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

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 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