, including an article (June 2020) on practical tips for video depositions and court hearings from Bodie B. Colwell, our co-Newsletter Editor. In addition, John T. Baxter, our other co-Newsletter Editor, wrote an article (June 2020) on the treatment of leases and lease litigation in the time of COVID-19. Bodie and John have also put together a four-article newsletter consisting of articles on gym bankruptcies during the COVID-19 pandemic (co-authored by Joe Esmont, our Communications Manager), the future of bankruptcy proceedings in Turkey post-COVID, a primer on car loans in consumer cases, and the use of debtor-in-possession financing to win new business. The newsletter is expected to be published soon, so stay tuned! If you have any interest in writing for the newsletter, please reach out to Bodie or John. Past committee newsletters can be accessed here by clicking the blue "Newsletters" tab.

Webinar on Changes to Preference Law

In April, the committee hosted a webinar covering the changes to the Bankruptcy Code as a result of the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 that went into effect on Feb. 19, 2020. The changes, in including the new requirement that a plaintiff conduct “reasonable due diligence” of a defendant’s affirmative defenses before commencing a preference action, was discussed by a panel consisting of moderator Timothy McKeon (Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo, PC; Boston), Hon. Jerrold N. Poslusny (Bankr. D. N.J.; Camden), Bethany J. Rubis (ASK LLP; Saint Paul, Minn.) and Shane G. Ramsey (Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP; Nashville, Tenn.). A summary and link to the webinar is available here. 

ABI Winter Leadership Conference Program

At the ABI Winter Leadership Conference (Dec. 3-4, 2020), the committee partnered with the Ethics and Professional Compensation Committees to present a panel titled “Money Talks: Getting Retained and Paid (Ethically) by the Bankruptcy Estate.” The panel consisted of John M. Duck (Adams and Reese, LLP; New Orleans), Hon. Meredith Grabill (Bankr. E.D. La.; New Orleans), Ariane Holtschlag (Law Offices of William J. Factor, Ltd.; Chicago) and Evan T. Miller (Bayard, P.A.; Wilmington, Del.). The panel discussed recent decisions that could fundamentally affect how professionals are retained — including the use of the so-called “Jay Alix Protocol.” Co-Education Directors David R. Doyle and Chrissy Sanfelippo are hard at work putting together another informative panel for the ABI Annual Spring Meeting in April 2021 when the committee looks to partner with the Commercial Fraud Committee.

Committee Hosts ABI's Wednesday Night Happy Hour

On March 3, 2021, the Young & New Members Committee hosted ABI’s weekly virtual happy hour; the theme was “Millennials: The Future of the Insolvency Profession.” According to the Pew Research Center, “elder” Millennials begin turning 40 in 2021 as the youngest turn 25. As a result, Millennials now comprise the largest portion of the working population. With that fact in mind, Committee Co-Chairs Brendan Gage (Paul Hastings, LLP; Chicago) and Tara Schellhorn (Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP; Morristown, N.J.) examined what it means to be a Millennial and highlighted the accomplishments of the Young & New Members Committee over the last year. The happy hour also featured “choose your own adventure”-style breakout rooms to discuss topics ranging from the subchapter V debt limits to favorite podcasts. Special thanks go to the committee’s Special Projects Leader, Jack O’Connor (Sugar Felsenthal Grais & Helsinger LLP; Chicago), for his efforts in planning the happy hour. The committee hopes to host another virtual happy hour later this year. Find out next week's theme here.
 
 
ABI is pleased to announce the return of the Annual Spring Meeting from April 12-22 — this year in a cutting-edge virtual format. Employing the same innovative platform that made last fall’s Insolvency 2020 event such an astounding success, this conference — always one of the most significant annual gatherings of bankruptcy and insolvency professionals in the country — will introduce a number of new and improved online networking features. Learn more here.
 
This year, the Young and New Member Committee will be partnering with the Commercial Fraud Committee to host a panel titled "Fraud Litigation Against Directors and Officers in Bankruptcy".  Speakers for this panel include:
  • Leo Oppenheimer (Moderator), Reid Collins & Tsai LLP; Dallas
  • Alicia M. Bendana, Lugenbuhl, Wheaton, Peck, Rankin & Hubbard; New Orleans
  • Shane G. Ramsey, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP; Nashville, Tenn.
  • Vincent E. Lazar, Jenner & Block; Chicago

Board Expansion

In transitioning to the 2020 leadership, the committee’s board was also expanded to include a co-Special Projects Leader position. The addition of this position further widens the pipeline of new leaders to ensure that ABI has sufficient volunteer leaders to support its continuing growth.

While this has been a difficult and challenging year for all in our communities on both a professional and personal level, we continue to be impressed by the support and “can do” attitude of our leadership and members, and we look forward to next year!

Leadership

Co-Chairs:

Communications Manager:

Education Directors:

Member Relations Director:

Newsletter Editors:

Special Projects Leaders:

 

Committees
Young and New Members