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Vol 13, Num 4 l 2015 in Review

Technology and Intellectual Property

► In This Issue:

2015 in Review - A Letter from Your Co-chairs

ABI

Paul R. Hage
Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss, PC
Southfield, Mich. 

ABI

Brent Weisenberg
Ballard Spahr LLP
New York

Fueled by a very active membership, the Unsecured Trade Creditors Committee (UTC) was busy once again in 2015. Among other things, the UTC hosted multiple committee-wide conference calls on wide-ranging topics of interest to its members, published a quarterly newsletter containing articles on hot legal issues, organized panels at the two national ABI conferences, and wrote or edited multiple ABI publications. The UTC was a multichannel distributor of knowledge and information to our members, and provided great networking and leadership opportunities.

In 2015, we continued what has now become one of the most important and well-received benefits of membership on our committee: bimonthly committee-wide conference calls on relevant topics. We covered several issues of importance to unsecured trade creditors, including (1) tricks of the trade in dealing with executory contracts, (2) a debate on the need for bankruptcy venue reform and (3) the treatment of make-whole provisions in chapter 11 cases. We also put together an ABI-wide webinar entitled, “Does It Pay to Be a Bankruptcy Attorney Anymore?,” which discussed the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent opinion in Baker Botts v. ASARCO and, more specifically, whether there is a work-around for the Court’s holding in that case that estate professionals are not entitled to payment by the estate for fees incurred in defending their fee applications. The UTC is actively seeking ideas and discussion leaders for future webinars and committee-wide calls. If you would like to suggest a topic or lead a call, please contact either of the UTC co-chairs. » Read More

Commission Page Houses Complimentary Videos on Related Topics

In 2015, after years of blood, sweat, and tears (we may be exaggerating a little here), the Commission completed its final report and proposed reforms to Chapter 11 and related statutory provisions. While the full report has been available online for most of the year, ABI has continued to post a variety of videos related to the commission on its website. Access quick links from the list below, and catch up on all content at http://commission.abi.org/.

Have You Watched a Complimentary Eye on Bankruptcy Session?

Launched in spring 2015, “Eye on Bankruptcy” is an online series produced by Bloomberg Law and ABI. Each program is aired on the last Thursday of each month and provides analysis of the latest case developments. Recorded at either Bloomberg’s New York studio or ABI's Virginia headquarters, each episode features commentary by top practitioners, academics and judges, hosted by Professor Michelle Harner (University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law).

Each episode explores:

  • Recent filings, motions, and decisions
  • Revisions to bankruptcy rules and forms
  • Changes in bankruptcy and restructuring

Visit online to learn more and view past recordings.

You Spoke, We Listened: ABI Offers a Condensed Communications Schedule

This fall you should have noticed a change in the look, feel and frequency of communications that you are receiving from ABI. In an effort to cut down on the number of emails in your inbox, ABI launched a new weekly schedule that still includes the popular Daily Headlines and Bankruptcy Brief (reduced to Thursday afternoon, only).

New weekly highlights include:

Tuesday's delivery is the InSights newsletter, which highlights important information and benefits that you receive as an ABI member. Membership InSights will offer helpful tips about new ABI technology and benefits that will save time and money for your practice. Need to know what summaries were posted to Volo last week? Turn to next Tuesday's issue of Membership InSights for your answer.

Wednesday's InTouch newsletter provides you with upcoming programs specific to your circuit, as well as national programs that may be of interest to you. InTouch will also highlight online CLE and ABI publications designed to bring you quality information on the topics you care about most.

ABI would love to hear what you think about our new communication plan. Please contact us at [email protected].

Registration for the
2016 Annual Spring Meeting
is now live! Mark this one off your list
before you even need to make
a new year's resolution list,
and we'll see you in D.C.!

 

Stop by abi.org/bookstore for the latest books on bankruptcy, including the recently published
Creditors’ Committee Manual.

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