Affiliate Education Programs
ABA Program
Serving Those Who Serve: Meeting the Needs of Service Members and Veterans in Financial Difficulties
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.
Bad Boys of Bankruptcy Live, Again: Tales from the Crypt(o)
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
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
Close Nexus, Closer Look: Lessons from Recent Decisions on Post-Confirmation Jurisdiction and Retained Claims
This CLE unpacks recent decisions addressing the scope of a bankruptcy court’s post‑confirmation subject‑matter jurisdiction over potential claims and causes of action, spotlighting the “close nexus” requirement. We’ll explain the holdings, how generic plan retention and broadly drafted retained cause of action schedules fell short, and where courts draw the line between mere value‑add claims, on one hand, and matters that affect plan interpretation, implementation, consummation, execution, or administration. The panel will translate these lessons into practical drafting and other strategies for retained causes of action and cover the consequences of omissions.
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
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
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
Panelists:
Megan F. Clontz, Ferguson Braswell Fraser Kubasta PC, Dallas, TX
Hon. Judith K. Fitzgerald (ret.), Tucker Arensberg PC, Pittsburgh, PA
Catherine L. Steege, Jenner & Block LLP, Chicago, IL
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
more information coming soon!
AIRA Program
more information coming soon!