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Chapter 7 Bankruptcy for New Practitioners: A Nuts & Bolts Training

  • Baker Donelson 201 Saint Charles Avenue, Ste. 3600 New Orleans, LA, 70170 United States (map)

Bankruptcy CLE to provide attorneys who are new to the practice of bankruptcy with an overview of Chapter 7.

PANELISTS:

Jan Hayden, a shareholder in the Baker Donelson’s New Orleans office, has handled bankruptcy and insolvency issues for her clients for over forty years. Ms. Hayden's practice is concentrated on assisting clients with reorganizations under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, and she represents creditors, trustees, debtors-in-possession, and committees in a broad spectrum of industries that includes oil and gas, manufacturing, real estate, hotels, gambling, nursing homes, airlines, convenience stores and retail operations

Ms. Hayden served on board of the American College of Bankruptcy and currently is Chair of the American College of Bankruptcy Foundation Board. She is a Fellow in the American Bar Foundation and Louisiana Bar Foundation, and currently serves as president elect of the New Orleans Bar Association. She is a recipient of the Michelle Mendez Service Award 2016, Woman of the Year in Restructuring Award, International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation, 2011 and the LSBA 2009 Pro Bono Publico Award. She has been named the Best Lawyers New Orleans Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law "Lawyer of the Year;" New Orleans Bankruptcy Litigation "Lawyer of the Year" on several occasions. Included in Louisiana Super Lawyers since 2007, she has been frequently listed as one of the top 10 lawyers in Louisiana by the organization. She served as Chair of The Pro Bono Project of New Orleans and Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana Board. A graduate of LSU Law Center in 1979 and former chair of both the LSBA CLE and MCLE committees, she is a frequent lecturer and author in the field of bankruptcy and insolvency.

Eric J. Derbes was recently appointed as the Chief Deputy Clerk of Court for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Prior to that he was a member and co-manager of the ten attorney Derbes Law Firm, LLC in Metairie, Louisiana where he practiced in the areas of bankruptcy law, commercial litigation, tax, real estate, and probate. His bankruptcy practice consisted of commercial and consumer cases in Chapters 7, 11, and 13 representing debtors, creditors, and trustees. His tax representation included representing taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service and the Louisiana Department of Revenue. He recently spoke with at the LSBA seminar “The Bankruptcy Code is 40 Years Old and We Are Still Learning!” He co-presented “Everyone Wants a Discharge… How to Make Sure You Don’t Lose it in Your Chapter 7 or 11” in April 2019 and in Domestic Issues in Bankruptcy for LSU’s 25th Annual Family Law Seminar. Previously, he practiced as a judge advocate in the 82d Airborne Division from 1990 to 1994. He is a member of the Louisiana State Bar, the State Bar of Texas, the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Federal Bar Association. He was President of the Jefferson Bar Association in 2016. Mr. Derbes received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis and his Juris Doctor from Marquette University, School of Law. He is married with five adult children.

Amanda Burnette George is an 14-year veteran of the United States Trustee Program, a sub agency of the Department of Justice tasked with administration of bankruptcy cases. She is a 2005 graduate of the Tulane University A.B. Freeman School of Business and a 2008 graduate of Tulane Law School.

Kathryn Lafrentz is the Director of Legal Services at The Pro Bono Project, which is located New Orleans and serves clients in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Washington and Plaquemines Parish. Since 1986, The Pro Bono Project has been dedicated to assisting low-income families, individuals and the elderly gain access to lawyers and the legal system which they otherwise could not afford. The Project has a small staff of 7 full-time employees and 1 part-time employee; however, the organization is able to provide free aid to over 5,000 people per year with the help of an active panel of attorney, paralegal, law student, and lay volunteers. Kathryn is the primary point of contact for The Project’s volunteers, and the person to reach out to if you are interested in pro bono work.

Kathryn is a 2007 graduate of Tulane University and a 2011 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (formerly Boalt Hall). She began her legal career as a federal judicial law clerk for the Hon. Jay C. Zainey in the Eastern District of Louisiana. She served as a staff attorney and Director of Community Advocacy at the non-profit Protection and Advocacy agency Disability Rights Louisiana from 2014 to 2018. From 2018 to 2021, she was the Executive Director for Campus Accessibility & ADA/504 Coordinator at Tulane University. Kathryn joined The Pro Bono Project of New Orleans as Director of Legal Services in June 2021.

Attendees should register in advance by July 10, 2022. To register, click here.