BBA Webinar: Mediation Training for Consumer Bankruptcy Cases (9/16 12-1pm)

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The BBA presents live webinars via Zoom. Access to this program is free, included as part of your member benefit. Please register through your BBA account at least two hours before the start of the program to receive the Zoom webinar link. The link will be emailed to registrants on a rolling basis beginning 72 hours before the start of the program. If you have not received a link within one-hour of the program start, please email the BBA contact listed below.

COVID-19 has injected an insolvency component into numerous situations and disputes. This Bankruptcy Section kickoff program is designed to provide attendees with basic information about the use of mediation to help solve intractable issues arising in consumer matters.   As a cost-effective and voluntary process, mediation provides parties and counsel with an opportunity to resolve matters outside of the traditional adversarial nature of the legal system.  In certain situations, mediation may lead to outcomes that are not typically obtainable within an adjudicated proceeding such as improved personal and business relationships.  The focus of this session will be on understanding the fundamental components of mediation including when, where and how to use it to achieve client objectives with a particular focus on its use in insolvency settings.

This program is free for members and non-members alike. If you have any questions, please email Doug Newton at dnewton@bostonbar.org.

Speakers:

Register here.

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Basics Training Webinar – July 23rd at 1:00 p.m.

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Where: BBA Webinar – click HERE to register.

When: July 23, 2020, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Description: During these unprecedented times, your skills as an attorney are needed more than ever. Although COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on everyone’s lives, those who live below the poverty level have been hit the hardest, particularly those who have suffered a lose of income and increased debt.  It is anticipated by experts that the number of bankruptcy filings will substantially increase in the wake of the pandemic, so your volunteerism is especially crucial now.

To help meet this need, the BBA and Volunteer Lawyers Project have collaborated to offer a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Basics Training for volunteer attorneys.  This training will provide you with the building blocks of Chapter 7 bankruptcy laws and procedures, and allow you to deepen your skills for your private practice and pro bono cases.  Please join us and become part of the response effort to help lessen the financial impact of the pandemic on our most vulnerable community members.

Speakers: Natasha T. Lewis (VLP) and Kate E. Nicholson

For more information, you may contact Douglas Newton at newton@bostonbar.org

New BBA Webinar – July 16th at 3 pm – Help! I Need Somebody: Emergency Planning For Lawyers In a Post-Covid-19 World

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Webinar Topic: Emergency Planning For Lawyers in a Post-Covid-19 World

Date: July 16, 2020

Time: 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Description: Lawyers cannot afford to ignore the risk that they become unable to practice.  In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of having an emergency plan in place has never been more apparent.  In this program, bankruptcy (and other) lawyers will gain indispensable insights into the ethical and practical issues that should be addressed in an emergency plan that protects clients and the lawyer’s business when disaster strikes.

Speakers: Jacob T. Simon, Jeffrey D. Woolf, and Francis Morrissey

 Registration: To register and obtain more information about this timely webinar, click HERE

Update from the Standing Committee on COVID-19

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The Committee continues to meet every Friday and has two sub-committees that are focusing on solutions to challenges that we think our practice area will likely experience as the variety of foreclosure, eviction and collection moratoriums begin to expire, demand for legal services expands rapidly, and the calendar rolls to the fall and winter months.

One sub-committee, led by Jacob Simon and Frank Morrissey, is focusing on ways in which we might be able to provide assistance to attorneys who become incapacitated by COVID-19. This group has a webinar planned for later this month addressing disaster planning and succession planning and the panel will include Jeffrey Woolf from the BBA and a consumer bankruptcy lawyer who assisted with the case load of a fellow member of the bar who had COVID-19 and was unable to attend to the practice of law for a period of time.

The second subcommittee, led by Amy Lipman-White, Kate Cruickshank and Kate Nicholson, is preparing training programs for lawyers who are interested in representing consumer debtors that meet applicable legal service agency income guidelines on pro bono basis in chapter 7 cases. MetroWest Legal Services is presenting a two part bankruptcy basics training program on June 22 and June 23 from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day. Please spread the work about these training programs as they present great opportunities for new lawyers not only to gain exposure to bankruptcy practice but also to assist consumers who would otherwise be unable to obtain legal assistance to obtain a fresh start.

We are also assembling a list of mentors that those taking the training course can call on for assistance with their first consumer case. Please be in touch with Donald Lassman (Don@LassmanLaw.com) if you would like to add your name to the growing list of volunteers or are otherwise interested in participating in any of the Committee’s ongoing efforts.

METROWEST LEGAL SERVICES – Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Basics Training

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MetroWest Legal Services is offering a FREE* two-part training program that will provide you with the building blocks required to assist  those in need with a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. Not only will this training allow you to deepen your skills as an attorney for your private practice BUT you will also become part of the solution to the COVID 19 pandemic. 

WHEN: Monday, June 22 & Tuesday, June 23 – 3:00- 5:30 pm

WHERE: Video-conferencing (link sent after registration)

To sign up for this training, please email Cheryl Palmieri, Pro Bono Coordinator & Staff Attorney, MWLS at  Cpalmieri@mwlegal.org

Please include your name, mailing address, telephone number, email address and BBO number with your registration.

BBA Webinar 6/4: Telephonic 341 Meetings: Insights from the United States Trustee and Chapter 7 Panel Trustees

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Thursday, June 4, 2020 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM
Via Zoom

Register HERE

United States Trustee William Harrington and Chapter 7 Trustees Jonathan Goldsmith and Donald Lassman will discuss the ins and outs of effectively representing your client during telephonic 341 meetings. As part of the presentation, the Trustees will run a mock Section 341 meeting in order to provide you with practical tips for preparing your client for the telephonic meeting. Hear from the experts and get your questions answered!

This is a free webinar open to BBA members and non-members. Please register in advance in order to obtain the link for the program.

Speakers:

  • William K. Harrington, United States Trustee Region 1, U.S. Department of Justice – Office of the U.S. Trustee
  • Jonathan R. Goldsmith, Goldsmith, Katz & Argenio, P.C.
  • Donald R. Lassman, Law Office of Donald R. Lassman

With questions, or if you need help registering for the event, please contact Jenna Kim at jkim@bostonbar.org.

UPDATE FROM THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON COVID-19

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In April, the Bankruptcy Section of the Boston Bar Association formed a Covid-19 Response Standing Committee (see May 13, 2020 posting). The Committee meets weekly and has representatives from all parts of the Commonwealth. The work of the Committee is focused on three main areas:

First, reviewing the Bankruptcy Section’s current pro bono protocols and adapting them to Covid-19 situations, and assembling a panel of experts  discussing ethical issues arising from the Covid 19 crisis and best practices for drafting a law office disaster plans.  This effort is being led by Frank Morrissey and Jacob Simon.

Second, preparing educational programs to update attorneys on recent changes to the bankruptcy code and rules, including recent changes to the Bankruptcy Code, as well as relevant state laws and regulations in response to Covid-19.  This effort is being led by Kate Cruickshank, Kate Nicholson, and Amy Lipman-White.

Third, providing training modules for attorneys entering the field who are interested in volunteering to take pro-bono consumer bankruptcy cases, and establishing a mentor list so that the lawyers new to the bankruptcy practice can be paired with an experienced practitioner to provide support and guidance.  In addition to training sessions on law and practice, we expect to include a training session on the increasingly important role of technology and how to set up and manage the systems necessary for an effective “virtual” bankruptcy practice.  This effort is being led by Kate Cruickshank, Kate Nicholson, and Amy Lipman-White.

If you are interested in learning more about the work of the Committee and participating in its work please contact any of the members identified below.

  • Donald R. Lassman, Committee Chair, don@lassmanlaw.com
  • Amy Lipman-White, alipman@lipmanwhite.com
  • Kate Nicholson, knicholson@nicholsonpc.com
  • Jacob Simon, jacob@simonlawma.com
  • Christine Devine, cdevine@mirickoconnell.com
  • Dmitry Lev, dlev@levlaw.net
  • Macken Toussaint, mtoussaint@riemerlaw.com
  • Frank Morrissey, fcm@mwzllp.com
  • Kate Cruickshank, kcruickshank@murphyking.com
  • Gary Weiner, gweiner@weinerlegal.com
  • Jennifer Breen, jenny.breen.esq@gmail.com
  • Lou Robin, louis.robin.bankruptcy@gmail.com

REMINDER: 2020 Bankruptcy Bench Meets Bar Webinar, Wednesday, May 20, at 3 p.m.

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Where: Online via Zoom

When: Wednesday, May 20, 2020, 3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

This webinar is an opportunity for bankruptcy professionals to hear from Massachusetts Bankruptcy Judges about the Bankruptcy Court’s operations since the COVID-19 pandemic and how practitioners are adapting.  The program will include the following topics:

     -State of the District update from Chief Judge Christopher J. Panos;

     -New standing orders and other procedural changes;

     -Current practice for status conferences, non-evidentiary hearings, and evidentiary hearings, and tips for telephonic hearings;

     -How the Court is preparing to handle the back log of evidentiary hearings and trials; and

     -What practitioners should expect when the Court reopens for live hearings (and factors being considered with respect to timing).

Other agenda items include answering questions and/or brief discussion of comments submitted by practitioners in advance about challenges with the new remote-only operation of the Bankruptcy Court.  All questions and comments can be emailed to Macken Toussaint, Bankruptcy Section Co-Chair, at mtoussaint@riemerlaw.com

Speakers:

     -Hon. Christopher J. Panos, U.S. Bankruptcy Court

     -Hon. Frank J. Bailey, U.S. Bankruptcy Court

     -Hon. Janet E. Bostwick, U.S. Bankruptcy Court

This program is being presented live via Zoom.  Please register for this program through your BBA account to receive the Zoom webinar link.  In order to receive the Zoom webinar link, you must register at least two hours before the start time of the program.

Further information for the program may be found HERE

BBA Bankruptcy Section Announces COVID-19 Response Committee

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The Bankruptcy Section of the Boston Bar Association has formed a COVID-19 standing committee (the “Committee”) to assess the impact of COVID-19 on bankruptcy practice, to proactively monitor the anticipated rapid rise in consumer bankruptcy cases in response to the COVID-19 crisis, and to assist with the expected increase in demand for such pro-bono legal services for consumer debtors.

The Committee is currently focused on (1) reviewing the Bankruptcy Section’s current pro bono protocols and adapting them to COVID-19 situations, (2) preparing educational programs to update attorneys on recent changes to the bankruptcy code and rules, including changes to bankruptcy and relevant state laws in response to COVID-19, and (3) providing training for attorneys entering the field who are interested in volunteering to take pro-bono consumer bankruptcy cases, which are expected to rise sharply.

If you are interested in learning more about the Bankruptcy Section pro bono response, please contact Ariana Gebauer at agebauer@bostonbar.org.

The members of the Committee are Donald Lassman (Chair), Christine Devine, Macken Toussaint, Amy Lipman-White, Dmitry Lev, Jacob Simon, Frank Morrissey, Kathleen Cruickshank, and Kate Nicholson.  Other questions about the Committee can be directed to Donald Lassman at Don@Lassmanlaw.com.

Lunch Bunch with Judge Bailey: Thursday, January 23, 2020 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

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Description: Please join us for our first brown bag lunch of the new year with Judge Frank J. Bailey in the former law library on the 12th floor of the Bankruptcy Court. This is a great opportunity to participate, learn, and discuss hot topics in bankruptcy law in a relaxed open forum environment. We encourage practitioners to come and discuss current trends, concerns, and issues, so feel free to bring questions! If you have questions or items you’d like to discuss, you may submit them in advance by email to mlipton@parkerlipton.com. This event is open to everyone. Non-BBA members are also welcome to attend. Lunch will be provided courtesy of the BBA.

To register for this event, click HERE.