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NATIONAL ATTORNEYS GENERAL TRAINING AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ATTORNEYS GENERAL
STATES ASSOCIATION OF BANKRUPTCY ATTORNEYS
Bankruptcy From A Government Perspective
SANTA FE, NM, SEPT. 12-15, 2010
Download the
Tentative Information & Registration Form (pdf)
The National Attorneys
General Training & Research Institute (NAGTRI) is pleased to
announce that limited scholarship funding from the NAAG Mission
Foundation is available to help defray costs for attendees from
offices of the Attorneys General. Funding is available for one
scholarship per state, to cover a maximum of four nights at the
hotel, plus up to $400 in plane fare. Requests, including
completed nomination and registration forms, must be received by
July 9. Funds not requested by a State by that date will be
reallocated to other States that have nominated more than one
person. Additional information is provided separately.
Program & Registration
Information
We are pleased to announce that the National Association of
Attorneys General (NAAG) will be joining the States’ Association
of Bankruptcy Attorneys (SABA) to hold their annual seminar on
Bankruptcy from a Government Perspective under the auspices of
the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute (NAGTRI).
The program will be held at the Hotel Santa Fe in Santa Fe, New
Mexico. We will also be coordinating with the federal
Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice to
hold combined sessions on environmental issues as they affect
enforcement actions by governmental entities at all levels.
The continued struggles of the economy continue to affect
governmental entities in all of their roles from tax collector,
to regulator in numerous sectors, to protector of its citizenry,
and even in its own capacity as an economic actor that has
monetary obligations to other parties. Among the most active
areas this year are the numerous issues arising out of the
origins of the housing and mortgage loan crisis, including
underlying fraud in the mortgages, efforts by the States and
other parties in the system to assist homeowners and to deal
with abusive practices by lenders and servicers in and outside
of bankruptcy and proposed legislative solutions to these
problems. We will have an extended panel discussion of this
panoply of issues. We will also have a presentation by counsel
dealing with the unique issues arising out the complex issues
arising from the derivative and credit swap transactions in the
field of municipal bonds. Another “hot topic” will be an in
depth look at the filing of “Chapter 9" cases; i.e., bankruptcy
filings by cities, counties, or operating subdivisions such as
hospital or water districts faced with growing need and
declining revenues. All of these new and highly topical areas
are on top of the wealth of standard ways in which the
government must interact with the bankruptcy system in areas
ranging from environmental and consumer protection, to child
support, and to collector of taxes and student loans. As a
result, the need to have counsel with bankruptcy training and
experience
in place in your offices has become ever more clear.
The discussion at this conference will be an invaluable
opportunity for your staff and staff in your client agencies to
learn about the Bankruptcy Code, the statutory changes made in
2005, and the way those provisions, old and new, are playing out
in the new current economic climate. The seminar runs for three
and a half days and is designed to be helpful to everyone in
your office, from the bankruptcy novice to the experienced
practitioner. It is open to attorneys, paralegals, and other
staff members in the offices of Attorneys General as well as
those in other government agencies, such as revenue offices, and
in private practice who work on government bankruptcy issues. It
will provide an in-depth education for bankruptcy novices about
the entire Bankruptcy Code as it applies to governmental
entities. At the other end of the scale, it will
allow your experienced counsel to engage with their peers in
other States, as well as local and federal counsel, to determine
how to confront the new challenges in protecting the interests
of the States and your constituents. We urge you to distribute
this invitation as widely as possible within your office and
related agencies, as bankruptcy issues arise in every
substantive area.
The seminar will begin Sunday afternoon with an optional session
providing a quick overview of bankruptcy topics as a base for
the more detailed discussions during the remainder of the
conference. In addition, since much of bankruptcy law builds on
existing state law, there will be a session on legislative
drafting tactics to help ensure that your laws are structured so
that there is the best chance they will survive their encounter
with the bankruptcy courts. Over the next three days, we will
work through the bankruptcy process from the initial filing
through plan confirmation and thereafter. We will have a number
of breakouts: some will split into beginning and advanced
reviews of a topic, while others will focus separately on the
interests of taxing agencies and regulatory offices.
We will have a distinguished panel of presenters for the
seminar, including bankruptcy judges, trustees, private
attorneys, and experienced bankruptcy counsel from state, local,
and federal agencies. Each has been selected based on his or her
experience and expertise with respect to the unique issues faced
by governmental counsel in bankruptcy court. A tentative agenda
is attached hereto with generalized descriptions that will be
updated and expanded as we get closer to the program dates. We
will run through Wednesday afternoons, so travel plans should be
made accordingly.
The fee for the seminar is $500; a reduced fee of $450 will be
available until August 20, 2010. In addition, to encourage the
greatest possible participation from your offices, we will be
offering a discount of $100 per registration for groups of three
or more persons from the same office, registering at the same
time. Enclosed is a seminar registration form, which should be
returned to attention of Marland Holloway, Bankruptcy Project
Assistant on or before that date. Although we will continue to
accept registrations as late as possible, we may not be able to
accommodate participants after the cut-off date, depending on
the numbers already registered. In order to assist our planning,
please have staff return the registration form as early as
possible.
In addition to the regular registration, a limited amount of
scholarship assistance will be available through NAGTRI for
registrants from Offices of the Attorneys General. information
on the scholarships witll be provided separately in an
accompanying memorandum.
Hotel
Information
We have reserved a block of guest rooms at the Hotel Santa Fe,
located at 1501 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM, 87601. Please
call toll free to 1-800-825-9876 to make reservations. The
special government group rate is $88 plus 14.9375% tax for
single or double occupancy (and children stay free in the same
room). Rooms are reserved under the conference block from
Saturday through Thursday night, a discounted rate of $139 per
night is available for days before and after the reserved dates.
Hotel space can be limited for those periods, so we strongly
urge attendees to reserve their rooms early, particularly if
they would like to stay before or after the conference dates. Be
sure to mention the NAAG/SABA Bankruptcy Seminar when making
reservation to get the special rates. The cut-off for
reservations is Thursday, August 19, 2010. After that date, the
rooms will be released to the general public and the rate may
increase substantially, so make reservations now even if the
final clearance to attend is still pending. Reservations must be
made with a credit card (with a one-night deposit charged and
may be canceled up until 48 hours in advance without penalty.
What's Included in the Registration; Other Activities
In addition to the course and materials, the seminar
registration will cover breakfasts on Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday; breaks each day, an opening reception on Sunday
night, and, tentatively, lunch on Monday. We are also arranging
an optional outing (probably for a reception at a local museum –
last time we visited the Georgia O’Keefe museum) on Monday
evening. Registration for that event must be made on a separate
activity form that will be sent to registrants. A charge of $50
will be made for guests of the participants who wish to attend
the opening reception and the breaks. If staff will not be
attending the conference, but are interested in purchasing a
copy of the briefing materials, please so indicate on the
attached reservation form, and return it to us by the
registration deadline, so we can prepare extra copies of the
materials if necessary.
Travel Information
Santa Fe does have a small local airport, but it is generally
reached by flying into Albuquerque and taking transportation
from there. There are shuttle buses, such as the Santa Fe
Shuttle ($21 one way, $38 round trip) 1-888-833-2300 for
required 24-hour advance reservation, Sandia Shuttle Xpress
Shuttle ($27 one way, $47 round trip), 505-474-5696,
www.sandiashuttle.com,
which also requires advance reservations. Both have multiple
trips daily and have drop-off and pick-up at the hotel. There is
also a new train running to Santa Fe, the Rail Runner Express,
that costs $7 each way with a number of departures in the
morning and evening and lets off only a short walk from the
hotel. It leaves from downtown Albuquerque and there is a
shuttle to the train station from the airport. Both the bus and
the train take about an hour and a half or less (through
beautiful country) to make the trip. Parking is free at the
hotel.
Cancellation Policy
For attendees who do not receive a scholarship, if a
cancellation is made within one week of the start of the
seminar, a cancellation fee of $200 will be assessed (absent a
showing of a genuine emergency) to cover the costs of production
of materials, catering guarantees, and the like. The State may
substitute a new attendee for the prior registrant at any time
without cost. Information for scholarship attendees will be
provided with their acceptance confirmation.
We look forward to seeing participants in Santa Fe. If there are
any questions about the seminar, please call NAAG Bankruptcy
Counsel Karen Cordry at (202) 326-6025 or by email at
kcordry@naag.org, or
contact Project Assistant Marland Holloway at (202) 326-6262 or
by email at
mholloway@naag.org.
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