section updates
Bankruptcy Section
The Bankruptcy Section held its annual Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Year in Review CLE on February 9 , 2023 at the Capital City Club , and true to form , it provided a complete and succinct summary of the most important bankruptcy and commercial law case developments from the last year . The event was very well attended by over 60 members who enjoyed the opportunity to hear from the distinguished panelists . The morning session focused on recent developments in bankruptcy law and included The Hon . Mary Grace Diehl ( Ret .) ( U . S . Bankruptcy Court , NDGA ), The Hon . Paul W . Bonapfel ( U . S . Bankruptcy Court , NDGA ), The Hon . Jeffery W . Cavender ( U . S . Bankruptcy Court , NDGA ), and Beth Anne Harrill ( law clerk for the Hon . Paul W . Bonapfel , U . S . Bankruptcy Court , NDGA ). The afternoon session focused on developments in commercial law and was presented by Eric Anderson ( Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs LLP ) and Bryan Bates ( Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs LLP ).
The Bankruptcy Section ’ s Annual Spring CLE Program and David Pollard Award Luncheon will be held May 11 , 2023 , at the Capital City Club . This year ’ s Program will consist of a professionalism and ethics panel in honor of Hon . Drake , and discussions will focus on what he expected of the attorneys appearing before him . In addition , each year , the Board of Directors of the Bankruptcy Section of the Atlanta Bar Association presents the David W . Pollard Award to “ a member of the Atlanta Bar Association who best exemplifies the highest standards of professionalism and ethics in the bankruptcy practice ” at the Luncheon portion of the Spring Program .
The Board is currently accepting nominations through March 27 , 2023 , which may be submitted via regular mail or email to :
Doroteya N . Wozniak at 3399 Peachtree Road , N . E ., Suite 1700 Atlanta , GA 30326 .
Please list the name of the nominee along with a statement containing specific reasons for the nominee ' s qualifications to receive the award . Incomplete forms will be returned to the sender . If possible , please also suggest an appropriate person ( which can be you ) to serve as the presenter of the award should your nominee be selected . Nominations received via regular mail must be postmarked no later than March 27 , 2023 .
Litigation Section
The Litigation Section ’ s momentum and community-building continued in the New Year with three stellar events . On January 20 , 2023 , Jordan Webber Edwards ( Alston & Bird ) and Elliott Leigh Coward ( Morris Manning ) hosted a lively discussion among seasoned lawyers for insurance companies and health care providers at the first breakfast program of the year , “ Managed Care Litigation 101 : An Overview from the Payer and Provider Perspectives .” The program featured S . Derek Bauer ( Baker Hostetler ), Matthew Lavin ( AGG ), Alexandra Peurach ( Alston & Bird ), and Robert Threlkeld ( Morris Manning ), with a surprise guest appearance from James Washburn ( Troutman Pepper ), who joined the panelists from the crowd to provide additional insight into the highly publicized dispute last year involving Northside Hospital and Anthem .
On February 10 , 2023 , Michael Breslin ( Kilpatrick Townsend ) moderated a first-of-its-kind program “ Cryptocurrencies , NFTs & The Metaverse : The Next Legal Frontier ” with Keith Barnett ( Troutman Pepper ), Anthony Glosson ( Kilpatrick Townsend ), and JoAnn Holmes ( Holmes @ Law ). In addition to teaching the basics of blockchain , Breslin and the panelists captivated the audience with how technology is redefining once-settled and oncesimple legal concepts , like who constitutes an employee and how to protect intellectual property .
Finally , on February 23 , 2023 , the Section set record attendance with 115 registrants for its half-day CLE , this year focused on building trial skills for newer lawyers . The program boasted three panels of the city ’ s best trial attorneys who shared their experiences with voir dire , experts , and strategies for witness examination . The Litigation Section looks forward to what ’ s in store for the spring . Come network with our members , as well as the ACYL , Business & Finance , and Workers ’ Compensation Sections , at 5Church Midtown ’ s new rooftop patio on March 29 , 2023 from 6-8pm !
TIFFANY NICHOLS BRACEWELL Troutman Pepper tiffany . bracewell @ troutman . com
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ALEXANDRA “ CC ” SCHNAPP Law Clerk to Chief Bankruptcy Judge Wendy L . Hagenau alexandra _ schnapp @ ganb . uscourts . gov
KELLY E . WAITS Burr Forman LLP kwaits @ burr . com
DOROTEYA N . WOZNIAK James Bates Brannan Groover LLP dwozniak @ jamesbatesllp . com
Sole Practitioner / Small Firm Section
The Sole Practitioner Small Firm section kicked off the new year with four different meetings that allowed members to come together to learn more about topics to help grow and build their firms .
SP / SF ’ s first event of the year was hosted on January 5 , 2023 , at the
30 February / March 2023