Practice and Procedure

This panel of ABC-certified judges will discuss the applicable rules of professional conduct and other authority implicated in electronic filing, the use of email, “phishing” scams and hacking, and technology issues raised by today’s pandemic practice. The panelists will also consider issues raised by the requirement that many professionals must file public fee applications in bankruptcy cases, as well as fee issues stemming from converted cases, insufficient content in the applications, and problems that arise when the results achieved and the fees sought bear little relationship to each other. Finally, the panelists will consider unique professionalism issues raised by attorneys and law firms as bankruptcy debtors, particularly involving clients and the use of IOLTA accounts, along with more general do’s and don’ts about practicing in bankruptcy court before, during and (hopefully) after the pandemic.

Insolvency professionals work in a multitude of environments, including firms of all sizes, in-house and at financial advising companies. Not every job will have a dedicated DEI department or director. This panel will address how legal professionals can still encourage diversity within the insolvency profession and promote the inclusion of diverse legal professionals at every level.

With the erosion of boundaries between work life and home life in remote-work settings, professionals need to balance competing objectives, including how to maintain client satisfaction while addressing fears and anxieties among colleagues and family members. Those challenges will continue as the country shifts back to more “normal” work settings. This plenary session will examine the increased pressures faced by insolvency professionals today.

This panel will share technology tips, best practices internally and with clients. Also included will be ethical considerations of technology in a practice.

This panel will focus on issues regarding gender, race, diversity and belonging, and how to build a resilient workplace.

A look at the economic impact of COVID and the road ahead, including which industries will continue to struggle and may be casualties, which seem immune to the pandemic’s effects, and which were initially sick but appear to be on the road to recovery.

You’re leaving your firm, but what do you need to know before you go? This panel will discuss what to do and what not to do to make sure you meet your ethical obligations to your clients and your old firm, while avoiding problems for you and your new firm.

COVID-19 severely impacted the way in which bankruptcy lawyers and judges handle litigation consistent with the needs of distressed companies. Learn what aspects of bankruptcy litigation were affected, procedurally and substantively, and what lessons we took away and are likely to keep for the future of practicing in this unique forum. Hear from experts who were on the bankruptcy front lines about what strategies were affected and in what ways. This panel also will cover topics ranging from access to courts, to the increased use of inherent judicial power, to virtual trials, to valuation and compromise in uncertain (unprecedented) times, to recent developments in avoidance actions.

This session will address how COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders prompted the rapid adoption of technology by the courts, the lessons learned along the way, and where technology can be used to further improve the efficiency, efficacy and safety of the bankruptcy process.

To make meaningful progress, legal professionals and the organizational cultures they inhabit must adopt a learning goal orientation and be willing to change. Join this keynote panel of legal professionals from across the nation for an active discussion on the business impacts of racial and gender diversity, equity, and inclusion within the legal industry. The panel will begin with a plenary session followed by breakout rooms.