New York City Bankruptcy Conference

7:30 a.m.

Registration Desk and Exhibits Open

Continental Breakfast Available

Sponsored by Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP

8:30-8:45 a.m.

Conference Chairs’ Welcome

8:45-10:00 a.m.

Plenary Session

Judges’ Roundtable: Selected Current Topics

10:00-10:15 a.m.

Refreshment Break

Sponsored by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

10:15-11:30 a.m.

Concurrent Sessions (6)

Bankruptcy Litigation

The panelists will provide a § 546(e) safe harbors update, including how state law preemption will be applied post-Merit; jurisdictional issues in Relativity; the debt-recharacterization circuit split and Supreme Court withdrawal of cert in PEM v. Levin; the application of avoidance powers extraterritorially (Ampal-American, Emerald, Madoff), fraudulent-transfer circuit splits and other related matters (Physiotherapy, Tribune, Madoff, Merritt Management, Petters, SemCrude, Fragin); and the current state of the equitable mootness doctrine, including recent criticisms, especially from the Third Circuit (e.g., In re Philadelphia Newspapers, In re SemCrude L.P., In re One2One Communications LLC), and their applications (e.g., In re City of Detroit).

 

Michael Luskin, Moderator

Luskin, Stern & Eisler LLP

Philip Bentley

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

Chris Gartman

Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP

Hon. Julie A. Manning

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

Dr. Faten Sabry

NERA Economic Consulting

Municipal Bankruptcies

Join this session for an update on Puerto Rico and to discuss recent developments and ramifications beyond Puerto Rico; equitable mootness (JeffCo); and reviewing pension issues in prior and existing municipal bankruptcies, as well as prospective municipal bankruptcies (e.g., Illinois, New Jersey, Connecticut).

 

Richard G. Mason, Moderator

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Luc A. Despins

Paul Hastings LLP

Robert D. Gordon

Jenner & Block

Hon. Robert E. Grossman

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

Matthew Rodrigue

Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC

Secured Creditor Issues

This panel will discuss post-petition financing issues, such as what it takes for a third party to prime a DIP and what should be allowed for controls by secured creditors via DIP financing cash-collateral orders, including case milestones. What terms are and should be acceptable in first-day cash-collateral and DIP-financing orders (Aegean)? Too much control, or simply adequate protection? § 1111(b) elections (Baker Hughes); adequate protection (Chardon); lien-stripping (Caulkett); credit bidding and other rights in connection with § 363 sales (Aerogroup); the recent credit bidding decision in Aeropostale; and the use of roll-ups.

 

Evan R. Fleck, Moderator

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP

Hon. Stuart M. Bernstein

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

Hon. Melanie L. Cyganowski (ret.)

Otterbourg P.C.

David Sawyer

Ankura Consulting Group, LLC

Edward S. Weisfelner

Brown Rudnick LLP

LLC Bankruptcies

The panelists will delve into issues that arise during an LLC bankruptcy. What happens when parties contract out of fiduciary duties? What effect does bankruptcy have on key provisions in an LLC operating agreement, including management and ownership rights and remedies, and what happens when a bankruptcy proceeding is initiated against the LLC or one or more of its members? Learn more about two recent decisions in which 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 (Intervention Energy, Lake Michigan). Finally, the panelists will discuss possible hidden fraudulent-conveyance issues relating to tax attributes. Do LLCs insulate management, and should releases be provided?

 

Arik Preis, Moderator

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Hon. Kevin Carey

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

Daniel B. Kamensky

Marble Ridge Capital LP

Irving H. Picard

BakerHostetler LLP

Jennifer Rodburg

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

CDS Markets

A number of recent high-profile cases have been impacted by credit derivatives (e.g., Hovnanian, Sears, Caesars, iHeart). The panelists will discuss how these situations have unfolded and their effects. What pre-filing diligence should a debtor perform in order to be prepared?

 

Kristopher M. Hansen, Moderator

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP

Evan C. Hollander

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

J. Soren Reynertson

GLC Advisors & Co.

Hon. Brendan L. Shannon

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

Glenn E. Siegel

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

§ 363 Sale Issues

Dive into § 363 sales issues, including whether there are limits to “free and clear”; the GM conflict between §§ 365(h) and 363(f) (“lease-stripping”); sales free and clear of leasehold interests, restrictive covenants and override royalties; being free and clear of successorships in CBAs; selling free and clear of environmental liabilities (La Paloma, Exide); and loan-to-own strategies.

 

Dion W. Hayes, Moderator

McGuireWoods LLP

Gerard DiConza

Archer

Neil Gupta

SSG Capital Advisors, LLC

Frank A. Oswald

Togut, Segal & Segal LLP

Hon. Louis A. Scarcella

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

11:30-11:45 a.m.

Refreshment Break

11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Repeat Concurrent Sessions (6)

Bankruptcy Litigation

The panelists will provide a § 546(e) safe harbors update, including how state law preemption will be applied post-Merit; jurisdictional issues in Relativity; the debt-recharacterization circuit split and Supreme Court withdrawal of cert in PEM v. Levin; the application of avoidance powers extraterritorially (Ampal-American, Emerald, Madoff), fraudulent-transfer circuit splits and other related matters (Physiotherapy, Tribune, Madoff, Merritt Management, Petters, SemCrude, Fragin); and the current state of the equitable mootness doctrine, including recent criticisms, especially from the Third Circuit (e.g., In re Philadelphia Newspapers, In re SemCrude L.P., In re One2One Communications LLC), and their applications (e.g., In re City of Detroit).

 

Michael Luskin, Moderator

Luskin, Stern & Eisler LLP

G. David Dean

Cole Schotz P.C.

James Donnell

Baker & McKenzie LLP

Hon. Julie A. Manning

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

Dr. Faten Sabry

NERA Economic Consulting

Municipal Bankruptcies

Join this session for an update on Puerto Rico and to discuss recent developments and ramifications beyond Puerto Rico; equitable mootness (JeffCo); and reviewing pension issues in prior and existing municipal bankruptcies, as well as prospective municipal bankruptcies (e.g., Illinois, New Jersey, Connecticut).

 

Richard G. Mason, Moderator

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Alice J. Byowitz

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

Hon. Robert E. Grossman

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

Susheel Kirpalani

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP

Matthew Rodrigue

Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC

Secured Creditor Issues

This panel will discuss post-petition financing issues, such as what it takes for a third party to prime a DIP and what should be allowed for controls by secured creditors via DIP financing cash-collateral orders, including case milestones. What terms are and should be acceptable in first-day cash-collateral and DIP-financing orders (Aegean)? Too much control, or simply adequate protection? § 1111(b) elections (Baker Hughes); adequate protection (Chardon); lien-stripping (Caulkett); credit bidding and other rights in connection with § 363 sales (Aerogroup); the recent credit bidding decision in Aeropostale; and the use of roll-ups.

 

Evan R. Fleck, Moderator

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP

Hon. Stuart M. Bernstein

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

David M. Hillman

Proskauer

Jeffrey S. Sabin

Venable LLP

Christopher K. Wu

Teneo

LLC Bankruptcies

The panelists will delve into issues that arise during an LLC bankruptcy. What happens when parties contract out of fiduciary duties? What effect does bankruptcy have on key provisions in an LLC operating agreement, including management and ownership rights and remedies, and what happens when a bankruptcy proceeding is initiated against the LLC or one or more of its members? Learn more about two recent decisions in which 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 (Intervention Energy, Lake Michigan). Finally, the panelists will discuss possible hidden fraudulent-conveyance issues relating to tax attributes. Do LLCs insulate management, and should releases be provided?

 

Arik Preis, Moderator

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Hon. Kevin Carey

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

Robert J. Feinstein

Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP

Samuel S. Kohn

Norton Rose Fulbright

Barbra R. Parlin

Holland & Knight LLP

CDS Markets

A number of recent high-profile cases have been impacted by credit derivatives (e.g., Hovnanian, Sears, Caesars, iHeart). The panelists will discuss how these situations have unfolded and their effects. What pre-filing diligence should a debtor perform in order to be prepared?

 

Kristopher M. Hansen, Moderator

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP

Eric Fisher

Binder & Schwartz LLP

Julia Lu

Richards Kibbe & Orbe LLP

J. Soren Reynertson

GLC Advisors & Co.

Hon. Brendan L. Shannon

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

§ 363 Sale Issues

Dive into § 363 sales issues, including whether there are limits to “free and clear”; the GM conflict between §§ 365(h) and 363(f) (“lease-stripping”); sales free and clear of leasehold interests, restrictive covenants and override royalties; being free and clear of successorships in CBAs; selling free and clear of environmental liabilities (La Paloma, Exide); and loan-to-own strategies.

 

Dion W. Hayes, Moderator

McGuireWoods LLP

Jeffrey Finger

Jefferies

Daniel A. Lowenthal

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP

David M. Posner

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

Hon. Louis A. Scarcella

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

1:00-1:30 p.m.

Buffet Lunch

Sponsored by Grant Thornton LLP

1:30-2:30 p.m.

Plenary Session

Distressed Market Conditions: The Next Bankruptcy Wave

The panel will discuss the state of distressed and bankruptcy related investing, including where they currently see opportunities, their thoughts on the credit cycle, what may drive the next wave of bankruptcies, the potential effects and repercussions of the leveraged loan market, the role of CDS and the “empty creditor” dynamic, and the impact of BDC’s, CLO’s and direct lending firms.

 

Nader Tavakoli, Moderator

EagleRock Capital Management 

Stephen Freidheim

Cyrus Capital Partners, LP

Marc Lasry

Avenue Capital Group

Thomas A. Wagner

Knighthead Capital Management

2:45-4:00 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions (6)

Cross-Border Bankruptcy Issues

The panelists will tackle the domestic reach of a foreign stay (Sanjel); non-U.S. companies filing for chapter 11 and the consequences thereof (Ocean Fisheries); recognition of foreign judgments more generally; and recent cases filed in Canada (Concordia and the CBCA).

 

Jasmine Ball, Moderator

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

William A. Brandt, Jr.

Development Specialists, Inc.

Jennifer C. DeMarco

Clifford Chance

Hon. Sean H. Lane

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

Madlyn Gleich Primoff

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP

Recent Confirmation Developments

Get up to date on recent confirmation developments, including cram-ups/reinstatements since Momentive, including the Momentive remand trial; excising third-party releases from a confirmed plan (In re Thru Inc.); nonconsensual releases (Seaside Engineering); vote-designation (Fagerdala (in which a secured lender purchased sufficient unsecured claims to block plan confirmation (9th Cir.)), LightSquared); classification (Novinda (in which litigation claims against a creditor justified separate classification from other unsecureds (10th Cir. BAP))); per plan vs. per debtor (Transvest, Charter, Tribune); and whether all similarly situated creditors should have the right to participate in rights offerings, financings, etc. (PacDrilling).

 

Paul D. Leake, Moderator

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Carrianne Basler

AlixPartners, LLP

Martin J. Bienenstock

Proskauer

Hon. Robert D. Drain

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

Alec P. Ostrow

Becker, Glynn, Muffly, Chassin & Hosinski LLP

How to Value Debt

There are two common scenarios in which the valuation of a company’s debt securities might need to be assessed. If the consideration under a bankruptcy plan includes debt, how do we determine whether that debt will trade at par, and what disclosure is required? If a buyer in a § 363 sale proposes to issue debt as payment, how should this be valued? Are the considerations the same in these two scenarios?

 

John D. Penn, Moderator

Perkins Coie LLP

Alice Belisle Eaton

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Marc J. Heimowitz

Coda Advisory Group LLC

David Hilty

Houlihan Lokey

Hon. Michael E. Wiles

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

Corporate Governance in Distress Situations

This panel will discuss what strategies sponsors are using to retain control (or at least a stake) through the bankruptcy process, as well as the risks to sponsors, such as fiduciary duties; use of special committees as sword and shield; related-party transactions; sponsor affiliates purchasing debt in the portfolio company’s capital structure, as well as 10b-5 compliance; and selling or spinning off assets/business units (Caesars, Cengage, Nine West, PetSmart, Sears, Toys).

 

Elisha D. Graff, Moderator

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

Hon. Shelley C. Chapman

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

Nicole L. Greenblatt

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Mark P. Kronfeld

BlackRock

Roger G. Schwartz

Latham & Watkins LLP

Managing Management and Employment/Labor Issues in Bankruptcy

This session will examine three issues: (1) the role of management in § 363 sales (how to make sure that management plays the role of neutral stakeholder throughout the plan and/or § 363 process; what actions management might tend to take when it favors a particular bidder in the process; what happens when management wants to participate in the § 363 process); (2) managing management’s interests, including participation in the bankruptcy process (how to address management’s sometimes parochial concerns and keep them from adversely impacting the bankruptcy; the interplay between management’s desires and the desires of the fulcrum class as new owners post-restructuring; issues around management compensation (e.g., employment contracts, incentive plans, severance policies), including the assumption or rejection of existing contracts, plans or policies and/or the implementation of new ones and U.S. Trustee objections; who represents management and when management should look to cut its own deal); and (3) labor issues (issues around benefit plans; whether § 1113 is the only way to eliminate a successor clause (A&P); whether § 1113 is an option if the collective bargaining agreement expires or is expired (Hostess, Trump, Journal Register); whether the union has a claim for damages if rejection relief under § 1113 is granted).

 

Brett H. Miller, Moderator

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Joshua Brody

Jones Day

Michael Healy

FTI Consulting, Inc.

Denise Kaloudis

JLT Specialty USA

Hon. Alan S. Trust

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

Ethics Panel

Join in this discussion on a plethora of current ethical issues, including when it is necessary to obtain a conflict waiver (current vs. recent vs. former clients); directly adverse vs. positionally adverse; relatedness to a prior matter; use of confidential information; review of disinterestedness standards under BC § 101(14) and related disclosure requirements; the ABI Report on Standards of Professional Courtesy and Conduct; Caesars litigation over disinterestedness of debtor’s counsel; professionals retentions and disclosure requirements (disclosing conflicts and the Jay Alix/McKinsey litigation); and litigation financing in the liquidating trust context.

 

Marc E. Hirschfield, Moderator

Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC

Jonathan L. Flaxer

Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe LLP

Oscar N. Pinkas

Dentons

Hon. Elizabeth S. Stong

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

Brian Trust

Mayer Brown

4:00-4:15 p.m.

Refreshment Break

4:15-5:30 p.m.

Repeat Concurrent Sessions (6)

Cross-Border Bankruptcy Issues

The panelists will tackle the domestic reach of a foreign stay (Sanjel); non-U.S. companies filing for chapter 11 and the consequences thereof (Ocean Fisheries); recognition of foreign judgments more generally; and recent cases filed in Canada (Concordia and the CBCA).

 

Jasmine Ball, Moderator

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

Robin Chiu

Goldin Associates, LLC

Hon. Sean H. Lane

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

Rick Morris

HPS Investment Partners, LLC

Lisa M. Schweitzer

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Recent Confirmation Developments

Get up to date on recent confirmation developments, including cram-ups/reinstatements since Momentive, including the Momentive remand trial; excising third-party releases from a confirmed plan (In re Thru Inc.); nonconsensual releases (Seaside Engineering); vote-designation (Fagerdala (in which a secured lender purchased sufficient unsecured claims to block plan confirmation (9th Cir.)), LightSquared); classification (Novinda (in which litigation claims against a creditor justified separate classification from other unsecureds (10th Cir. BAP))); per plan vs. per debtor (Transvest, Charter, Tribune); and whether all similarly situated creditors should have the right to participate in rights offerings, financings, etc. (PacDrilling).

 

Paul D. Leake, Moderator

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Carrianne Basler

AlixPartners, LLP

Hon. Robert D. Drain

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

Brian M. Resnick

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Fred B. Ringel

Robinson Brog Leinwand Greene Genovese & Gluck, P.C.

Paul H. Zumbro

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP

How to Value Debt

There are two common scenarios in which the valuation of a company’s debt securities might need to be assessed. If the consideration under a bankruptcy plan includes debt, how do we determine whether that debt will trade at par, and what disclosure is required? If a buyer in a § 363 sale proposes to issue debt as payment, how should this be valued? Are the considerations the same in these two scenarios?

 

John D. Penn, Moderator

Perkins Coie LLP

Jamie O'Connell

PJT Partners Inc.

Rachel C. Strickland

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Hon. Michael E. Wiles

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

Corporate Governance in Distress Situations

This panel will discuss what strategies sponsors are using to retain control (or at least a stake) through the bankruptcy process, as well as the risks to sponsors, such as fiduciary duties; use of special committees as sword and shield; related-party transactions; sponsor affiliates purchasing debt in the portfolio company’s capital structure, as well as 10b-5 compliance; and selling or spinning off assets/business units (Caesars, Cengage, Nine West, PetSmart, Sears, Toys).

 

Elisha D. Graff, Moderator

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

Hon. Shelley C. Chapman

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

William H. Henrich

Getzler Henrich & Associates LLC

Arthur J. Steinberg

King & Spalding LLP

Richard L. Wynne

Hogan Lovells US LLP

Managing Management and Employment/Labor Issues in Bankruptcy

This session will examine three issues: (1) the role of management in § 363 sales (how to make sure that management plays the role of neutral stakeholder throughout the plan and/or § 363 process; what actions management might tend to take when it favors a particular bidder in the process; what happens when management wants to participate in the § 363 process); (2) managing management’s interests, including participation in the bankruptcy process (how to address management’s sometimes parochial concerns and keep them from adversely impacting the bankruptcy; the interplay between management’s desires and the desires of the fulcrum class as new owners post-restructuring; issues around management compensation (e.g., employment contracts, incentive plans, severance policies), including the assumption or rejection of existing contracts, plans or policies and/or the implementation of new ones and U.S. Trustee objections; who represents management and when management should look to cut its own deal); and (3) labor issues (issues around benefit plans; whether § 1113 is the only way to eliminate a successor clause (A&P); whether § 1113 is an option if the collective bargaining agreement expires or is expired (Hostess, Trump, Journal Register); whether the union has a claim for damages if rejection relief under § 1113 is granted).

 

Brett H. Miller, Moderator

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Denise Kaloudis

JLT Specialty USA

Ari Lefkovits

Lazard

Ray C. Schrock

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Hon. Alan S. Trust

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

Ethics Panel

Join in this discussion on a plethora of current ethical issues, including when it is necessary to obtain a conflict waiver (current vs. recent vs. former clients); directly adverse vs. positionally adverse; relatedness to a prior matter; use of confidential information; review of disinterestedness standards under BC § 101(14) and related disclosure requirements; the ABI Report on Standards of Professional Courtesy and Conduct; Caesars litigation over disinterestedness of debtor’s counsel; professionals retentions and disclosure requirements (disclosing conflicts and the Jay Alix/McKinsey litigation); and litigation financing in the liquidating trust context.

 

Marc E. Hirschfield, Moderator

Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC

Ira L. Herman

Blank Rome LLP

Deirdre A. McGuinness

Epiq

Hon. Elizabeth S. Stong

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

William P. Weintraub

Goodwin Procter LLP

5:30-7:00 p.m.

Networking Reception

Sponsored by Validity Finance, LLC