Venue/Jurisdiction

State-Level Remedies in Cross-Border Cannabis Cases This session will review the issues associated with the restructuring of cross-border cannabis entities through state-level remedies such as receiverships and assignments for the benefit of creditors. Relying on recent case studies, the panel will explore the impact of state-level regulatory regimes and other factors on the selection of remedy. Participants will leave the session with an understanding of (a) state-level remedies available to assist distressed cannabis companies and (b) how to evaluate the utility of each given the regulatory regimes in the jurisdictions where the company operates. Debtor Richard Williams rwilliams@brileyfin.com B. Riley Advisory Services

A Tale of Sovereign Restructurings: Venezuela and the CITGO Saga Discussion on the developments of Venezuela's indefinitely postponed external debt restructuring process and the individual execution efforts over the country’s most valuable assets in the US—CITGO’s network of downstream assets—in the context of the Crystallex litigation in Delaware. The session would highlight the tension between “first come / first served” principles guiding the current stream of individual enforcement / execution, and the creditor coordination features of a pure insolvency proceeding. The session will provide clarity on the status of the ongoing melee of court cases going after Venezuela's assets abroad, in the zoom-out context of the prospects for a broad, all-encompassing, debt restructuring process Creditor Suggested Speakers Roland Pettersson rpettersson@dra.com.ve D'Empaire

Working with Local Counsel in Chapter 11 Cases Parties in large, complex bankruptcy cases routinely retain local counsel when that party's primary counsel has no office or attorneys licensed in a particular venue. Local counsel can provide critical support in these cases--to creditors, committees, groups, and debtors--including having local knowledge, well-formed relationships in the venue, and familiarity with other professionals and the court.

But hiring local counsel can present myriad issues with retention, compensation, and, in particular, ethics. Many courts have strict rules on hiring local counsel, including some jurisdictions that require local counsel to play a substantive role in the case (as opposed to simply signing/filing pleadings), including attending all depositions and hearings. There may be many landmines waiting for both local and outside counsel, depending on the jurisdiction.

This panel would discuss the benefits of local counsel, things to avoid, and ethical/compensation related issues. The panel could consist of an attorney that often serves as local counsel, an attorney that often hires local counsel as outside counsel, and a judge that frequently sees retention of local counsel (to provide that judge's views on what works, what doesn't, and things to avoid). This panel would discuss the benefits of local counsel, things to avoid, and ethical/compensation related issues. The panel could consist of an attorney that often serves as local counsel, an attorney that often hires local counsel as outside counsel, and a judge that frequently sees retention of local counsel (to provide that judge's views on what works, what doesn't, and things to avoid). Business Tim Anzenberger tim.anzenberger@arlaw.com Adams and Reese LLP

Venue concerns creation of special “Chapter 11 districts” and the Texas Two-Step Other Denise Barnett Denise_Barnett@tnwb.uscourts.gov United States Bankruptcy Judge Western District of Tennessee (Memphis)