8:00 a.m.

Optional Event

Golf Tournament at Royal Links Golf Club

3:00-6:00 p.m.

ABI Registration Desk Open

6:00-7:30 p.m.

Opening Reception

Sponsored by Development Specialists, Inc. and KCC

Bars Sponsored by Bentham IMF; Omni Management Group and Schian Walker, PLC

7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

ABI Registration Desk Open

7:30-8:00 a.m.

Networking Breakfast

7:45-8:00 a.m.

Welcome Remarks

8:00-9:30 a.m.

Very Good Debates

John W. Lucas, Moderator

Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP; San Francisco

Judicial Debate

    Resolved: Hiring an independent CRO displaces the need for the appointment of a chapter 11 trustee under § 1104(e) of the Bankruptcy Code.

     Pro: Hon. Scott C. Clarkson

     U.S. Bankruptcy Court (C.D. Cal.); Santa Ana

     Con: Hon. Mary Jo Heston

     U.S. Bankruptcy Court (W.D. Wash.); Tacoma

Business Debate

    Resolved: Holders of acquired claims should be required to disclose the basis in such a claim as a condition for seeking relief in a bankruptcy case.

     Pro: Gregory E. Garman

     Garman Turner Gordon; Las Vegas

     Con: Thomas J. Salerno

     Stinson Leonard Street LLP; Phoenix

Consumer Debate

    Resolved: The exemption law of the state to which a debtor has recently moved should be used in the debtor’s bankruptcy case, with the former state law used as a cap on homestead exemptions.

     Pro: Mark Gorton

     Boutin Jones; Sacramento, Calif.

     Con: Estela O. Pino

     Pino & Associates; Sacramento, Calif.

9:30-9:45 a.m.

Coffee Break

Sponsored by Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP

9:45-11:00 a.m.

Concurrent Sessions (3)

What Are the Limits of Sale, Plan and Constitutional Mootness?

Three avenues for appellate courts to dismiss bankruptcy appeals are sale, plan and constitutional mootness. This panel will discuss the strengths and limitations of these three approaches, which appellate courts are increasingly gravitating toward and departing from, and steps and arguments parties can make to improve their chances of success in obtaining (or avoiding) dismissal of a bankruptcy appeal as moot.

Hon. Julia W. Brand

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (C.D. Cal.); Los Angeles

Cecily A. Dumas

Pillsbury; San Francisco

Susan M. Freeman

Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP; Phoenix

Thomas E. Patterson

Klee, Tuchin, Bogdanoff & Stern LLP; Los Angeles

Update Regarding Automatic Stay and Discharge Issues

This panel will discuss automatic stay and discharge injunction violations arising from withholding property to collect, statutes of limitations, and exceptions to discharge after Husky.

Robert M. Charles, Jr.

Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP; Phoenix

Dawn S. Cica

Mushkin Cica Coppedge; Las Vegas

Peter J. Gurfein

Landau Gottfried & Berger LLP; Los Angeles

Hon. Brenda Kay Martin

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Ariz.); Phoenix

Be Careful What You Ask For: Risks and Benefits of Involuntary Bankruptcy Filings

This session will provide an overview of the requirements to file an involuntary bankruptcy case and the advantages and pitfalls that arise from these filings, including petitioner liabilities.

Hon. Martin R. Barash

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (C.D. Cal.); Woodland Hills

Janet L. Chubb

Kaempfer Crowell; Reno, Nev.

Oren Haker

Stoel Rives LLP; Portland, Ore.

Jordan A. Kroop

Perkins Coie LLP; Phoenix

11:00-11:15 a.m.

Coffee Break

Sponsored by DLA Piper

11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions (3)

How to Handle Challenging Clients and Conflict Issues in Individual Cases

This panel will discuss (a) interactions with clients who have mental health problems, lying clients and unreasonable clients; and (b) spousal conflicts, joint individual and business case conflicts, conflicts that arise when changing firms, and multiple-owner business case conflicts.

Cynthia M. Cohen

Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro LLP; Los Angele

Randy Nussbaum

Sacks Tierney P.A.; Scottsdale, Ariz.

Allison M. Rhodes

Holland & Knight LLP; Los Angeles

Hon. Eugene R. Wedoff (ret.)

Oak Park, III.

Winding Down Companies When Bankruptcy Is Not an Option

This panel will discuss alternatives to formal bankruptcy, including assignments for the benefit of creditors, abstention of a bankruptcy case under § 305, receiverships, state law dissolution and out-of-court workouts.

Sara L. Chenetz

Perkins Coie LLP; Los Angeles

David M. Johnson

Sherwood Partners, Inc.; Mountain View, Calif.

K. Kevin Otus

Onyx Asset Advisors; San Francisco

Matthew P. Sorenson

Development Specialists, Inc.; Los Angeles

Ins and Outs of Dealing with Tax Claims

This panel will cover issues relating to the discharge of tax claims, objecting to tax claims and the utility of § 505, the consequences of not having tax returns on file as of the petition date, and other tax-related issues that impact debtors.

Thomas H. Allen

Allen Barnes & Jones, PLC; Phoenix

Richard D. Liebman

Grant Thornton LLP; Chicago

Hon. Mark S. Wallace

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (C.D. Cal.); Santa Ana

Kenneth C. Weil

Law Office of Kenneth C. Weil; Seattle

12:30-1:30 p.m.

Networking Luncheon

Lively Luncheon: The $1,000,000 Pyramid Goes Chapter 11

Sponsored by Omni Management Group

1:30-2:45 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions (3)

Post-Confirmation Liquidating and Litigation Trusts

This panel will discuss the process of developing and implementing post-confirmation trusts, including the transfer of litigation claims to a trust, claimant direct claims vs. company claims, trustee with discretion vs. board with veto power, voting by beneficiaries, reporting, distribution issues, funding, post-confirmation jurisdiction and involvement of the bankruptcy court, trustee liability, quasi-judicial immunity and indemnification, and interim and final distributions and tax considerations.

P. Gregg Curry

Navigant Consulting, Inc.; Phoenix

Ken Epstein

Bentham IMF; New York

Hon. Charles D. Novack

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (N.D. Cal.); Pasadena

Cathy L. Reece

Fennemore Craig, P.C.; Phoenix

The Role of Governmental Agencies in Chapter 11 Cases

This panel will discuss the role that federal agencies play in chapter 11 bankruptcy cases.

David Nelson

Boies Schiller Flexner LLP; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Samuel A. Newman

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP; Los Angeles

Michael A. Strollo

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.; Washington, D.C.

Hon. Madeleine C. Wanslee

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Ariz.); Phoenix

Cutting-Edge Issues in Avoidance Actions

This panel will cover the effects of the recent Supreme Court decision under § 546(e) of the Bankruptcy Code, valuation of avoidance actions, pre-bankruptcy planning, creditor intervention, and conflicts preventing individual debtors from pursuing claims.

Andrew W. Caine

Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP; Los Angeles

Craig S. Ganz

Ballard Spahr LLP; Phoenix

Edward T. Gavin

Gavin/Solmonese LLP, Wilmington, Del.

Hon. M. Elaine Hammond

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (N.D. Cal.); San Jose

2:45-3:15 p.m.

Refreshment Break

Sponsored by Proskauer

3:15-4:30 p.m.

The ABCs of Electronic Currencies

Blockchain technology has the tech and business sectors abuzz. Legislators, regulators and the judiciary struggle to keep up with the breakneck pace of development. Much of the initial focus has been on Bitcoin, the virtual currency that was the first major blockchain-based application, but interest and activity by both industry and policymakers is quickly shifting toward broader uses of blockchains. A blockchain, also sometimes called a distributed ledger, is essentially an online database that, instead of being controlled by a central authority, is created, managed and used in a decentralized way by its users on a peer-to-peer network. The shared, transparent and unalterable nature of a blockchain creates the perfect environment for the transfer of assets (physical, informational or financial). A blockchain network eliminates the need for a central record system or intermediary to establish ownership and trust, allowing individuals with no previous relationship to exchange such assets in a secure manner. This technology is still in its infancy, but it is fast giving rise to “initial coin offerings” as a new form of raising capital, massive (and wildly speculative) investment in various virtual currencies, and other transformative technologies. Although blockchains’ possibilities are exciting, the uncertainty and instability surrounding many blockchain applications, certainly including cryptocurrencies, is likely to result in significant distressed scenarios requiring specialized knowledge of both this extraordinary technology and insolvency law.

Hon. Daniel P. Collins

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Ariz.); Phoenix

Bryce A. Suzuki

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP; Phoenix

Christopher J. Wells

Alvarez & Marsal; Phoenix

Steven J. Yeager

State of Nevada Assembly; Las Vegas

4:30-5:30 p.m.

Happy Hour

Sponsored by Allen Barnes & Jones, PLC and Sacks Tierney, P.A.

7:30 p.m.

Optional Event

Jerry Seinfeld at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace

8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon

ABI Registration Desk Open

8:30-9:00 a.m.

Networking Breakfast

9:00-10:15 a.m.

Hotcakes and Hot Topics: Judges’ Roundtable Q&A

This panel will feature a roundtable discussion with bankruptcy judges from the Ninth Circuit and across the country, who will share their thoughts and perspectives — and take questions from the audience — on topics of current interest in both business and consumer cases.

Patrick A. Clisham, Moderator

Engelman Berger, PC; Phoenix

10:15-10:30 a.m.

Coffee Break

10:30-11:45 a.m

Plenary Session

Ethics Roundtable

This panel will discuss various ethical issues in consumer- and business-related bankruptcy cases and other restructurings.

Heather A. LaSalle

McGlinchey Stafford PLLC; New Orleans

Douglas L. Lutz

Frost Brown Todd, LLC; Cincinnati

Hon. Paul Sala

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Ariz.); Phoenix

Lei Lei Wang Ekvall

Smiley | Wang-Ekvall; Costa Mesa, Calif.

11:45 a.m

Adjourn