National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys’ (NACBA) 17th Annual Convention in Chicago

Bankruptcy law is complex and constantly changing. Therefore, I spend a lot of time and resources making sure that I stay up-to-date on the ins-and-outs of bankruptcy law so that I can offer first class representation to my clients.

Last week I had the privilege of attending the 17th annual convention of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA) in Chicago. I have been a member of NACBA since 1997 and attended my first convention in 1998 in Miami Beach.

NACBA is the only national organization dedicated to serving the needs of consumer bankruptcy attorneys and protecting the rights of consumer debtors in bankruptcy. Formed in 1992, NACBA now has more than 3500 members located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. NACBA is a rapidly growing organization adding over 1,000 members in the past year alone. Projections are that by next year’s convention in San Francisco, the number of members will exceed 5,000.

The convention certainly offered many opportunities for fun such as taking in a Cubs baseball game at Wrigley Field, enjoying the view from the Sears Tower Skydeck or the John Hancock Observatory, taking a riverboat cruise on the Chicago River, window shopping on the Magnificent Mile, and laughing at a private performance by Chicago’s famous Second City Comedy Troupe.

Additionally, it was nice to visit with many different vendors, all under one roof, who offer products and services used by bankruptcy attorneys.

But the best part of a NACBA convention is being able to learn from some of the most knowledgeable bankruptcy attorneys, judges and law professors in the United States as well as the opportunity to network with fellow bankruptcy attorneys from all across the US. This year’s convention was attended by over 1,400 attorneys.

Every NACBA convention offers a multitude of excellent sessions on both substantive and procedural bankruptcy law. This convention was no exception. Here are just some of the sessions that were offered:

• Case Law Update which focused on recent trends in bankruptcy case law with detailed analysis of cases decided by the US Supreme Court and the Circuit Courts of Appeal.
• Secured Claims which dealt with issues including reaffirmation agreements, negative equity and 910 claims.
• Tax Basics concerning the discharge of income taxes and the determination of priority and secured status of tax debts.
• Advanced Taxes which looked at the use and interpretation of IRS tax transcripts.
• Combating Privacy & Discharge Violations which discussed litigating automatic stay violations, discharge injunction violations and credit reporting violations.
• Foreclosure Defense & Other Alternatives to Bankruptcy including both judicial and non-judicial foreclosures and loan modifications.
• Evidence which focused on the basics of laying a proper foundation for introduction of evidence.
• Business Chapter 13s which was a guide for working with reorganizing debtors who are operating businesses as sole proprietorships.
• Family Law & Bankruptcy which delved into the effect of BAPCPA on the intersection of family law and bankruptcy law.
• Fair Debt Collections Practice Act which looked at abusive debt collections that are present in most consumer bankruptcy cases.
• Exemptions including choice of law issues and the tenancy by the entireties exemption.
• Truth in Lending for Beginners focused on how TILA violations can be used to leverage concessions in mortgage modifications.
• The Means Test looked at the latest trends in the case law on this subject.

I’m already looking forward to NACBA’s 18th annual convention next year in San Francisco.