New York City Bankruptcy Conference

7:30 a.m.

Registration Desk Open

8:00- 8:30 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

8:30-8:45 a.m.

Conference Chairs’ Welcome

8:45-9:45 a.m.

Plenary Session

Judges’ Roundtable: Selected Current Topics

Hon. Shelley C. Chapman

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

Hon. Carla E. Craig

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D.N.Y.)

Hon. James A. Garrity

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

Hon. Sean H. Lane

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

Hon. Cecelia Morris

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

Hon. Brendan L. Shannon

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Del.)

Hon. Michael A. Wiles

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

9:45-10:00 a.m.

Refreshment Break

Sponsored by EisnerAmper LLP

10:00-11:15 a.m.

Concurrent Sessions (6)

Puerto Rico

This session will feature an update on the current state of the distress in Puerto Rico, including PROMESA and related litigation, and other developments.

Esben Christensen, Moderator

AlixPartners LLP

Dennis F. Dunne

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP

Susheel Kirpalani

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP

Hon. Arthur J. Gonzalez (ret.)

New York University School of Law

Deconstructing EFH

The panelists will discuss the various issues that have been raised in the Energy Future Holdings bankruptcy, including make-wholes, the unimpairment opinion, the pre-plan settlement appeal, and interaction with state regulators and the bankruptcy court.

Andrew V. Tenzer, Moderator

Paul Hastings LLP

Marc J. Heimowitz

Coda Advisory Group

Brian S. Hermann

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Barbra R. Parlin

Holland & Knight LLP

Hon. Michael A. Wiles

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

Health Care and Education

The panelists will delve into the various issues looming over the health care and education industries, including (1) the potential changes in policy under the Trump administration, (2) overleveraged institutions and (3) the differing issues facing the for-profit and nonprofit sectors.

Jeffrey S. Sabin, Moderator

Venable LLP

Maria DiConza

Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Frank A. Oswald

Togut, Segal & Segal LLP

Kasey Rosado

Ankura Consulting

Hon. Sean H. Lane

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

William J. Nolan

FTI Consulting, Inc.

Practical Issues in Corporate Governance Before, During and Upon Emergence from Chapter 11

This panel will cover a number of issues in the corporate sphere, including (1) issues that arise when negotiating or litigating with a challenging board of directors, especially those containing directors who were appointed by a controlling shareholder; (2) how to make sure that management plays the role of neutral stakeholder throughout the plan and/or § 363 process (i.e., compensation, assumption of employment contracts, assumption or rejection of benefit plans, treatment of special supplier and customer relationships, fringe benefits and filing of proofs of claim, among others); and (3) things of which new shareholders need to be mindful (e.g., board composition, independence and observer rights, management, MIP, KEIPs/KERPs, CoC/severance, antitrust issues, public vs. private emergence and structuring the exit (e.g., how much debt?)).

Kristopher M. Hansen, Moderator

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP

Paul M. Basta

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Michael Genereux

PJT Partners Inc.

Hon. James A. Garrity

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

LLC Bankruptcies

This panel will focus on issues that can arise during an LLC bankruptcy, such as what happens when parties contract out of fiduciary duties and the effect that bankruptcy has on key provisions in an LLC operating agreement, including management and ownership rights and remedies, as well as what happens when a bankruptcy proceeding is initiated against the LLC or one or more of its members. The panel will also discuss Intervention Energy and Lake Michigan, in which the bankruptcy courts refused to enforce LLC agreement provisions requiring the respective LLCs to obtain the unanimous consent of their members in order to seek bankruptcy relief.

Alec P. Ostrow, Moderator

Becker, Glynn, Muffly, Chasin & Hosinski LLP

Ira L. Herman

Blank Rome LLP

Michelle M. McGreal

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Hon. Robert E. Grossman

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D.N.Y.)

Cross-Border Panel

This panel will discuss the domestic reach of the foreign stay (Sanjel) and recognition of judgments/rulings in cross-border cases, including offshore bankruptcies, as well as non-U.S. companies filing for chapter 11 and the consequences thereof (Ocean Fisheries, Hanjin and Abengoa)

Lisa M. Schweitzer, Moderator

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

David Hilty

Houlihan Lokey

Daniel A. Lowenthal

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP

Hon. Martin Glenn

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

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

Refreshment Break

11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Repeat Concurrent Sessions (6)

Puerto Rico

Esben Christensen, Moderator

AlixPartners LLP

Richard Cooper

Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP

Richard G. Mason

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Hon. Arthur J. Gonzalez (ret.)

New York University School of Law

Deconstructing EFH

Andrew V. Tenzer, Moderator

Paul Hastings LLP

Rachel Jaffe Mauceri

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

David W. Prager

Goldin Associates, LLC

Roger G. Schwartz

Latham & Watkins LLP

Hon. Michael A. Wiles

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

Health Care and Education

Jeffrey S. Sabin, Moderator

Venable LLP

Corey Boles

Elliott Management Corp.

Sandeep Qusba

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

Kasey Rosado

Ankura Consulting

Hon. Sean H. Lane

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

William J. Nolan

FTI Consulting, Inc.

Practical Issues in Corporate Governance Before, During and Upon Emergence from Chapter 11

Kristopher M. Hansen, Moderator

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP

Lisa G. Beckerman

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Kenneth S. Ziman

Lazard

Hon. Brendan L. Shannon

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Del.)

LLC Bankruptcies

Alec P. Ostrow, Moderator

Becker, Glynn, Muffly, Chasin & Hosinski LLP

Arthur J. Steinberg

King & Spalding

Natasha Labovitz

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

Hon. Robert E. Grossman

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D.N.Y.)

Cross-Border Panel

Lisa M. Schweitzer, Moderator

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Evan C. Hollander

Orrick

Keith R. Murphy

BakerHostetler

Hon. Martin Glenn

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

12:45-2:15 p.m.

Buffet Lunch

Sponsored by Grant Thornton LLP

2:15-2:45 p.m.

Plenary Session

Averting the Next Financial Crisis: Recapitalizing the Failing SIFI

This luncheon presentation will discuss changes in systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs) since the fall of Lehman Brothers and passage of the Dodd-Frank Act, the Orderly Liquidation Authority, living wills under the Bankruptcy Code, coordination among global regulators, mandated amendments to financial contracts, proposed amendments to the Bankruptcy Code (chapter 14) and the impact of the U.S. election.

Donald Scott Bernstein

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

2:45-4:00 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions (6)

Bankruptcy Litigation

This panel will present a fraudulent transfer update and discussion regarding the split over § 546(e) safe harbors (Physiotherapy, Tribune, Madoff, Meritt Management), 10-year reach-back periods (Kipnis), the reinstatement of unsecured creditors’ intentional fraudulent conveyance claims and the ruling that the intent of the CEO can be imputed to the company (Lyondell), the finding that substantive consolidation does not augment the trustee’s § 544(b) avoiding powers by allowing the trustee to rely on predicate creditors from another estate (Petters), and the ruling that access to a credit line rebuts unreasonably small capital claims (SemCrude). The session will also feature an update on the Trust Indenture Act, including discussion of the recent Second Circuit decision in Chesapeake Energy and its implications regarding the finality of bankruptcy court orders, and an update on the litigation of feasibility issues (Paragon).

Philip Bentley, Moderator

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

David M. Hillman

Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP

Marc D. Puntus

Centerview Partners Holdings LP

Dr. Faten Sabry

NERA Economic Consulting

Hon. Carla E. Craig

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D.N.Y.)

Liquidating In and Out of Chapter 11

This session will discuss (1) selecting a trust, LLC, plan administrator or other vehicle; (2) ensuring that affirmative claims are preserved post-confirmation; (c) establishing a value/tax basis in litigation claims and other assets transferred to a trust or LLC; (d) key plan provisions such as preserving 2004 discovery rights, creditor oversight, continuing court oversight, required reporting and the retention/transfer of the attorney/client privilege; (e) the trading of interests; (f) provisions for closing the case; and (g) structured dismissals following asset sales as an alternative to a liquidating plan (Jevic). Is it preferable to liquidate outside of chapter 11?

Kathryn A. Coleman, Moderator

Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP

William A. (Bill) Brandt, Jr.

Development Specialists, Inc.

Dion W. Hayes

McGuireWoods LLP

Jeff Pomerantz

Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP

Hon. Louis A. Scarcella

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D.N.Y.)

Equitable Mootness

This session will focus on the current state of the doctrine and recent criticisms, especially from the Third Circuit (Philadelphia Newspapers, SemCrude, One2One Communications), and its applications (City of Detroit (invoking the doctrine to reject the attempted restoration of pension benefits in the city’s bankruptcy)).

Michael Luskin, Moderator

Luskin, Stern & Eisler LLP

Sharon L. Levine

Saul Ewing LLP

Hon. Mary Kay Vyskocil

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

Greg W. Fox

Goodwin Procter LLP

Current Issues in the Energy Sector

This panel will discuss current trends in energy, from gas production to the coal market to alternative forms. What will the industry look like 10 years from now? Do we need coal? Updates of current markets, as well as recent bankruptcy cases and issues, will be addressed, including the rejection of gathering agreements and the upward trend in requests for equity committees in commodity cases (Breitburn, Penn Virginia, Energy XXI, Horsehead, SandRidge, C&J, Peabody).

John D. Penn, Moderator

Perkins Coie LLP

Mark Chesen

SSG Capital Advisors, LLC

Hon. Kevin Carey

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware

Hon. Shelley C. Chapman

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

Hank Flores

Haynes and Boone LLP

What’s Wrong with Chapter 11?

This panel will visit controlling the time and expense of bankruptcy litigation; how bankruptcy’s Code, Rules and process affect the relationship between the parties’ incentives and duties to their constituencies; the continuing viability of unsecured creditors’ committees; claims trading and the increased role of hedge funds in chapter 11 cases; and other topics covered in the Final Report of the ABI Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11.

Brett H. Miller, Moderator

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Matt Feldman

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Daniel B. Kamensky

Marble Ridge Capital

Paul D. Leake

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Hon. Robert D. Drain

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

Ethics Panel

What are bankruptcy crimes, what are the duties of the various parties in a case to investigate and report them, and what are the protections for those who do? The panelists will discuss actual-intent fraudulent transfers and the crime/fraud exception; recent cases suggest that a “fraud” that may trigger the crime/fraud exception to attorney/client privilege and that the work-product doctrine may not be limited to crimes and serious frauds, but rather may include transactions exhibiting only some “badges of fraud,” such as fraudulent transfers (Fragin, Husky International).

Deirdre A. McGuinness, Moderator

Epiq Systems, Inc.

Edward S. Weisfelner

Brown Rudnick LLP

Jonathan L. Flaxer

Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe LLP

Hon. Elizabeth S. Stong

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D.N.Y.)

4:00-4:30 p.m.

Refreshment Break

4:30-5:45 p.m.

Repeat Concurrent Sessions (6)

Bankruptcy Litigation

Philip Bentley, Moderator

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

Hon. Melanie L. Cyganowski (ret.)

Otterbourg P.C.

Mark P. Kronfeld

Tennenbaum Capital Partners, LLC

Hon. Carla E. Craig

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D.N.Y.)

Liquidating In and Out of Chapter 11

Kathryn A. Coleman, Moderator

Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP

David I. Pauker

 

Jeff Pomerantz

Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP

Hon. Louis A. Scarcella

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D.N.Y.)

Equitable Mootness

Michael Luskin, Moderator

Luskin, Stern & Eisler LLP

Martin J. Bienenstock

Proskauer

Jennifer L. Rodburg

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

Hon. Mary Kay Vyskocil

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

Current Issues in the Energy Sector

John D. Penn, Moderator

Perkins Coie LLP

Ray C. Schrock

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

David V. Rush

FTI Consulting, Inc.

Hon. Kevin Carey

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware

Hon. Shelley C. Chapman

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

What’s Wrong with Chapter 11?

Brett H. Miller, Moderator

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Peter Goodman

Baker McKenzie LLP

William H. Henrich

Getzler Henrich & Associates LLC

Richard B. Levin

Jenner & Block LLP

Hon. Robert D. Drain

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (S.D.N.Y.)

Ethics Panel

Deirdre A. McGuinness, Moderator

Epiq Systems, Inc.

Marc E. Hirschfield

Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC

Michael P. Richman

Hunton & Williams LLP

Hon. Alan S. Trust

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D.N.Y.)

5:45 p.m.

Adjourn

5:45-7:15 p.m.

Networking Reception (open to all attendees!)

Sponsored by NERA Economic Consulting