Heather Giannino and Hannah Hutman, co-chairs of ABI’s Consumer Bankruptcy Committee, thank all committee members for their participation this year.
The committee is proud to have organized and hosted another very successful Consumer Practice Extravaganza (CPEX) in partnership with ABI’s professional staff, Co-Chairs Jeffrey Fraser and Summer Shaw, and a robust planning committee. Committee leadership serving on the CPEX planning committee included Heather Giannino (Co-Chair), Jeffrey Fraser (Special Projects Leader), Karlene Archer (Education Director), Mike Miller (Communications Manager) and Kara Gendron (Membership Relations Director).
ABI’s CPEX, now in its third year, continues to be the premier educational event for consumer practitioners. CPEX 2023 offered more than 25 hours of live sessions featuring judges, insolvency professionals and consumer attorneys from across the country. The online conference took place October 30-November 10, 2023. Many members of our committee leadership spoke on various panels throughout the two-week-long event. The committee is honored to continue playing an active role in the planning and presentation of this innovative event.
Jeffrey Fraser and Ari D. Kunofsky are our Special Project Leaders. In addition to Jeffrey’s leadership in CPEX 2023, Jeff and Ari hosted a webinar on Dec. 18, 2023, titled, “Post-Petition Appreciation: When Things Go Up, Who Gets What?”
Patrick Hruby serves as our Newsletter Editor. Patrick has been an excellent addition to our committee leadership this year. Our newsletter was published in September and included the following articles: “Chapter 7 Trustee Who Does Not Object to ‘Arguably’ Inapplicable Claim of Exemption Does Not Forfeit Right to Later Argue that Exemption Does Not Apply”; Justice Department Announces New Director of the U.S. Trustee Program”; and “The Passive Voice Strikes Again: § 523(A)(2)(A) Excepts the Debt, Not the Debtor.” The next edition of the newsletter is expected in early January.
Karlene Archer serves as our Education Director. For ABI’s Annual Spring Meeting, the committee partnered with the Health Care Committee to present “A Bankruptcy Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight: The Juxtaposition of Failing Health Care Systems with Consumer Patients Driven into Bankruptcy by Medical Debt.” The panel featured January M. Bailey of Prelle Eron & Bailey, PA, Hon. Mary Grace Diehl (ret.), Prof. Pamela Foohey of Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and James J. Mazza of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
Karlene partnered with the Secured Credit Committee in planning a joint panel for the Winter Leadership Conference in December. The panel, “The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Consumer Debt and Bankruptcies,” featured Hon. Martin R. Barash, Jan Duke, Randy Nussbaum and Gregory Taube.
Planning for the 2024 Annual Spring Meeting is already underway; Karlene is currently lining up topics and speakers for the committee’s panel.
Mike Miller serves as our Communications Manager. Mike frequently engages with the committee members by sharing recent developments in consumer bankruptcy law on the listserv. Throughout 2023, Mike stimulated discussions by posting numerous in-depth case summaries to the listserv.
Kara Gendron serves as our Membership Relations Director. She has welcomed our new members and encouraged active participation in our committee. Her efforts have been instrumental in growing committee membership and participation.
The committee is proud of the work that was accomplished in 2023 and is looking forward to an exciting 2024, with more enticing programming and engagement with the committee’s members and the ABI community as a whole.
—Heather Giannino
Hannah Hutman
Co-Chairs