Consumer Bankruptcy

BAPCPA established several hurdles that debtors have to overcome in order to obtain a discharge of a confirmed plan. Confirmation of the plan in many respects is only the beginning of the process. This panel, which includes two chapter 13 trustees and an experienced creditors’ counsel and is moderated by an experienced debtors’ counsel, will explore the issues that arise after confirmation, including the completion of required tasks for a debtor to obtain a discharge.

This panel will compare and contrast actions under §§ 707 and 727, with input from debtor’s counsel, the U.S. Trustee, the court and the chapter 7 trustee. The panel will discuss other current issues affecting parties in consumer bankruptcies, such as effects on the system caused by pro se debtors and how the system is handling those debtors, and how the new forms are affecting the effectiveness of the system.

Join us as we explore three complicated areas of ethics that all attorneys should be wary of. First, we will discuss examples of sanctionable lawyer behavior and when that behavior can result in a law firm being sanctioned. Second, some pre-petition planning is necessary, obvious and required in order to advance your clients’ interests, but some planning can cross the line between permissible advocacy and fraud. How do you know where the line is so that you can represent your client to the best of your abilities and avoid trouble?

This panel will explore the conflicts of law between estate planning and bankruptcy. Debtor’s counsel, beware: Life estate, remainder interest, trust or power of attorney may not be safe in bankruptcy. The panel will examine recent bankruptcy cases addressing the validity of estate-planning techniques designed to protect assets that then wreak havoc on pre-bankruptcy planning, timing and chapter selection and that can have significant implications on debtors and their nonfiling family members.