Summary of Chapter 11 Webinars

At the request of the bankruptcy judges in this district, the Bankruptcy Bar Association of the Southern District of Florida created a three-part webinar program under the leadership of Eric Silver of Stearns Weaver and Bankruptcy Judge Mindy Mora.  Mr. Silver and Judge Mora were joined by practitioners John Page of Shraiberg Page, Stephanie Lieb of Trenam Kemker, John Dodd of Baker McKenzie, and Bankruptcy Judge Michael Williamson from the Middle District of Florida.

This series of webinars provides new practitioners to chapter 11 practice in the Southern District of Florida bankruptcy court with a comprehensive introduction to the critical steps, procedures, strategies, Bankruptcy Code sections, Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, national forms, local rules, and local forms that are relevant in this area of bankruptcy practice.  This series of webinars explores the major steps in a typical chapter 11 case, starting with determining if chapter 11 is the right procedural vehicle for your client, other client intake issues, and filing the case, and then proceeding to first-day motions, financing the case, negotiations with creditors, assumption, and rejection of leases and executory contracts, disclosure statements, and the plan development and confirmation process.

The webinars consist of three episodes.  The first episode is facilitated by Judge Williamson and is called “Can This Dog Hunt?” which refers to whether chapter 11 is right for your client.

The second episode addresses the client intake process, documents required at case inception, issues that typically arise in the early part of a chapter 11 case, and first-day motions.  Both this episode and the third episode are facilitated by Judge Mora, Mr. Silver, Ms. Lieb, Mr. Page, and Mr. Dodd.

The third episode describes the plan development process, negotiations with creditor groups, preparation of a disclosure statement and reorganization plan, and the confirmation process and hearing.

To accompany the video for each episode, the faculty prepared a PowerPoint which is also available at the links below and includes references to the forms, rules, and concepts discussed during the episode.

Virtual Chapter 11 Workshop:  Part 1

Early Analysis of a Chapter 11 Debtor’s Prospects

This discussion will focus on important decisions to consider when deciding to file or not to file including the type of debtor, the type of problem, financial structure, the debtor’s objective, and any alternatives to Chapter 11.

Virtual Chapter 11 Workshop: Part 2

Filing Chapter 11: Critical Events at Case Commencement

Experienced bankruptcy professionals will guide a hypothetical debtor, Toyco, through the beginning of the Chapter 11 process. This discussion covers everything you need to know about getting retained, pre-filing considerations, filing the requisite documents at commencement, first day motions, and the initial meetings with the United States Trustee.

Virtual Chapter 11 Workshop: Part 3

Disclosure Statements, Chapter 11 Plans, and the Confirmation Process