Features

Fifth Circuit Resolves 'Clash' Between FERC and Bankruptcy Courts
A Chapter 11 debtor's "rejection [(under Code §365(a)] of a filed-rate [natural gas] contract … relieve[d] it of the obligation to continue performance absent the approval of FERC [(the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission]," held the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Features

Is the Use of Third-Party Releases In Bankruptcy Cases Stretched Too Thin?
Third-party releases are often incorporated into the bankruptcy plan as a means of protecting nondebtor parties from litigation that is directly or even tangentially related to the debtor's business. Over the last several years, the scope and use of such third-party releases appears to have been stretched arguably to the breaking point as demonstrated in a recent and important district court decision.
Features

Wrestling With the Meaning of 'Ordinary' Under the Bankruptcy Code
The Bankruptcy Code protects regular, ordinary commercial transactions between distressed companies and vendors willing to continue the relationship. But what is ordinary?
Features

Common Issues In Commercial Property Bankruptcies
A review of landlord-tenant bankruptcy issues that should be in the forefront for landlords and tenants in determining rights, obligations and strategies when a bankruptcy involving a commercial property is filed.
Features

Sheppard Mullin's Suit Over Buyer's Deposit to Acquire Bankrupt Film Co.
A suit filed by the law firm Sheppard Mullin as plaintiffs reveals Chapter 11 acquisition talks fell through between the firm's client Cecchi Gori Pictures and a potential buyer comprising a trio of film producers.
Features

The Coming Thaw for Distressed M&A: Opportunities and Best Practices for Lenders In Financing Distressed Business Acquisitions
This article focuses on the financing opportunities buying the business of a Chapter 11 debtor will create for lenders, highlights the benefits of financing bankruptcy acquisitions, and identifies some potential challenges and best practices to ensure that lenders minimize any risks and receive maximal protection for themselves.
Features

Update on Bankruptcy Appellate Practice Part Four: Interlocutory Appeals — Deadlines
This installment of our appellate series reviews recent cases addressing the district courts' review of interlocutory bankruptcy court orders and the enforceability of appellate deadlines. As we have shown with other case law governing appeals, real obstacles confront practitioners appealing from bankruptcy court rulings.
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Corporate Resiliency Revisited: Ensure Financial Health Ahead of an Economic Downturn
now is a critical time for companies to reassess their business and finances if they have not already, so that they can be prepared for the future. Proper planning is key to ensuring a company's financial health when facing an economic downturn.
Features

Poorly Drafted Nondisclosure Agreements Can Have Lasting, and Expensive, Results
In today's increasingly complex, competitive and litigious business environment where nondisclosure agreements have crept in scope to also be noncompete agreements or anti-poaching agreements in addition to confidentiality agreements, the need for legal professionals with generalized knowledge who have managed business enterprises on a whole has become a mainstay of the corporate world.
Features

Update on Bankruptcy Appellate Practice Part Three — Finality
This installment of our appellate practice series reviews recent cases addressing the appellate jurisdiction of district courts and the courts of appeals, referred to as the "finality" doctrine.
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