Contact: John Hartgen
             Phone: (703) 739-0800
             Email: [email protected]

SENATOR BIDEN TO KEYNOTE “DELAWARE VIEWS FROM THE BANKRUPTCY BENCH AND BAR”

April 4, 2006, Alexandria, Va. — More than 400 bankruptcy professionals are expected to attend the American Bankruptcy Institute’s (ABI) newest program 'Delaware Views from the Bankruptcy Bench and Bar' conference, scheduled for June 9, 2006, at the Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, Del. The one-day conference, which is being jointly sponsored by ABI and the Delaware State Bar Association, will feature Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) as the luncheon keynote speaker. Four hours of CLE credit will be available to attendees.

Six bankruptcy judges from Delaware are part of the faculty, including the four newest members of the court, as well as U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Thomas L. Ambro (3^rd Circuit).

Topics for the conference sessions include:

“The New Code’s Impact on Chapter 11,” moderated by Laura Davis Jones of Pachulski, Stang, Ziehl, Young, Jones & Weintraub PC (Wilmington, Del.), will feature a panel comprised of Judges Kevin J. Carey (Wilmington, Del.) and Kevin Gross (Wilmington, Del.) as well as Marcia L. Goldstein of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP (New York), Scott L. Hazan of Otterbourg, Steindler, Houston & Rosen, PC (New York) and James H.M. Sprayregen of Kirkland & Ellis LLP (Chicago).

James L. Patton, Jr. of Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor, LLP (Wilmington, Del.) will moderate the “Global Crossings: Current Developments in Cross-Border Cases” discussion. Panelists include Judges Mary F. Walrath (Wilmington, Del.) and Christopher S. Sontchi (Wilmington, Del.) as well as John (Jack) Wm. Butler, Jr. of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (Chicago), Luc A. Despins of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP (New York) and Lawrence J. Nyhan of Sidley Austin LLP (Chicago).

The “Sibling Rivalries: Dealing with Multiple Layers of Secured Debt” panel features moderator Norman L. Pernick of Saul Ewing LLP (Wilmington, Del.) and panelists Judges Brendan L. Shannon (Wilmington, Del.) and Peter J. Walsh (Wilmington, Del.), along with Donald S. Bernstein of Davis, Polk & Wardwell (New York), Fred S. Hodara of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP (New York) and Harold S. Novikoff of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (New York).

“Important New Third Circuit and Delaware Opinions” will be moderated by William H. Sudell, Jr. of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell (Wilmington, Del.) and features panelists Judge Thomas L. Ambro, Third Circuit Court of Appeals (Philadelphia), Marc Abrams of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP (New York), G. Eric Brunstad, Jr. of Bingham McCutchen LLP (Hartford, Conn.), Paul E. Harner of Jones Day (Chicago) and Alan W. Kornberg of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (New York).

Program chairs are Mark Collins of Richards, Layton & Finger, PA (Wilmington, Del.)  and Rebecca Booth of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (Philadelphia). The event concludes with a networking reception.

Sponsor firms include:

• Ashby & Geddes, PA
• The Bayard Firm
• Bifferato, Gentilotti, Biden & Balick, PA
• Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz LLP
• Klett Rooney Lieber Schorling, PC
• Landis Rath & Cobb LLP
• Morris, James, Hitchens & Williams LLP
• Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell, LLP
• Pachulski Stang Ziehl Young Jones & Weintraub PC
• Pepper Hamilton LLP
• Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP
• Richards, Layton & Finger, PA
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP
• Traxi LLC
• Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP

For more information about the “Delaware Views from the Bankruptcy Bench and Bar” conference, call ABI at (703) 739-0800 or visit http://www.abiworld.org/DE06.

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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.