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34th Annual Jay L. Westbrook

Bankruptcy Conference

Austin Nov 11*, 12-13, 2015 Four Seasons Hotel
*Wednesday Evening John C. Akard Lecture
Conference Concluded
Buy
Related products: Materials
RECEPTION SPONSOR
AlixPartners LLP

SPEAKERS' DINNER SPONSOR
Andrews Kurth LLP

PREMIER SPONSORS 
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Bracewell & Giuliani LLP
Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, L.L.P. 
Dykema Cox Smith
Haynes and Boone, LLP
Jackson Walker L.L.P. 
King & Spalding 
Locke Lord LLP
Norton Rose Fulbright 
Opportune LLP
Rochelle McCullough, L.L.P. 
Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller LLP 
Vinson & Elkins LLP 

SPONSORS
Atlas Hall & Rodriguez LLP 
Baker Botts 
Deloitte
Hughes Watters Askanase, LLP 
Munsch Hardt Kopf &Harr, P.C. 
Thompson & Knight LLP
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Overview

UT Law's outstanding Jay L. Westbrook Bankruptcy Conference, now in its 34th year, is one of the premier bankruptcy programs in the nation. This conference attracts a stellar national faculty of prominent judges, academics and practitioners and provides an in-depth focus on current issues and topics in business and consumer bankruptcy. Program highlights include:
  • Professor Jay L. Westbrook leads a panel of distinguished practitioners to discuss this year’s cases in the perennial favorite, Recent Developments
  • Judge H. DeWayne "Cooter" Hale, moderates discussion with new bankruptcy judges within the Fifth Circuit—Judge Clifton R. Jessup, Jr., Judge John Kolwe, Judge Mark X. Mullin, and Judge Eduardo V. Rodriquez—as they share their experiences and first impressions from their short time on the bench
  • Thursday afternoon concurrent tracks—the Business Track includes tips on how to adjust your practice in seeking compensation post-Woerner and post-ASARCO, as well as recent developments in cross-border sales, structured dismissals and fraudulent transfer law; the Consumer Track provides an analysis of this year’s best, worst and most useful decisions affecting Chapters 7 and 13, along with practical advice for plan confirmation in sections 1322 and 1325, and the opportunity to learn about the current developments, open issues and best practices in the complex and very important area of exemptions
  • Judge Bruce A. Markell, Northwestern University School of Law, examines three significant bankruptcy opinions, Wellness, Caulkett, and Bullard
  • Learn about bankruptcy and insolvency in the Oil and Gas field, with presentations on Exploration and Production Companies vs. Service Companies, Oil and Gas Valuation Dislocation, and The ABC’s of Financing Oil and Gas Transactions
  • Professor Michael W. Brandl, The Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University, provides an economist's insight on the current state and the future of both domestic and international lending and debt markets
  • Interact and network with judges, trustees and practitioners at Thursday Evening’s Jay L. Westbrook Bankruptcy Reception
The John C. Akard Distinguished Lectureship on Wednesday evening will be delivered by Edward (Ted) Janger, the David M. Barse Professor at Brooklyn Law School. He has published in the areas of bankruptcy law, commercial law and data privacy in many of the leading law reviews. Professor Janger speaks on Realization, Option Value and Governance in Chapter 11.
 

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Event Schedule

Program is subject to change.
All times are Central Time Zone.

  • Day 1 November 11, 2015
  • Day 2 November 12, 2015
  • Day 3 November 13, 2015
  • Time
    Credit
    Subject
    Speaker
  • Wednesday Evening, Nov. 11, 2015
  • 6:00 pm
    John C. Akard Lecture Delivered by Edward "Ted" Janger
    Edward Janger is the David M. Barse Professor at Brooklyn Law School. He has published in the areas of bankruptcy law, commercial law and data privacy in many of the leading law reviews. His recent article, Ice Cube Bonds: Allocating the Price of Process in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, written with Melissa Jacoby, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, appeared in the Yale Law Journal and won the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers' Grant Gilmore Award.  He is the past chair of the Association of American Law Schools’ Section on Commercial and Consumer Law, and a member of the American College of Bankruptcy, International Insolvency Institute and American Law Institute. He has served as consultant to the Business Bankruptcy Subcommittee of the Federal Bankruptcy Rules Advisory Committee,  on the International Insolvency Institute delegation to UNCITRAL Working Group V, and is a member of the board of directors of the Coalition for Debtor Education. He has served as the Maurice R. Greenberg and the Anne Urowsky Visiting Professor at Yale Law School, as well as the Bruce W. Nichols Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School. He also served as the as well as the Robert Zinman Scholar-in-Residence at the American Bankruptcy Institute in Washington, DC.

    Professor Janger joined the Brooklyn Law School faculty in 1998, after teaching at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and Ohio State University College of Law. Prior to teaching, he practiced as an associate with the firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in Washington, D.C., specializing in bankruptcy and litigation, and was a law clerk to Judge Irving L. Goldberg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

    Professor Janger's Akard Lecture is entitled Realization, Option Value and Governance in Chapter 11. The idea is to extend concepts developed with Melissa Jacoby in Ice Cube Bonds and on my own in The Logic and Limits of Liens, and to use them as a frame for commenting on the ABI Commission Report as a template for Chapter 11 reform.
      
    The John C. Akard Distinguished Lectureship Program was endowed by the generous gifts of many members of the Texas bankruptcy bar in honor of Judge John C. Akard (retired), a 1957 UT Law graduate who served with great distinction for 14 years as the U.S. Bankruptcy Judge in the Northern District of Texas, sitting in Lubbock and throughout much of West Texas. The first Akard Lecture was delivered in 2001 by Professor Elizabeth Warren of Harvard Law School, and formerly of The University of Texas School of Law.
     

    Edward J. Janger, David M. Barse Professor, Brooklyn Law School - Brooklyn, NY

  • Time
    Credit
    Subject
    Speaker
  • Thursday Morning, Nov. 12, 2015
    Presiding Officer:
    Vicki M. Skaggs, Atlas Hall & Rodriguez LLP - McAllen, TX
  • 8:00 am
    Registration Opens
    Includes continental breakfast. 

  • 8:50 am
    Welcoming Remarks

  • 9:05 am
    1.25 hrs
    0.50 hr ethics
    Recent Developments
    Included in the cases are must-know developments regarding the scope of the automatic stay, violations of discharge injunction, discharge and dischargeability, failure to disclose, attorney's fees, and other topics of critical import to bankruptcy practitioners.

    Moderator:
    Jay L. Westbrook, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
    Panelists:
    R. Byrn "Byrnie" Bass Jr., Attorney at Law - Lubbock, TX
    Deborah B. Langehennig, Chapter 13 Trustee - Austin, TX
    Bill Rochelle, American Bankruptcy Institute - New York, NY
    Deborah D. Williamson, Dykema Cox Smith - San Antonio, TX
    Materials By:
    Brian T. Cumings, Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody - Austin, TX
    Stephen J. Manz, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas - Dallas, TX

  • 10:20 am
    Duberstein Championship Team
    Professor Jay L. Westbrook introduces SMU Dedman School of Law's National Championship Team of the 23rd Annual Hon. Conrad B. Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition

    Team:
    Ms. Angela Oliver
    Mr. Scott Larson
    Mr. Brandt Roessler

    Coaches:
    Omar Alaniz, Baker Botts, Dallas, TX,
    Elizabeth Boydston, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, Dallas, TX,
    Tim Springer, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, Dallas, TX

  • 10:30 am
    Break

  • 10:45 am
    0.75 hr
    Uncertainty in the Law:  How Circuit Splits are Dividing Courts on Key Issues in Bankruptcy Cases
    A review of splits in the case law on key issues impacting both debtors’ and creditors’ rights in bankruptcy cases, with consideration of the cost of this uncertainty to the parties and the overall system, as well as proposals for resolving these splits.

    Michelle M. Harner, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law - Baltimore, MD

  • 11:30 am
    0.75 hr
    Top 10 Tips when Dealing with Taxes
    A primer on the key pieces in the tax puzzle and their effects on the development of the bankruptcy plan, including discussion of the differing tax considerations when dealing with businesses conducted in non-corporate form.   

    Bryan P. Collins, Deloitte Tax LLP - Washington, DC

  • 12:15 pm
    Lunch on Your Own

  • Thursday Afternoon, Nov. 12, 2015
    Presiding Officer:
    Robin Russell, Andrews Kurth LLP - Houston, TX
  • Business Track
  • 1:45 pm
    0.50 hr
    Cross-Border Sales: Emerging Issues in a Novel Landscape 
    A brief overview of recent cross-border Chapter 11 and Chapter 15 cases, including Nortel, Kodak, Elpida and Fairfield Sentry, that raise unique questions regarding the 363 sale process.

    Abid Qureshi, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP - New York, NY
    Joseph J. Wielebinski Jr., Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. - Dallas, TX

  • 2:15 pm
    0.50 hr ethics
    What One Court Giveth, the Other Taketh Away—Reconciling Woerner and ASARCO in Everyday Practice
    Gain tips on how to adjust your practice in seeking compensation post-Woerner and post-ASARCO. 

    Omar J. Alaniz, Baker Botts - Dallas, TX
    Demetra L. Liggins, Thompson & Knight LLP - Houston, TX

  • 2:45 pm
    0.75 hr
    Finn V. Alliance and Clawbacks
    An analysis of recent developments in fraudulent transfer law, including possible re-evaluation of the existing Ponzi “presumption.”

    Sean J. McCaffity, Rochelle McCullough LLP - Dallas, TX
    Samuel M. Stricklin, Gruber Hurst Elrod Johansen Hail Shank - Dallas, TX

  • 3:30 pm
    Break

  • 3:45 pm
    0.50 hr
    Structured Dismissals
    Learn about recent developments in the use of structured dismissals as a strategic alternative to "straight" dismissal, particularly when used in conjunction with an asset sale or compromise under Rule 9019.

    Michael P. Cooley, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP - Dallas, TX
    Meredyth A. Kippes, Office Of The United States Trustee - Dallas, TX

  • 4:15 pm
    0.75 hr
    Intellectual Property Issues in Bankruptcy and the Exclusion of Trademark Licenses from the Definition of Intellectual Property
    Explore the legislative history behind the exclusion of trademark license from the operation of 365(n), the treatment of the exclusion under developing case law and deal economics, and recent proposals to amend 365(n) to address trademark licenses. 

    Kevin J. Meek, Baker Botts - Austin, TX
    Steve Meleen, Pirkey Barber PLLC - Austin, TX
    Patricia Baron Tomasco, Jackson Walker L.L.P. - Austin, TX

  • 5:00 pm
    Adjourn

  • Jay L. Westbrook Bankruptcy Conference Reception
    Join program faculty and attendees for drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

    Thank You to Our Exclusive Sponsor
    AlixPartners LLP

  • Consumer Track
    Presiding Officer:
    Hon. John C. Akard, Retired, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge - Houston, TX
  • 1:45 pm
    0.75 hr
    Rochelle’s Consumer Roundup
    Bill Rochelle, not to be confused with brother Buzz, analyzes the year's best, worst and most useful decisions affecting Chapters 7 and 13.

    Bill Rochelle, American Bankruptcy Institute - New York, NY

  • 2:30 pm
    0.50 hr
    Student Loan Dischargeability and Classification
    Student loans can cause as much consternation to bankruptcy practitioners as to those who have to repay them. Learn about treatment of student loan debt in both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 consumer bankruptcy cases, as well as dischargeability issues and recent trends in the Fifth Circuit and beyond.  

    Kristina L. Gonzales, Bankruptcy Attorney - Austin, TX
    Layla D. Milligan, Office of Deborah B. Langehennig, Chapter 13 Trustee - Austin, TX

  • 3:00 pm
    0.50 hr
    Exemptions (Including Homesteads): Developments, Open Issues, and Best Practices
    A quick overview of exemptions, with a special look at every Texan’s favorite exemption—the homestead exemption. Explore current developments and unsettled issues, and best practices for advising clients in this complex and very important area of bankruptcy law.

    Christopher G. Bradley, Taube Summers Harrison Taylor Meinzer Brown LLP - Austin, TX

  • 3:30 pm
    Break

  • 3:45 pm
    0.50 hr
    Practical Advice on Confirmation of Chapter 13 Plans
    The fundamentals for plan confirmation in Sections 1322 and 1325 are easy to overlook, but critical to debtors and creditors alike. Hear practical advice on how to avoid confirmation objections and get your plan confirmed.

    Joshua P. Searcy, Searcy & Searcy PC - Longview, TX

  • 4:15 pm
    0.75 hr
    0.50 hr ethics
    Preparing the Bankruptcy Filing and for the 341 Meeting
    How to keep your client out of trouble while satisfying the trustee.

    Michael V. Baumer, Law Office of Michael Baumer - Austin, TX
    Allison D. Byman, Hughes Watters Askanase, LLP - Houston, TX

  • 5:00 pm
    Adjourn

  • Jay L. Westbrook Bankruptcy Conference Reception
    Join program faculty and attendees for drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

    Thank You to Our Exclusive Sponsor
    AlixPartners LLP

  • Time
    Credit
    Subject
    Speaker
  • Friday Morning, Nov. 13, 2015
    Presiding Officer:
    Rebecca A. Roof, AlixPartners LLP - New York, NY
  • 7:50 am
    Conference Room Opens
    Includes continental breakfast.

  • 8:30 am
    0.50 hr
    Supreme Court Update: Wellness, Caulkett and Bullard
    A quick examination of three of the Supreme Court's bankruptcy opinions from its last term—Wellness on the power of the bankruptcy court; Caulkett on lien-stripping, and Bullard on finality in Chapter 13.

    Hon. Bruce A. Markell, Northwestern University School of Law - Chicago, IL

  • Oil and Gas Industry
  • 9:00 am
    0.50 hr
    Busted: A History of Bankruptcy and Insolvency in the Oil and Gas Industry
    Seems like we have been here before. How and why does history keep repeating itself?

    Charles A. Beckham Jr., Haynes and Boone, LLP - Houston, TX

  • 9:30 am
    0.50 hr
    Exploration and Production Companies vs. Service Companies
    Learn about the similarities and differences between restructurings of exploration & production companies and oil field service companies such as lien, liquidity and valuation issues.

    Eric Michael English, Porter Hedges LLP - Houston, TX
    Patrick Kelley, Ireland, Carroll & Kelley, P.C. - Tyler, TX
    Co-Author:
    John F. Higgins IV, Porter Hedges LLP - Houston, TX

  • 10:00 am
    Break

  • Oil and Gas Industry
  • 10:15 am
    0.50 hr
    Oil and Gas Valuation Dislocation: How to Find an Unhappy Happy Medium between Buyers and Sellers
    A discussion on oil and gas asset valuation in the sale context in light of recent market developments. Learn about bankruptcy sale structures, including both 363 sales and sales pursuant to plans of reorganization, that are commonly used in the disposition of distressed oil and gas assets. 

    Bradley Foxman, Vinson & Elkins LLP - Dallas, TX
    Brett A. Lowrey, Houlihan Lokey - Dallas, TX

  • 10:45 am
    0.50 hr
    The ABC’s of Financing Oil and Gas Transactions
    Various financing techniques for oil and gas transactions can lead to very different results in a bankruptcy case. An examination of traditional oil and gas financing issues and other more recent financing structures including volumetric production payments (VPPs), overriding royalties (ORRIs) and net profits interests (NPIs), as well as a comparison on how Chapter 11 affects these different financing structures.

    Loretta Cross, Stout Risius Ross Inc. - Houston, TX
    Kenric D. Kattner, Haynes and Boone, LLP - Houston, TX

  • 11:15 am
    0.50 hr ethics
    The Formation and Functioning of a Creditors’ Committee: Making Sausage or Baking a Soufflé?
    While creditors must be free of disqualifying conflicts to be able to serve on a Committee, their appointment is not the end of the inquiry or their duties. What about retention of professionals? Claims trading? Access to non-public information? Multiple committees?

    William R. Greendyke, Norton Rose Fulbright - Houston, TX
    Michael A. McConnell, Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP - Fort Worth, TX

  • 11:45 am
    0.75 hr
    Do's and Don'ts for Handling Expert Witnesses in Bankruptcy Court
    Practical tips from the perspective of a bankruptcy judge and a litigator.

    Jerry Kenneth "J. Ken" Johnson II, Fleming Nolen & Jez L.L.P. - Houston, TX
    Hon. Robert Lee Jones, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas - Lubbock, TX

  • 12:30 pm
    Pick Up Lunch
    Included in registration.

  • Friday Afternoon, Nov. 13, 2015
    Presiding Officer:
    Berry D. Spears, Locke Lord LLP - Austin, TX
  • Luncheon Presentation
  • 12:50 pm
    0.75 hr
    On the Future of Lending Markets
    Lending and debt markets both domestically and globally are in a state of flux. Hear an economist's insight as to where these markets may be headed and the fall out that will follow.

    Michael W. Brandl, The Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University - Columbus, OH

  • 1:35 pm
    Break

  • 1:50 pm
    0.75 hr
    0.50 hr ethics
    RESPA
    RESPA plays an important role in the administration of consumer mortgage loans. Consider the interplay between RESPA and consumer bankruptcy law and discuss the interactions between the debtor, the trustee and the mortgage servicer in bankruptcy cases.

    Theodore "Thad" O. Bartholow, Armstrong Kellett Bartholow P.C. - Dallas, TX
    Hon. Marvin Isgur, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Texas - Houston, TX
    Adam E. Miller, Office of the U.S. Trustee - Kansas City, MO

  • 2:35 pm
    0.50 hr
    Principles of Statutory Construction
    Did they really mean to say that? This and other conundrums of statutory interpretation served up for your edification and collective confusion. 

    Whitman L. Holt, Klee, Tuchin, Bogdanoff & Stern LLP - Los Angeles, CA

  • 3:05 pm
    1.00 hr
    New Judges Panel
    New judges share their experiences and first impressions from their short time on the bench.

    Moderator:
    Hon. H. DeWayne "Cooter" Hale, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas - Dallas, TX
    Panelists:
    Hon. Clifton R. Jessup Jr., U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Alabama - Decatur, AL
    Hon. John Kolwe, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Louisiana - Alexandria, LA
    Hon. Mark X. Mullin, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas - Fort Worth, TX
    Hon. Eduardo V. Rodriguez, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Texas - McAllen, TX

  • 4:05 pm
    Adjourn

  • Day 1 November 11, 2015
  • Day 2 November 12, 2015
  • Day 3 November 13, 2015
Download Schedule

Conference Faculty

Omar J. Alaniz

Baker Botts
Dallas, TX

Theodore "Thad" O. Bartholow

Armstrong Kellett Bartholow P.C.
Dallas, TX

R. Byrn "Byrnie" Bass Jr.

Attorney at Law
Lubbock, TX

Michael V. Baumer

Law Office of Michael Baumer
Austin, TX

Charles A. Beckham Jr.

Haynes and Boone, LLP
Houston, TX

Christopher G. Bradley

Taube Summers Harrison Taylor Meinzer Brown LLP
Austin, TX

Michael W. Brandl

The Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH

Allison D. Byman

Hughes Watters Askanase, LLP
Houston, TX

Bryan P. Collins

Deloitte Tax LLP
Washington, DC

Michael P. Cooley

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Dallas, TX

Loretta Cross

Stout Risius Ross Inc.
Houston, TX

Brian T. Cumings

Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody
Austin, TX

Eric Michael English

Porter Hedges LLP
Houston, TX

Bradley Foxman

Vinson & Elkins LLP
Dallas, TX

Kristina L. Gonzales

Bankruptcy Attorney
Austin, TX

William R. Greendyke

Norton Rose Fulbright
Houston, TX

Hon. H. DeWayne "Cooter" Hale

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas
Dallas, TX

Michelle M. Harner

University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
Baltimore, MD

John F. Higgins IV

Porter Hedges LLP
Houston, TX

Whitman L. Holt

Klee, Tuchin, Bogdanoff & Stern LLP
Los Angeles, CA

Hon. Marvin Isgur

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Texas
Houston, TX

Edward J. Janger

David M. Barse Professor, Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn, NY

Hon. Clifton R. Jessup Jr.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Alabama
Decatur, AL

Jerry Kenneth "J. Ken" Johnson II

Fleming Nolen & Jez L.L.P.
Houston, TX

Hon. Robert Lee Jones

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas
Lubbock, TX

Kenric D. Kattner

Haynes and Boone, LLP
Houston, TX

Patrick Kelley

Ireland, Carroll & Kelley, P.C.
Tyler, TX

Meredyth A. Kippes

Office Of The United States Trustee
Dallas, TX

Hon. John Kolwe

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Louisiana
Alexandria, LA

Deborah B. Langehennig

Chapter 13 Trustee
Austin, TX

Demetra L. Liggins

Thompson & Knight LLP
Houston, TX

Brett A. Lowrey

Houlihan Lokey
Dallas, TX

Stephen J. Manz

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas
Dallas, TX

Hon. Bruce A. Markell

Northwestern University School of Law
Chicago, IL

Sean J. McCaffity

Rochelle McCullough LLP
Dallas, TX

Michael A. McConnell

Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP
Fort Worth, TX

Kevin J. Meek

Baker Botts
Austin, TX

Steve Meleen

Pirkey Barber PLLC
Austin, TX

Adam E. Miller

Office of the U.S. Trustee
Kansas City, MO

Layla D. Milligan

Office of Deborah B. Langehennig, Chapter 13 Trustee
Austin, TX

Hon. Mark X. Mullin

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas
Fort Worth, TX

Abid Qureshi

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
New York, NY

Bill Rochelle

American Bankruptcy Institute
New York, NY

Hon. Eduardo V. Rodriguez

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Texas
McAllen, TX

Joshua P. Searcy

Searcy & Searcy PC
Longview, TX

Samuel M. Stricklin

Gruber Hurst Elrod Johansen Hail Shank
Dallas, TX

Patricia Baron Tomasco

Jackson Walker L.L.P.
Austin, TX

Jay L. Westbrook

The University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX

Joseph J. Wielebinski Jr.

Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C.
Dallas, TX

Deborah D. Williamson

Dykema Cox Smith
San Antonio, TX

Planning Committee

Michael P. Cooley—Chair

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Dallas, TX

Hon. John C. Akard

Retired, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge
Houston, TX

Omar J. Alaniz

Baker Botts
Dallas, TX

R. Byrn "Byrnie" Bass Jr.

Attorney at Law
Lubbock, TX

Michael V. Baumer

Law Office of Michael Baumer
Austin, TX

Charles A. Beckham Jr.

Haynes and Boone, LLP
Houston, TX

Hon. Leif M. Clark

Mediator/Arbitrator/Consultant
San Antonio, TX

Josiah M. Daniel III

Vinson & Elkins LLP
Dallas, TX

Hon. Tony M. Davis

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Texas
Austin, TX

Miguel A. Flores

Tanzy & Borrego
El Paso, TX

Hon. Craig A. Gargotta

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Texas
San Antonio, TX

Nathaniel Peter Holzer

Jordan, Hyden, Womble, Culbreth & Holzer, PC
Corpus Christi, TX

Hon. Marvin Isgur

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Texas
Houston, TX

Hon. Stacey G. C. Jernigan

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas
Dallas, TX

Aaron M. Kaufman

Dykema Cox Smith
Dallas, TX

Lisa L. Lambert

Office of the U.S. Trustee
Dallas, TX

Deborah B. Langehennig

Chapter 13 Trustee
Austin, TX

Demetra L. Liggins

Thompson & Knight LLP
Houston, TX

Angela Littwin

The University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX

Jay H. Ong

Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C.
Austin, TX

Hon. Brenda T. Rhoades

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Texas
Plano, TX

Louis E. Robichaux IV

Deloitte
Dallas, TX

Michael R. "Buzz" Rochelle

Rochelle McCullough, L.L.P.
Dallas, TX

Vicki M. Skaggs

Atlas Hall & Rodriguez LLP
McAllen, TX

Gregory J. Smith

The University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX

Berry D. Spears

Locke Lord LLP
Austin, TX

J. Michael Sutherland

Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, L.L.P.
Dallas, TX

Patricia Baron Tomasco

Jackson Walker L.L.P.
Austin, TX

Mark W. Wege

King & Spalding
Houston, TX

Jay L. Westbrook

The University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX

Deborah D. Williamson

Dykema Cox Smith
San Antonio, TX

Credit Info

  • Austin
MCLE Credit
Toggle view Texas – 12.50 hrs  |  2.00 hrs Ethics
Legal Specialization(s): Bankruptcy Law
You may claim your credit online in Your Briefcase, and UT Law CLE will report credit on your behalf to the State Bar of Texas. A Certificate of Attendance will be provided in Your Briefcase for your records. The system reports Texas CLE credit every Tuesday. If you are claiming credit in the last week of your birth month, self-report your CLE credit directly to the State Bar of Texas at texasbar.com, using the course number  provided on your certificate of attendance.
Toggle view California – 12.50 hrs  |  2.00 hrs Ethics
You must claim your credit online in Your Briefcase, and will then be provided a Certificate of Attendance for your records. UT Law CLE is required to provide the State Bar with electronic attendance records for any MCLE participatory activity within 60 days of completion of the activity. The California licensee is responsible for reporting their compliance/credit hours earned to the State Bar at the end of their reporting period directly to the State Bar of California at calbar.ca.gov.  UT Law CLE will maintain Attendance Records for four years.  
Toggle view Louisiana – 12.50 hrs  |  2.00 hrs Ethics
At the completion of the conference you must claim and certify your credit online in Your Briefcase, and will then be provided a Certificate of Attendance for your records. UT Law CLE will report credit on your behalf to the Supreme Court of Louisiana Continuing Legal Education Committee within 30 days after the conference. 
Toggle view Oklahoma – 15.00 hrs  |  2.50 hrs Ethics
You must claim and certify your credit online in Your Briefcase, then you will then be provided a Certificate of Attendance for your records. UT Law CLE will report credit on your behalf to the Oklahoma Bar Association within 30 days after the conference.
Other Credit
Toggle view National Accounting CPE – 15.00 hrs
The University of Texas School of Law is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.

Delivery Method: Group-Live (UT Law CLE is a provider of NASBA Group-Live credit only, which excludes online offerings. 

To comply with NASBA Standards, attendees claiming CPE credit must sign in to verify attendance for each segment. Attendance sign-in sheets will be available at the registration desk. You will need your CPA license number to sign in. A CPE Certificate of Completion will be provided at the conclusion of the conference.

Reporting: CPAs are responsible for reporting CPE credits earned to their state's accountancy board, and must retain appropriate documentation of their participation in learning activities. Visit your state’s reporting website for more information or www.nasba.org.

Key Dates

Austin – Nov 11*, 12-13, 2015 – Four Seasons Hotel
*Wednesday Evening John C. Akard Lecture
Conference Concluded
Buy
  • Austin
Individual
Last day for $575.00 Regular pricing: Nov 6, 2015

$625.00 for registrations received after this time

Group (5 registrants minimum)
Last day for $520.00 Regular pricing: Nov 6, 2015

$570.00 for registrations received after this time

Group (10 registrants minimum)
Last day for $460.00 Regular pricing: Nov 6, 2015

$510.00 for registrations received after this time

Last day for cancellation (full refund): Nov 6, 2015

$50 processing fee applied after this date

Last day for cancellation: Nov 9, 2015

Venue

speaker

Four Seasons Hotel

98 San Jacinto Boulevard
Austin, TX 78701-4082
512-478-4500 (reservations)
Map

Accommodations

$250 room rate good through October 12, 2015 (subject to availability).

Parking Information

$12 Event Daily; $16 Valet Daily; $32.50 Overnight Self-Parking or Valet.

Our Sponsors

Thank you to our sponsors! Click each logo below to learn more.

  • AlixPartners LLP logo
    AlixPartners LLP
    AlixPartners is a leading global business advisory firm offering comprehensive services across five main disciplines―enterprise improvement, turnaround and restructuring, financial advisory services, information management services, and leadership and organizational effectiveness. The firm’s expertise is in helping clients of many types―healthy companies, challenged companies, private equity firms and attorneys―realize increased value in the face of high-impact business challenges. We make a difference by serving our clients with senior teams motivated by incentives aligned with the client’s interests, and with a heritage of a total commitment to getting results. Founded in 1981, the firm has more than 1,500 professionals in offices around the world. 
    alixpartners.com
  • Andrews Kurth LLP logo
    Andrews Kurth LLP
    Since 1902, Andrews Kurth has built its practice on the belief that “straight talk is good business.” Real answers, clear vision and mutual respect define the firm’s relationships with clients, colleagues, communities and employees. With more than 400 lawyers across 10 offices worldwide, Andrews Kurth represents a wide array of clients in multiple industries. For more information about Andrews Kurth, please visit andrewskurth.com.
    andrewskurth.com
  • Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP logo
    Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
    Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading global law firm providing innovative legal services and business solutions to individuals and institutions. We are one of the world’s largest law firms, with more than 900 lawyers and professionals in 22 offices. Our firm’s clients range from individuals to corporations and foreign governments. We were founded in Texas in 1945 by Robert Strauss and Richard Gump, with the guiding vision that commitment, excellence and integrity would drive the success of the firm. We incorporated those qualities into the firm’s core values as we grew into an international full-service firm positioned at the intersection of commerce, policy and the law. Our goal in every engagement is to offer a level of client service that not only meets but anticipates our clients’ needs and exceeds their expectations. From reputational defense of headline-makers to down- and midstream energy investments, from precedential class action dismissals to protection of terrorism’s victims, we serve clients in over 85 practices that range from the traditional, such as litigation and corporate, to the contemporary, such as climate change and national security. Our lawyers, many of them with years of experience in the boardroom, on the bench and in the halls of government, collaborate across borders and practice areas to provide comprehensive counsel.
    www.akingump.com
  • Bracewell & Giuliani LLP logo
    Bracewell & Giuliani LLP
    Bracewell & Giuliani LLP is an international law firm with 485 lawyers serving major financial institutions, leading private investment funds and Fortune 500 companies concentrated in the energy, technology and financial services sectors worldwide. Bracewell's restructuring group represents bondholders, noteholders, lenders, debtors, and other major constituencies in all types of financial restructuring and litigation situations. We have a deep and sophisticated restructuring background to protect the interests of diverse creditor constituencies. We understand the need to reconcile and advocate effectively in order to maximize our clients' recoveries. Our cross-disciplinary team regularly advises on special situations, investments and acquisitions, lending and financing activities, and in-court as well as out-of-court restructurings throughout the U.S. and the world. Industry surveys highlight Bracewell’s restructuring group  as "phenomenally committed" and a "seamless national team" with "vast international experience" (Legal 500), and we "serve clients extraordinarily well" (Chambers USA).
     
    bgllp.com
  • Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, L.L.P. logo
    Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, L.L.P.
    Carrington Coleman represents a broad range of clients, from local companies and individuals to large national and international corporations. The firm's core practice strengths focus on complex litigation, corporate insolvency and restructuring, officer & director litigation and investigations, sophisticated business and real estate transactional matters, malpractice defense, employment law, and municipal finance restructuring. Led by partner Mike Sutherland, the Corporate Restructuring and Bankruptcy Practice Group has focused on working with creditors, debtors, trustees, and committees in complex restructurings, liquidations and out-of-court resolutions for almost four decades.
    ccsb.com
  • Dykema Cox Smith logo
    Dykema Cox Smith
    Dykema Cox Smith, a leading national law firm, is one of the largest business law firms in Texas. The firm services local, national and international companies from 15 U.S. offices, including five Texas locations—Austin, Dallas, El Paso, McAllen and San Antonio. Our bankruptcy practice encompasses all aspects of business bankruptcy and represents creditors and creditor committees, debtors, trustees, and acquirers of assets. We are recognized by Chambers USA both for the size of our practice and our nationwide capabilities. Deborah Williamson has been awarded the American Bankruptcy Institute's (ABI) Lifetime Achievement Award, marking only the second time the award has ever been presented in the ABI's nearly 30-year history.
    dykema.com
  • Haynes and Boone, LLP logo
    Haynes and Boone, LLP
    Haynes and Boone, LLP is a full service law firm with a national presence and an international reach. With more than 570 lawyers located in Texas, New York, California, Chicago, Denver, Washington, DC, Shanghai and Mexico City, we are trusted advisors, zealous advocates and creative strategists. We have a client-first philosophy, defining our success as providing exceptional value and practical business-minded solutions to our clients and innovative contributions to their businesses. The Bankruptcy and Business Restructuring Practice Group at Haynes and Boone has long been recognized as one of just a handful of teams in the nation fully equipped to handle the largest and most complex out-of-court financial restructurings and Chapter 11 reorganization cases. Clients, whether debtors, creditors, lenders, equity security holders or agent banks, benefit from a team with significant experience, diverse skills and deep bench. Having handled matters across a wide variety of industries, our lawyers are adept at learning the “ins-and-outs” of clients’ businesses.
     
    haynesboone.com
  • Jackson Walker logo
    Jackson Walker
    Founded more than 125 years ago, Jackson Walker L.L.P. is one of the oldest and largest Texas-based law firms. Today, the firm has more than 340 attorneys in seven Texas offices and represents Fortune 500 companies, multinational corporations, major financial institutions, and a wide range of public companies and private businesses. Our bankruptcy attorneys advise clients in connection with a variety of matters, from complex Chapter 11 corporate debtor cases, to reorganization and liquidation proceedings for small business entities and individuals. They regularly represent clients in bankruptcy courts nationwide, with a network of experienced local counsel and are regularly involved in preference and fraudulent transfer litigation, valuation and automatic stay proceedings, objections to discharge/dischargeability and commercial litigation arising in connection with bankruptcy cases.
     
    jw.com
  • King & Spalding logo
    King & Spalding
    King & Spalding has one of the nation's preeminent financial restructuring practices. The Financial Restructuring Group provides valuable knowledge and in-depth experience to virtually all facets of corporate reorganizations, in-court and out-of-court debt restructurings, bankruptcy and insolvency litigation and distressed M&A transactions. We are regularly retained in large bankruptcy matters and workouts to represent debtors, trustees, creditors' committees, institutional lenders, other critical creditors and parties-in-interest. Our experience runs deep in energy related matters, including oil and gas exploration and production, petrochemical, solar, biofuel, power, midstream, mining and many other aspects of the energy business worldwide. We have also been active in many other segments of the economy, with particular emphasis on manufacturing, retail, construction, healthcare, insurance and telecommunications.
     
    kslaw.com
  • Locke Lord LLP logo
    Locke Lord LLP
    Locke Lord is a full-service, international law firm that ranks among The American Lawyer’s top U.S. law firms. Our team has earned a solid reputation in complex litigation, regulatory and transactional work. We serve our clients’ interests first, and these clients range from Fortune 500 and middle market public and private companies to start-ups and emerging businesses. Through its wide-ranging international footprint, Locke Lord has received numerous industry recognitions as a global leader in the middle market sector. Locke Lord's team builds collaborative relationships and crafts creative solutions to solve problems – all designed and executed with long-term strategic goals in mind.
     
    lockelord.com
  • Norton Rose Fulbright logo
    Norton Rose Fulbright
    Norton Rose Fulbright is a global legal practice with more than 3,800 lawyers based in over 50 cities around the world. Recognized for our industry focus, we are strong across all the key industry sectors—financial institutions; energy; infrastructure, mining and commodities; transport; technology and innovation; and life sciences and healthcare. The Norton Rose Fulbright financial restructuring and insolvency practice group is one of the largest and most experienced in the United States and has broad experience in both the transactional and litigation aspects of bankruptcy service and has extensive experience in handling cross-border and international insolvencies. Wherever we are, we operate in accordance with our global business principles of quality, unity and integrity. We aim to provide the highest possible standard of legal service in each of our offices and to maintain that level of quality at every point of contact.
     
    nortonrosefulbright.com
  • Opportune LLP logo
    Opportune LLP
    Founded in 2005, Opportune LLP is a leading international energy consulting firm specializing in assisting clients across the energy industry, including upstream, midstream, downstream, power, commodities trading and oilfield services. Our growth is directly attributable to the value we add to our clients. We are uniquely positioned to add this value as a result of the energy expertise of our experienced teams, which can be smaller and less intrusive.

    We are responsive, and we are good listeners. Since we are not an audit firm, we are advocates of our clients and are not subject to the restrictions placed on other firms by regulatory bodies. Using our extensive knowledge of all sectors of the energy industry, we work with clients to provide comprehensive solutions to their operational and financial challenges. Across energy segments, our practice areas include chemical engineering, complex financial reporting, corporate finance, dispute resolution, enterprise risk, outsourcing, process and technology, reserve engineering and geosciences, restructuring, strategy and organization, and tax.
     
    opportune.com
  • Rochelle McCullough, L.L.P. logo
    Rochelle McCullough, L.L.P.
    The law firm of Rochelle McCullough, L.L.P. is a small bankruptcy and litigation boutique. The firm primarily focuses its practice on matters involving corporate bankruptcy, counsel to financially distressed business entities, and commercial reorganization and creditor rights. The firm typically is retained by debtors-in-possession, official and unofficial committees of creditors, bond holders and equity owners, corporate Chapter 7 trustees, post-confirmation trustees and other interested parties in the various commercial transactions involving bankruptcy estates. Rochelle McCullough also handles civil trials and appellate work in State and Federal Courts, representing litigants in general matters of commercial litigation, typically involving the legal claims of corporate fraud or misrepresentation, directors and officers liability, professional misconduct and malpractice, fraudulent conveyances, Chapter 5 bankruptcy causes of action, personal injuries, wrongful death and employment, sex, age and racial discrimination.
     
    romclawyers.com
  • Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller LLP logo
    Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller LLP
    For more than eighty years the lawyers at Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller, LLP have aided businesses, banks, other financial institutions, private equity funds, landlords, tenants partnerships and insurance companies with their most difficult and pressing legal matters. The firm has a significant experience counseling energy, manufacturing, agricultural, construction and health care companies through the intricacies of pre-bankruptcy workouts, out-of-court debt restructurings and the bankruptcy process itself. With offices in Arlington, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston, Shannon Gracey efficiently meets the needs of its clients across the state. Shannon Gracey’s Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group’s experience is not limited to just Texas, having represented debtors, creditors’ committees, trustees, and creditors in cases throughout Texas and across the country. Our attorneys’ also assist businesses with asset acquisitions in and outside of bankruptcy. Shannon Gracey has mastered the art of working smart.
    shannongracey.com
  • Vinson & Elkins LLP logo
    Vinson & Elkins LLP
    Vinson & Elkins lawyers are committed to excellence and steeped in the energy and finance industries, offering clients experience handling transactions, investments, projects and disputes worldwide. The firm’s deep bench of approximately 650 lawyers collaborating across 15 offices allows a multi-disciplinary approach and innovative strategies, whether companies need guidance on complex transactions, litigation, or bankruptcy and restructuring. V&E brings competitive strength, insight and know-how, building on a strong foundation since 1917 that offers clients an adept understanding of the intersection of energy, finance and the law.
     
    velaw.com
  • Atlas Hall & Rodriguez LLP logo
    Atlas Hall & Rodriguez LLP
    atlashall.com
  • Baker Botts logo
    Baker Botts
    bakerbotts.com
  • Deloitte logo
    Deloitte
    deloitte.com
  • Hughes Watters Askanase, LLP logo
    Hughes Watters Askanase, LLP
    hwa.com
  • Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. logo
    Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C.
    munsch.com
  • Thompson & Knight LLP logo
    Thompson & Knight LLP
    tklaw.com
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