Practice and Procedure

This webinar will discuss: Consent after Wellness, retention of jurisdiction, stays pending appeal, transfer of venue, structured dismissal, jury demands, court-appointed experts, and withdrawal of the reference. These perplexing concepts are all tools in your strategic tool belt. This fast-paced webinar will consider these tools and others from the perspective of when and whether to raise them. What are the risks and benefits of raising them? You will hear highly experienced practitioners and a seasoned bankruptcy judge discuss and debate these points. Remember: one lawyer's strategy is another lawyer's tactic. Attend this program before you file that motion!

Social media platforms are everywhere. It has grown into an essential marketing tool for lawyers, who unlike many other working professionals, are bound by strict ethical codes of conduct when it comes to marketing and communicating with non-lawyers. This panel will focus on how attorneys can successfully navigate the minefields of social networking to grow their business while still adhering to the new California Rules of Professional Conduct.

Chapter 13 trustees are unique. Unlike chapter 7 trustees, they do not take possession of a debtor’s assets. Yet the Bankruptcy Code imposes some responsibilities on them with respect to property of the estate. It also imposes responsibilities on them to assist a debtor. This session will focus on understanding the hybrid nature of the trustee’s role in chapter 13 cases, and how it impacts issues and strategies for debtors and creditors in chapter 13. Can a chapter 13 trustee sell property under § 363? Can a chapter 13 trustee recover preferences under § 547 or fraudulent conveyances under § 548? What are the trustee’s duties regarding the continuing prosecution of litigation brought by a debtor pre-bankruptcy to recover from a third party? What are the chapter 13 trustee’s duties regarding filing proofs of claim on behalf of creditors? What must a chapter 13 trustee do to assist a debtor?

The panel will discuss the different types of cyber fraud threats facing bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy fiduciaries and the need for advance preparation, including consideration of types of insurance available. The panel will provide general insight on fiduciaries preparation for, dealing with, and recovering from, cyber threats, and the impact of insurance coverage on these steps. This webinar is hosted by the Commercial Fraud Committee.

As fast-emerging technologies change the way we conceive of how we will practice law in the very near future, ethics rules will need to address this revolution. The panelists will discuss how to keep ahead of these developments and adapt our practices to best understand and address our developing ethical obligations.

Join the growing conversation about the intersection of race and socioeconomic barriers in bankruptcy. What are the facts? What can be done about reducing bias? What is our professional responsibility as bankruptcy professionals to overcome these barriers?

Learn how to enhance your client and committee pitches, hone your panel presentations, and “wow” your court or your audience from this group of skilled advocates and public speakers. This workshop, suitable for attorneys of all levels, will provide you with tips, lessons and examples to help you improve your presentation skills.

Rarely has a hashtag so completely captured the urgency and gravity of a major shift in national consciousness. This panel of experts will lead an interactive discussion on issues confronting the legal profession in the #MeToo world, examining legal, practical and ethical considerations through a series of vignettes. What should be done about the difficult client that represents a significant portion of firm revenue? What are best practices for lawyers in supervisory and managerial roles? What resources are available to attorneys who find themselves subjected to inappropriate or actionable conduct? How may explicit or implicit bias and harassment play out in the adversary system and in negotiations, litigation and the courtroom? Finally, what is the role of the judiciary in addressing these critical issues? The panel will tackle these questions head-on in a plenary ripped from today's headlines.

Is the legal profession’s vision for the law firm of the future already outdated? Can the law firm of today cope with the incredibly dynamic and changing competitive legal services environment, or will it go the way of the dinosaur? Greater and new competition in the forms of artificial intelligence, disruptive technology, the Big Four accounting firms, enlarged in-house legal staffs, and alternative legal service providers are eating law firms’ lunch. Clients are demanding service, efficiency and transparency in a way that puts tremendous pressure on the traditional law firm model. On top of that, the battle for the best talent is intensifying while the very nature of that talent is transforming as millennials start to dominate the talent pool. Our panel will discuss what a law firm must do to evolve and survive and how it potentially can thrive in a rapidly changing legal market.