ABIs 29th Annual Spring Meeting Dodd-Frank Act Robo-Signer Controversy Ponzi Schemes Outlook for Financial Institutions and More

ABIs 29th Annual Spring Meeting Dodd-Frank Act Robo-Signer Controversy Ponzi Schemes Outlook for Financial Institutions and More

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-894-5935
             [email protected]

 

DODD-FRANK ACT, “ROBO-SIGNER” CONTROVERSY, PONZI SCHEMES AND THE OUTLOOK FOR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AMONG THE TOPICS TO BE ADDRESSED AT ABI’S 29TH ANNUAL SPRING MEETING


 
January 21, 2011 Alexandria, Va. -- The American Bankruptcy Institute's (ABI) 29th Annual Spring Meeting is set to take place March 31-April 3, 2011, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center near Washington, D.C. ABI’s largest conference features a number of educational programs to address a wide array of timely insolvency issues, and will offer 16 hours of CLE credit, including 3 hours of ethics.
 
The Annual Spring Meeting will also provide two keynotes that focus on U.S. fiscal reform and the global effects of Europe’s financial crisis. Former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson, who co-chairs the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, will provide a keynote on April 1 titled, 'The Moment of Truth for U.S. Fiscal Reform.” President Obama created the bipartisan Commission to address the nation's fiscal challenges, including identifying policies to achieve fiscal sustainability over the long run through recommendations designed to balance the budget by 2015, and reform entitlement spending. Additionally, Zanny Minton-Beddoes, the economic editor for The Economist, will deliver a keynote on April 2 titled, 'What’s to Fear from Europe’s Financial Crisis?” Former chief economist to the International Monetary Fund and a top expert on global financial issues, Minton-Beddoes will address the coming dangers for the U.S. economy from Europe’s continuing financial crisis.

The conference educational program sessions begin with ABI's Fifteenth Annual Great Debates, moderated by ABI's Vice President of Education James T. Markus of Markus Williams Young & Zimmerman LLC (Denver). In the first debate, “Plan support and lock-up agreements are enforceable and do not violate plan solicitation and disclosure rules,” Susan M. Freeman of Lewis and Roca LLP (Phoenix) will debate James S. Carr of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP (New York).
 
In the second debate, “Appointment of chief restructuring officers with plenary authority unlawfully circumvents Bankruptcy Code requirements to appoint chapter 11 trustees in appropriate circumstances,” U.S. Trustee Roberta A. DeAngelis (Philadelphia) will debate Martin J. Bienenstock of Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP (New York).
 
The third debate, “In individual chapter 11 cases, debtor’s counsel may not get paid or represent the estate in connection with disputes over exemptions and discharge,” will feature Bankruptcy Judge Mary Grace Diehl (N.D. Ga.; Atlanta) debating Bankruptcy Judge Eugene Wedoff (N.D. Ill.; Chicago).
 
Expert panels have been organized into concurrent sessions, allowing conference attendees to choose the ones that most interest them. Speakers include bankruptcy judges, accountants, attorneys, turnaround managers, law professors, trustees and others. Some of the featured panel sessions at the Annual Spring meeting include:
 
·      Dodd-Frank: Will It Work?
 
·      Recent Hot Plan Confirmation Issues
 
·      Chapter 11 Creditors’ Committees and Examiners: Are They Effective?
 
·      Espinosa and Beyond
 
·      Cutting-Edge Litigation Issues: Ponzi Schemes, the Return of Leveraged Buyouts, Valuation Disputes and More
 
·      “Robo-signing” Clients, Phantom Notaries, Foreclosure and Bankruptcy Mills, and Other Tales from the Dark Side
 
·      Financial Institutions: What Are They Thinking?
 
·      Macro Legal and Economic Issues Raised by the Enforceability of Residential Mortgages in Consumer Cases
 
In addition, ABI’s 20 committees will present educational programs on topics ranging from the new realities of asset sales to the coming wave of health care insolvencies. There will also be a Judicial Roundtable on the final day of the conference on April 3, discussing issues that divide the circuits in connection with significant consumer and commercial issues. To view the full list of sessions and speakers, please click here:
http://www.abiworld.org/ASM10/schedule.html
 
The conference also features a final night concert with recording artist LeAnn Rimes.
 
Press interested in attending the conference should contact John Hartgen at [email protected]. For more information about ABI’s 29th Annual Spring Meeting, please visit www.abiworld.org/ASM11.

ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes more than 12,800 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists and other bankruptcy professionals, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abiworld.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abiworld.org/conferences.html.