ABI, in partnership with a wide range of other insolvency organizations, will participate in a training institute on the coming new bankruptcy law. The goal of the institute is to provide a forum where knowledgeable bankruptcy practitioners, educators and regulators can create a cohesive and effective means to implement the many changes contemplated by the new law. The new law's effective date is just 180 days after enactment, providing little time for the bankruptcy community to prepare for the changes.

Training sessions over a two-day period will cover new duties assigned to chapter 13 trustees, chapter 7 trustees, creditors, debt counseling agencies, U.S. trustees, bankruptcy administrators, clerks, judges, creditors and debtor's attorneys, among other players in the system. The institute will be held in Nashville, Tenn., at the Opryland Hotel, with the dates to be determined when the legislation is signed into law. Fees for attendance will be established soon.

Other participating organizations include the National Association of Chapter Thirteen Trustees (NACTT), National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees (NABT), Executive Office for U.S. Trustees (EOUST), National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges (NCBJ), National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA), National Conference of Bankruptcy Clerks (NCBC), and the Trustee Education Network (TEN).

The institute is being organized by ABI Director Henry E. Hildebrand III, who is also chair of the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee for the NACTT.

State Court Judges Education Programs Continue

ABI's education program for state court trial judges continues to be popular with state court administrators and judges. The program is offered at no charge to the states and is supported by a grant from the NCBJ Endowment Fund. New programs have been held in Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania and California so far this year. Special thanks are due to Judge Judi Fitzgerald (W.D. Pa.) and Prof. Peter Alexander, who organized the March 23 program for more than 60 Pennsylvania judges. "It's not uncommon for defendants who are ordered to pay fines to also be dealing with bankruptcy issues," said Meadville, Pa., Area District Justice William Chisholm. "Having knowledge of bankruptcy law allows me to deal more effectively with attorneys who represent clients that owe money to the court," he said. Upcoming programs are set for June 15 in Des Moines, Iowa.

ABI "On the Road" for Summer Programs

The ABI exhibit booth will be on the road this summer at a variety of bankruptcy conferences. May 24-25, ABI will be at the annual meeting of the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts in Chicago. June 13-16, ABI will be at the annual meeting of the Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors in Newport Beach, Calif. From June 30-July 5, the booth will be at the annual meeting of the NACTT in San Diego, and the booth will be at the National Auctioneers Association annual meeting in Boise, Idaho from July 16-21. From July 17-20, ABI will be represented at the INSOL quadrennial conference in London.

ABI Members Disagree on "Disinterested" Standards

Results of an audience survey from one of the "Great Debates" at the Annual Spring Meeting show that ABI members hold divergent views on the appropriate test for disqualifying a firm on grounds of a conflict. The question was posed during the "U.S. Trustee—Friend or Foe" debate between Russell L. Munsch (Munsch Hardt; Dallas) and Barbara Stuart (U.S. Trustee, Region 12).