One of the best things about the NCBJ Annual Meeting is the opportunity for bankruptcy and other judges and restructuring professionals to meet and discuss key substantive issues that affect the restructuring practice. At the Annual Meeting in Austin this year, there will be two separate judicial roundtables that will each provide the opportunity to hear from and discuss issues of great importance to the practice with dozens of judges.

The first judicial roundtable will take place on Thursday, October 12, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. – right after the Opening plenary program.  This roundtable is entitled: The ABCs and 123s of What Makes a Good Professional. As we all know, an insolvency professional’s work is varied and challenging. The transition from being good and effective to great requires impeccable advocacy in the courtroom, the ability to be persuasive — both before the court and in documents — and skillful communication with professionals and clients alike. Join Circuit Judge Diane Wood (CA 7), and Bankruptcy Judge Stacey Meisel (DNJ) as they lead the attendees in discussing and exploring the characteristics of being a great professional through curated scenarios, roundtable engagement with judges and other attendees, and open discussion. Over 25 Bankruptcy judges will act as table leaders for this roundtable program.

The second roundtable, Don’t Mess With Texas (or Ethics):  Avoiding Unanticipated Landmines and Pitfalls will take place on Saturday morning, October 14, 2023 at 8:30 a.m. Attorney Susan Freeman, Lewis & Roca, a nationally-renowned ethics expert, District Judge Robert Summerhayes (WDLA) and at least 20 bankruptcy judges will participate in a roundtable discussion on real-world ethical dilemmas, including emerging issues relating to the use of ChatGPT and Internet law firms, the taboo topics of competency of counsel and competency of clients and recent ripped-from-the-headlines examples of the perils of inadequate disclosure and the intersection of social media and professional responsibilities.