Affiliate Education Programs
ABA Program
Serving Those Who Serve: Meeting the Needs of Service Members and Veterans in Financial Difficulties
Thursday, October 8th, 2026 – 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM – Pacific Ballroom – 19
Service members and their families make enormous sacrifices for their country – and yet, sometimes they can’t make ends meet. And if a service member files for Bankruptcy, they may enjoy certain special protections, but may also face some additional consequences. This program will explore the intersection of military service and bankruptcy, and how pro bono assistance can help.
Moderator:
Hon. Elizabeth S. Stong, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York
Speakers:
Samuel R. Maizel, Dentons US LLP
William Curtin, Sidley & Austin LLP
Kristina M. Stanger, Nyemaster Goode LLP
Bad Boys of Bankruptcy Live, Again: Tales from the Crypt(o)
Thursday, October 8th, 2026 – 11:45 AM – 12:45 PM – Pacific Ballroom – 19
Please join us for a live recording of the ABA Business Law Section’s popular “Bad Boys of Bankruptcy” podcast hosted by Judge Elizabeth L. Gunn (Bankr. D. D.C.). Judge Gunn will be joined by Gregory F. Pesce (White & Case) and Judge Paul R. Hage (Bankr. E.D. Mich.), who will discuss the various factors that led to the cryptocurrency industry’s 2022 “crypto winter,” the chapter 11 bankruptcy filings by cryptocurrency giants including FTX, Celsius, BlockFi, Genesis, and Voyager, and some of the unique challenges experienced in cases with hundreds of thousands of “creditors.”
ABA Luncheon Program: Reversing Across the Border: Reverse Vesting Transactions in Canada/U.S. Cross-Border Restructurings
Thursday, October 8th, 2026 – 1:00 PM – 2:45 PM – Pacific Ballroom 26
In this program, a panel of experienced U.S. and Canadian practitioners and judges will explain the structure and use of “reverse vesting” transactions to realize enterprise value in Canadian and cross border (Canada/U.S.) restructurings, explore the legal framework for court approval of such transactions on both sides of the border, and delve into the issues at play when a U.S. bankruptcy court is called upon to give effect in the U.S. to a Canadian reverse vesting order.
Tickets Must Be Pre-Purchased for the ABA Luncheon
Moderator:
David M. Fournier, Troutman Pepper Locke LLP
Speakers:
Sandra Abitan, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Hon. Jane O. Dietrich, Ontario Superior Court of Justice
Hon. Laurie Selber Silverstein, United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware
Francisco Vazquez, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP
Not-So-Endless Post-Confirmation Jurisdiction: Lessons from Recent Decisions
Friday, October 9th, 2026 – 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM – Pacific Ballroom – 19
This program will unpack recent decisions addressing the scope of a bankruptcy court’s post confirmation subject matter jurisdiction, focusing on “related to” jurisdiction over potential claims, causes of action, and other disputes. The panel will explain the holdings and where courts draw the line to avoid creating “unending” post-confirmation jurisdiction. The panel will translate these lessons into practical drafting tips and other helpful practice points.
Speakers:
Hon. Craig T. Goldblatt, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware
Hon. Elizabeth L. Gunn, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Columbia
Dennis L. Jenkins, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
John E. Lucian, Blank Rome LLP
Liquidity Challenges in Chapter 11
Saturday, October 10th, 2026 – 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM – San Diego Ballroom – C
Many debtors are arriving in Chapter 11 nearly dead on their feet. As a result, the cases that are administratively thin and approaching (or already) administrative insolvent. This panel will feature a Debtor attorney (Laura Davis Jones) to discuss how she approaches such cases in the prepetition phase and negotiates with the lender to obtain DIP financing or cash collateral. Creditor committee attorney Richard Bernard will explain how he approaches such cases strategically and tactically to obtain the best results for unsecured creditors. Financial Advisor Mark Roberts will discuss how he advises Debtors and creditor committees from a financial point of view, including “programs” for administrative creditors wherein administrative creditors receive less than 100% of their claim. E.g., Toys R Us (E.D. Va.), Stewart Healthcare S.D. Tx.) and Rite Aid (NJ).
Speakers:
Laura Davis Jones, Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones
Richard Bernard, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath
Mark Roberts, Alvarez & Marsal
CLLA Programs
CLLA Luncheon, King Award Presentation and CLLA Keynote: Navigating Economic Currents: Current Trends and Historical Context
Thursday, October 8th, 2026 – 1:00 PM – 2:45 PM – Pacific Ballroom 24
Keynote Speaker: William T. Rule II, Ph.D.
This program analyzes the current economic landscape as it pertains to bankruptcy filings, projecting future trends based on historical data. It will explore insights from over 125 years of filing records, including the impact on bankruptcy filings of major events such as the 1929 stock market crash, the Great Depression, the Dotcom bust, the Great Recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
CLLA Announces the 2026 Lawrence P. King Award Recipient, Prof. Douglas G. Baird
Douglas Baird is the Harry A. Bigelow Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago and Chair, National Bankruptcy Conference. Baird received his undergraduate degree from Yale University summa cum laude and his J.D. from Stanford. He joined Chicago’s faculty in 1980 and served as its Dean from 1994 to 1999. He is the editor of the eleventh edition of the Dawson & Harvey contracts casebook and the author of Reconstructing Contracts (Harvard University Press 2013).
Tickets Must Be Pre-Purchased for the CLLA Luncheon
CLLA Hon. Frank Koger Memorial Education Program: Truth or Consequences, The Bankruptcy Edition: Estoppel Is a Serious Issue; Ignore at Your Peril
Thursday, October 8th, 2026 – 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM – Pacific Ballroom – 16
Panelists:
Megan F. Clontz, Ferguson Braswell Fraser Kubasta PC
Hon. Judith K. Fitzgerald (ret.), Tucker Arensberg PC
Catherine L. Steege, Jenner & Block LLP
Hon. Christopher M. Klein, US Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of California, Sacramento, CA (Moderator)
This panel will discuss issues surrounding failures to disclose, judicial estoppel, and other forms of estoppel, including the Keathley v. Buddy Ayers Construction, Inc. case pending before the US Supreme Court. Keathley raises issues about bankruptcy disclosure obligations and the perils of non-disclosure. The panel will discuss whether the doctrine of judicial estoppel or other legal doctrines bar a party) or counsel from taking actions such as pursuing claims even in instances where there is no evidence of bad faith on the part of the party against whom estoppel is sought. Keathley is the debtor in the underlying bankruptcy case.
ABI Sessions
Wreck-onciliation: Mediation Guardrails and the Risks of Veering Off
Thursday, October 8th, 2026 – 11:45 AM – 12:45 PM – Pacific Ballroom – 18
Mediation is a cornerstone of modern bankruptcy practice, but its success depends on ethical guardrails that keep the process impartial, confidential, and enforceable. This session examines the ethical and procedural rules that govern neutrals, advocates, and judges serving as neutrals and the distinct considerations that apply to each role. Panelists will also explore what happens when mediations veer off course.
Panelists:
Hon. Roberta A. Colton, United States Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Florida (Tampa, Florida)
Annmarie Chiarello, Shareholder, Winstead PC (Dallas, Texas)
Sylvia Mayer, Arbitrator, Mediator and Attorney, S. Mayer Law (Houston, Texas)
Edward Schnitzer, Partner, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP (New York, New York)
Ellen Waldman, Professor Emeritus at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and Dispute Prevention Consultant at the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (New York, New York)
ABI/NCBJ Joint Mock Trial: Smooth Sailing through Evidentiary Issues in Subchapter V Non-Dischargeability Trials
Friday, October 9th, 2026 – 8:45 AM – 10:00 AM – San Diego Ballroom – B
This interactive mock trial simulates a non-dischargeability adversary proceeding, in which a merchant cash advance company seeks to except its debt from discharge in a subchapter V small business bankruptcy case. Through a live courtroom demonstration with audience polling, panelists will tackle key evidentiary challenges including the admission of summaries, business records, judicial notice, and hearsay and hearsay exceptions. Attendees will vote on how the court should rule on each evidentiary objection before the presiding judge issues her ruling in real time.
Panelists:
Hon. Corali Lopez-Castro, United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Florida
Alissa B. Castaneda, Partner, Dorsey & Whitney LLP (Phoenix, AZ)
Marguerite L. DeVoll, Partner, Watt Tieder Hoffar & Fitzgerald LLP (Mclean, VA)
Sarah L. Fowler, Partner, Blackwell Burke Fowler & Rossow, P.C. (Indianapolis, IN)
Jarret P. Hitchings, Partner, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP (Charlotte, NC)
An Nguyen, Partner, Nguyen Law, PLLC (Austin, TX)
Chapter 15 as an Expansion Tool: Obtaining U.S. Relief Beyond the Bankruptcy Code Through Foreign Proceedings
Thursday, October 8th, 2026 – 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM – Pacific Ballroom – 18
This panel will examine how Chapter 15 has the potential to evolve into a powerful mechanism for obtaining relief in the United States that the Bankruptcy Code itself does not expressly provide. The panel will also focus on the most efficient and effective gateway jurisdictions achieve the goals of global restructuring.
In the wake of recent Supreme Court and appellate decisions narrowing the scope of implied authority U.S. Chapter 11 cases, cross-border restructurings have taken on renewed importance—not merely as coordination tools, but as gateways to U.S. injunctions, claim-binding effects, discovery, and enforcement relief that would be unavailable if the same enterprise filed domestically. While the discussion will inevitably use non-debtor third-party releases as a jumping off point, it will focus on the doctrinal foundations of Chapter 15, the role of comity and procedural fairness, and how courts may respond as foreign proceedings are increasingly used to access U.S. judicial power beyond the limits Congress imposed in Chapter 11.
Panelists:
Katherine Catanese, Squire Patton Boggs (moderator)
Hon. Mr. Justice Michael Quinn – High Court of Ireland
Hon. Thomas Horan – U.S. Bankruptcy Court, D. Del.
Hon. James Peck – International Judge of the Singapore International Commercial Court and Retired Judge, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D.N.Y.
Judge Frank Bailey (ret.) U.S. Bankruptcy Court, D. Mass.
Views from the Bench: Rochelle Moderates the Cases and Trends Shaping Bankruptcy
Friday, October 9th, 2026 – 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM – Pacific Ballroom – 18
Join veteran bankruptcy journalist and ABI Editor-at-Large Bill Rochelle for a lively discussion with a distinguished panel of bankruptcy judges as they examine the cases, rulings and developments driving today’s restructuring landscape. The panel will provide unique perspectives from the bench on the legal and practical challenges confronting courts, practitioners and stakeholders. Through Rochelle’s insightful questioning and analysis, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the decisions shaping bankruptcy law and the issues likely to influence the next generation of restructuring cases.
AIRA Program
more information coming soon!