44th Annual Bankruptcy Law Update
Total Credits: 6 including 5 Alabama CLE Credit, 1 Ethics Credits
- Average Rating:
- Not yet rated
- Categories:
- Bankruptcy
- Faculty:
- Michael McCormick | Judge James Robinson | Chief Judge Jerry Oldshue | Judge D. Sims Crawford | Judge Bess Creswell | Jeffrey J. Hartley | Hon. Henry A. Callaway III | Judge Christopher L. Hawkins | Chris Conte | Sabrina L. McKinney | Josh Johnson | Diane Murray | 6 more....
- License:
- Not Applicable
- Location:
- Embassy Suites - Hoover - Birmingham, Alabama
Description
Join us for the 44th Annual Bankruptcy Law CLE Seminar, a premier event for bankruptcy professionals! This year's program features a comprehensive update on recent case law developments, in-depth analysis of Chapter 13 practice and procedure, and a thought-provoking ethics session. Our expert faculty will also cover timely topics such as consumer bankruptcy trends, business bankruptcy strategies, and navigating the intersection of bankruptcy and other areas of law. With opportunities for networking with the Judges and Q&A, this seminar is designed to equip attendees with the knowledge and insights needed to stay current and excel in the ever-evolving field of bankruptcy law. Earn valuable CLE credits while staying ahead of the curve – register now!
Faculty
Michael McCormick Related Seminars and Products
McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLP
Judge James Robinson Related Seminars and Products
US Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama
Judge Robinson is an expert in bankruptcy, banking and commercial law and is a frequent speaker for CLE programs on related topics. He earned his B.B.A. from Georgia State University and his J.D., summa cum laude, from Cumberland School of Law, where he served as Executive Editor of the Cumberland-Samford Law Review. Before going on the bench, Judge Robinson was a partner with Burr & Forman LLP, where he practiced for 32 years. His practice concentrated on commercial litigation, banking and bankruptcy. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar.

Chief Judge Jerry Oldshue Related Seminars and Products
US Bankruptcy Court
In October of 2015, Judge Oldshue took the bench as United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of Alabama, in Mobile, Alabama. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Oldshue was a shareholder in the firm of Rosen Harwood, P.A in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he served as the Managing Shareholder of the firm's Creditor's Rights Department. While in practice, Judge Oldshue’s memberships included the Alabama State Bar, where he served as Chairman of the Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section, the Tuscaloosa County Bar, American Bankruptcy Institute (member, Commercial Fraud Task Force, Unsecured Trade Creditors Committee, and Consumer Bankruptcy Committee), the Conference on Consumer Finance Law, and the Commercial Law League of America. In 2001, Judge Oldshue became one of only seven attorneys in the state to achieve board certification as a specialist in creditors’ rights law. Judge Oldshue received his Bachelor of Science degree, and his juris doctorate and master’s of business administration concurrently, from The University of Alabama.

Judge D. Sims Crawford Related Seminars and Products
US Bankruptcy Court - Northern District of Alabama
Judge Crawford was appointed to serve as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Alabama on September 1, 2016. Judge Crawford previously served as a Chapter 13 Standing Trustee in the Northern District of Alabama from 2004 until his appointment as a bankruptcy judge. Judge Crawford earned his B.A. from the University of Alabama and his J.D. from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. He is currently a member of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the Alabama State Bar. He has served on the Bankruptcy Judges Advisory Group (BJAG) and the Human Resource Advisory Council (HRAC) that provide advice to the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. He is currently serving as the bankruptcy-judge representative to the Committee on Codes of Conduct for the Judicial Conference of the United States.

Judge Bess Creswell Related Seminars and Products
US District Court - Middle District of Alabama
Bess Creswell was appointed to serve as United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Middle District of Alabama on April 16, 2018 and became Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the Middle District of Alabama on October 17, 2020. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she was a partner in Burr & Forman LLP’s Creditors’ Rights & Bankruptcy Group where she represented debtors, creditors, and committees in workouts, debt restructuring, and bankruptcy cases. She earned her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law, her M.B.A. from the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business, and her B.A. from Campbell University. After law school, she served as law clerk to the Honorable Ray C. Mullins in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia. She presently serves on the Policy and Procedure Committee and the Endowment Committee for the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges and is a member of the Alabama Bankruptcy Assistance Project Advisory Board.

Jeffrey J. Hartley Related Seminars and Products
Attorney
Helmsing Leach Herlong Newman & Rouse PC
Mr. Hartley has been actively involved in virtually every type and aspect of bankruptcy, creditor’s rights and insolvency litigation for more than twenty years. His practice regularly includes advising clients in matters of financial restructuring, workout transactions and receivership proceedings. Although Mr. Hartley’s practice focuses primarily on the southeastern United States, he has handled matters in numerous other state and federal courts, including international matters in Mexico, the United Kingdom, Canada and South Korea.Mr. Hartley has been recognized as a leading bankruptcy attorney by Chambers USA, the Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers. He has obtained the highest rating by Martindale-Hubbell and has been chosen as one of the top 50 attorneys in Alabama by Super Lawyers and as the top bankruptcy litigation attorney in southwest Alabama by Best Lawyers.Mr. Hartley is currently a member of the Alabama State Bar (Past Chairman and Board Member of the Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section), the Mobile County Bar Association (Past Chairman of the Bankruptcy Section), the Paul W. Brock Inn of Court, the Federal Panel of Neutrals (for the Southern District of Alabama), the Bankruptcy Court Local Rules and Practice Advisory Committee, and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He is admitted to practice in all federal and state courts in Alabama, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

Hon. Henry A. Callaway III Related Seminars and Products
US Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Alabama
Judge Callaway serves as Judge for the Southern District of Alabama. Prior to his appointment, he practiced business litigation and bankruptcy law with Hand Arendall firm in Mobile. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard in 1980 and law degree from Vanderbilt in 1983. Judge Callaway served on the board of the South Alabama Volunteer Lawyers Program for over twenty-five years, including seven as president. He has also served as chair of the Alabama Access to Justice Commission, president of the Mobile Bar Association, state bar commissioner for three terms, and member of the state bar executive council and disciplinary commission. He received the Pro Bono Publico award from the American Bar Association in 2011.
Judge Christopher L. Hawkins Related Seminars and Products
Attorney
US Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Alabama
Chris Hawkins was sworn in as a bankruptcy judge for the Middle District of Alabama on March 14, 2022. Before his appointment, Chris was a partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, where he focused exclusively on bankruptcy and insolvency matters. For over twenty years, he represented debtors and creditors in out-of-court restructurings, commercial and consumer bankruptcy cases, bankruptcy litigation, and consumer bankruptcy compliance and regulatory enforcement matters.
Chris formerly served as Co-Chair of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Consumer Bankruptcy Committee and is an adjunct professor at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. He co-authored Thorny Issues in Consumer Bankruptcy Cases (2nd ed. 2020) and is a member of the 33rd Class of Fellows of the American College of Bankruptcy. Prior to taking the bench, he was listed in Chambers USA for Bankruptcy and Restructuring and was named in the 2022 edition of the Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Bankruptcy and Restructuring Lawyers.
Chris graduated summa cum laude from Spring Hill College in 1996, earning bachelor’s degrees in English and Marketing. He earned his juris doctor degree from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1999, where he graduated summa cum laude, served on the managing board of the Alabama Law Review, was a member of the Order of the Coif, received the M. Leigh Harrison Award, and was a Hugo Black Scholar.

Chris Conte Related Seminars and Products
Chapter 13 Trustee
Mr. Conte practiced law for almost 20 years with Helmsing Leach Herlong Newman & Rouse PC in Mobile before being appointed the Chapter 13 Truestee for the Southern District of Alabama in 2022. He received his BA with Honors from the University of South Alabama and his J.D. from Cumberland School of Law.

Sabrina L. McKinney Related Seminars and Products
Chapter 13 Trustee's Office
Sabrina McKinney is a native of Autauga County Alabama, received her undergraduate degree from Auburn University in 1990 and her J.D. from Jones School of Law in 1993.After law school, she was in private practice where her focus was on plaintiff’s litigation, decedent’s estates, creditor’s rights and the representation of creditors in both state and bankruptcy courts. In 1997 she was hired as Senior Staff Attorney for Curtis C. (Cleve) Reding, Jr., Standing Chapter 13 Trustee for the Middle District of Alabama and served in that capacity until her recent appointment as Trustee. Mrs. McKinney was appointed as the Chapter 12 Trustee in August 2016 and as the Chapter 13 Trustee for the Middle District of Alabama in April 2017. She has been a speaker at numerous CLE’s on various bankruptcy and collection issues. She is currently admitted to practice by the Alabama Supreme Court, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States District Courts for the Middle, Northern and Southern Districts of Alabama. She has served as an officer and is a past president of the Alabama Bar Association’s Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section and currently serves on the Bar’s Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee.
Josh Johnson Related Seminars and Products
Chapter 13 Trustee Office

Diane Murray Related Seminars and Products
Senior Staff Attorney, Chapter 13 Trustee
Ms. Murray received her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Mobile and her J.D. from The University of Alabama School of Law. Her practice focuses on the representation of numerous national, regional and local mortgage lenders and servicers as well as other types of secured creditors in consumer bankruptcy cases. She advises clients on the most cost-effective and expeditious strategies available to resolve issues before and after a debtor files for bankruptcy as well as the potential impact of bankruptcy law on day to day business transactions.
Mary Fallaw Related Seminars and Products
Chapter 13 Trustee's Office
Ms. Fallaw received her B.A., cum laude, from Presbyterian College and her J.D., cum laude, from Cumberland School of Law, where she was Copy Editor for the Cumberland Law Review. She represented consumer debtors before serving as a law clerk for the Honorable C. Michael Stilson, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Alabama and the Honorable Tamara O. Mitchell, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Alabama. She has served as the Staff Attorney to the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee since February 2009.
Melissa Mitchell Related Seminars and Products
Mitchell & Larsen PC
Joseph E. Bulgarella Related Seminars and Products
Bulgarella LLC
Joseph E. Bulgarella was appointed Clerk of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama in July of 2015. Prior to accepting this position, he spent 16 years as an Assistant United States Bankruptcy Administrator and the Division Attorney for the Western Division of the Northern District of Alabama. He began his career in private practice focusing primarily on the representation of creditors in bankruptcy matters. Mr. Bulgarella received a B.S. in Commerce and Business Administration from the University of Alabama and a J.D. from Samford University's Cumberland School of Law.
Bill Bensinger Related Seminars and Products
Christian & Small LLP
Bill Bensinger focuses his practice on commercial dispute litigation, bankruptcy and restructuring litigation. He represents creditors, franchisors, landlords, unsecured creditors’ committees and financial institutions in a wide variety of matters, including preference and avoidance actions, workout transactions and insolvency matters.
Bill represents franchisors in bankruptcy, including matters concerning the assumption of franchise agreements, and represents landlords in bank matters concerning the assumption of commercial leases. His work on behalf of financial institutions includes general creditor’s rights litigation, collection, lien enforcement, cash collateral, relief from stay, and plan confirmation issues. He is aa 1998 graduate of Samford University and received his J.D. from Cumberland School of Law and his Masters of Law in Bankruptcy from St. John’s University School of Law.

Thomas Humphries Related Seminars and Products
Christian & Small LLP
Thomas Humphries is a shareholder in Dentons Sirote’s Birmingham, Alabama office, where he is a member of Dentons’ Restructuring, Insolvency, and Bankruptcy practice. Thomas represents creditors, bankruptcy trustees, and other commercial litigants in state and federal courts in Alabama and neighboring states. The scope of Thomas’ bankruptcy experience is extensive, covering most issues that regularly arise in Chapter 7, Chapter 11, and Chapter 13 cases. Outside of bankruptcy court, Thomas represents lenders, mortgage servicers, and commercial and residential landlords. Prior to joining the firm, he spent two years as a law clerk to the Honorable Margaret A. Mahoney, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of Alabama. Thomas received his J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law and his B.S. cum laude from the University of Georgia.

Judge Roman Shaul Related Seminars and Products
Alabama State Bar
Roman was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He attended undergraduate, graduate and law school at the University of Alabama. He practiced law in Tuscaloosa for a couple of years then practiced with the Montgomery, Alabama firm of Beasley Allen for 17 years. As a lawyer, Roman had a multi-jurisdictional practice and was licensed to practice law in 8 states and over 35 federal jurisdictions. He has represented individuals, businesses, insurance companies and state governments. In January of 2017, Roman was appointed as a trial judge in Montgomery County. In June of 2018 he became the General Counsel of the Alabama State Bar. He is married to Caroline Thames Shaul and has three daughters, Anne Kingsley (14), Isabel (13) and Thompson (6).
Location
Embassy Suites - Hoover

(205) 985-9994
www.guestreservations.com