Contact: John Hartgen
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ABI’S POPULAR NORTHEAST BANKRUPTCY CONFERENCE AND CONSUMER FORUM SET TO TAKE PLACE IN JULY IN NEWPORT

March 26, 2006, Alexandria, Va. – More than 400 practitioners will join a 15 bankruptcy judge faculty at ABI’s 14^th Annual Northeast Bankruptcy Conference, July 12-15, in Newport, R.I. at the Newport Marriott. The conference provides up to 8.75 hours of continuing education credits including 1.5 hours of ethics. This year’s conference will again offer a 2-day consumer forum at a reduced conference rate.

Programs at the main conference include:

Ira L. Herman of Thompson & Knight LLP (New York) will moderate the “E-Discovery” session, featuring panelists Paul Brabant of Epiq Systems, Inc. (Washington, D.C.), Jay S. Geller of the Law Office of Jay S. Geller (Portland, Maine) and Judge Elizabeth S. Stong  (E.D.N.Y., Brooklyn).

The “Bankruptcy Litigation Workshop” will be moderated by James M. Wilton of Ropes & Gray LLP (Boston) and feature panelists Judge Gerardo A. Carlo ( D. P.R., San Juan), Melanie L. Cyganowski of Greenberg Traurig, LLP (New York) and Andrew Z. Schwartz of Foley Hoag LLP (Boston).

“Turnarounds Then and Now,” moderated by Susan L. Storey of Huron Consulting Group (New York), will feature panelists Harold B. Murphy of Hanify & King, PC (Boston), Tom Flanagan of Bank of America (Boston), William H. Henrich of Getzler Henrich & Associates, LLC (New York) and Judge (Retired) Carol J. Kenner (Boston).

Jennifer Rood of Bernstein Shur (Mancester, N.H.) will moderate the “Preparing the Chapter 11 Case: Where to Begin?” session featuring panelists James Berman of Zeisler & Zeisler, PC (Bridgeport, Conn.), Daniel S. Bleck of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo, PC (Boston), Lawrence E. Sax of NachmanHaysBrownstein, Inc. (Boston) and Judge Mark W. Vaughn (D. N.H., Mancester).

The “Investment Strategies of the New Lenders: What the Next Round of Cases Will Look Like” session will be moderated by James F. Wallack of Goulston & Storrs, PC (Boston) with panelists Robert J. Duffy of FTI Consulting, Inc. (Boston), Deirdre A. Martini of CIT Group, Inc. (New York) and Ward K. Mooney of Crystal Capital Fund Management, LP (Boston).

“Intercreditor Agreements–Strategies for Negotiation and Enforcement,” moderated by Mark N. Berman of Nixon Peabody LLP (Boston), will feature panelists Jennifer Doran of Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP (Boston), Judge Judith K. Fitzgerald (W.D. Pa., Pittsburgh) and Robert A. Miller of GE Commercial Finance (Norwalk, Conn.).

George J. Marcus of Marcus, Clegg & Mistretta (PA; Portland, Maine) will moderate “Ethics for Lawyers and Nonlawyers” with panelists Judge James F. Queenan (Worcester, Mass.), Robert U. Sattin of Reid and Riege, PC (Hartford, Conn.) and John C. Thibodeau of Windsor Associates LLC (Portland, Maine).  

“Income Tax Consequences of Common Commercial Bankruptcy Transactions,” moderated by Keith D. Lowey of Verdolino & Lowey, PC (Foxboro, Mass.), will feature panelists Richard P. Finkel of Blum, Shapiro & Company, PC (West Hartford, Conn.), Judge Robert E. Gerber (S.D.N.Y., New York), Steven M. Notinger of Donchess & Notinger LLC (Nashua, N.H.) and Elisa M. Sartori of Mesirow Financial Consulting, LLC (Boston).

Moderator John J. Monaghan of Holland & Knight LLP (Boston) and panelists Michael J. Pappone of Goodwin Procter LLP (Boston), Judge Joel B. Rosenthal (D. Mass., Worcester, Mass.), Edwin E. Smith of Bingham McCutchen LLP (Boston), and Shmuel Vasser of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP (New York) will participate in the “Beyond Notes and Security Agreements–Financial Instruments and Financial Industry Transactions: What Do They Look Like and How Do They Work?”

The “ABCs, Receiverships and Other Nonbankruptcy Vehicles for Turnarounds, Workouts and Liquidations” session will be moderated by Daniel C. Cohn of  Cohn Whitesell & Goldberg LLP (Boston) and feature panelists Geoffrey L. Berman of Development Specialists, Inc. (Los Angeles), Stephen S. Gray of TRG (Boston) and Judge  Enrique S. Lamoutte (D. P.R., San Juan).

Jennifer L. Hertz of Duane Morris LLP (Boston) will moderate the “Health Care Reorganizations” session featuring panelists Alex F. Mattera of McCarter & English LLP (Boston), James J. Tancredi of Day Pitney LLP (Hartford, Conn.), and Judge Brian K. Tester (D. P.R., San Juan).

For more information on the Northeast Bankruptcy Conference, visit http://www.abiworld.org/NE07.  

In conjunction with the Northeast Bankruptcy Conference, ABI’s Northeast Consumer Forum, which will be held July 12-14, will focus on consumer bankruptcy educational programs designed for both experienced and new professionals. Back by popular demand, this two-day forum offers insolvency practitioners an opportunity to earn approximately 6 hours of CLE/CPE credit, including 1.5 hours of ethics.

The Consumer Forum programs include:

“Too Close To Call-Confirmation Requirements of a Chapter 13 Plan” will be moderated by Chapter 13 Trustee Carolyn A. Bankowski (Boston, Mass.) with panelists Judge Colleen A. Brown (D. Vt., Rutland), Jefferey A. Kitaeff of Jeffrey A. Kitaeff, PC (North Andover, Mass.), John F. Sommerstein of the Law Offices of John F. Sommerstein (Boston) and Tara Twomey of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (Carmel, Calif.).

Patricia Antonelli of Partridge, Snow & Hahn, LLP (Providence, R.I.) will moderate “Evidentiary Hearing Advocacy” with panelists Judge J. Michael Deasy (D. N.H., Manchester), Christopher Lefebvre of Lefebvre & Lefebvre, PC (Pawtucket, R.I.) and F. Bruce Sleeper of Jensen Baird Gardner & Henry (Portland, Maine).

The “Automatic Stay Pitfalls and Pointers under BAPCPA” session, moderated by Chapter 13 Trustee Peter C. Fessenden (Brunswick, Maine), will feature panelists Mark P. Cornell (Concord, N.H.), Michelle C. Davenport of Fannie Mae (Dallas), Judge William C. Hillman (D. Mass., Boston) and Matthew J. McGowan of Salter McGowan Sylvia & Leonard Inc. (Providence, R.I.).

“Issues, Trends and Ethical Problems in Chapter 7 Cases under BAPCPA,” moderated by Lisa A. Geremia of Geremia & DeMarco, Ltd. (West Warwick, R.I.), will feature panelists Mark G. DeGiacomo of Murtha Cullina LLP (Boston), U.S. Trustee Phoebe Morse (Boston) and Judge Eugene R. Wedoff (N.D. Ill., Chicago).

Judges Joan N. Feeney and James F. Queenan will also take part in a Dockside Chat with ABI’s Resident Scholar.

For more information about the Northeast Consumer Forum, visit http://www.abiworld.org/NECON07.

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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 11,000 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.