Consumer Bankruptcy

Many debtors cannot afford to pay Ch. 7 fees in full in advance of filing. This leads to perverse outcomes for debtors, including the common filing of Ch. 13 cases solely to obtain a stay while paying counsel’s fees over time or not filing a needed bankruptcy. Courts across the country are adopting local rules allowing prepetition agreements to render services post-petition for payments to be made post-petition. Many courts do not allow this. What is appropriate?

Hosted by the Bankruptcy Litigation and Consumer Bankruptcy Committees
This panel will discuss the current state of the law and open issues regarding the automatic stay, discharge injunction and sanctions in light of the Supreme Court’s rulings in Fulton v. City of Chicago and Taggart v. Lorenzen.

Join Bill Rochelle as he hosts a panel of bankruptcy judges to discuss circuit splits on important bankruptcy issues. This panel will feature a fun game-show format where judges will vote to resolve the issues before they reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

A number of Important dialogues in recent years have addressed lawyers struggling with mental health issues and drug/alcohol problems. But what happens when it's the debtors and creditors who have these issues, such as small equityholders and former employees of chapter 11 debtors? This roundtable discussion will focus on the issues the industry sees on a daily basis — mostly in the consumer context, but not always.

Sponsored by ABI's Commercial and Regulatory Law Committee
A distinguished panel of experts will discuss the background and scope of the latest mortgage-servicing regulations promulgated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and how they could impact your day-to-day bankruptcy practice.