Speakers
-
Ira BodensteinCozen O'Connor | Chicago, ILIra has a keen understanding of the trustee process and how to efficiently achieve the optimum resolution for the involved parties. He counsels bankruptcy clients on the necessity and timing of filing reorganization cases, and the rights of unsecured and secured creditors prior to and subsequent to bankruptcy filing. Ira is experienced in all facets of Chapter 11 reorganization cases, including preparing and confirming plans of reorganization in debtor cases, representing creditors’ committees, opposing debtors’ plans on behalf of creditors and representing creditors and debtors in preference and fraudulent conveyance litigation. He also counsels lenders on their rights as secured creditors. Ira is a member of the private panel of Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustees and also represents panel trustees. Ira has also served as a federal equity receiver in SEC and DOL actions and has represented federal equity receivers in SEC and CFTC actions.
Appointed by U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, Ira served as the U.S. Trustee for Region 11, which includes the Northern District of Illinois and the state of Wisconsin, from May 1998 through January 2006. In that capacity, he served as head of the Justice Department’s component with primary oversight responsibility for all bankruptcy cases filed in Region 11.
In 2018, Ira was named an Illinois Leading Attorney by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company. He has an AV rating from Martindale Hubble and is listed in Who’s Who in America’s 70th Anniversary edition. Ira is a founding member and past president of the National Association of Federal Equity Receivers.
Ira earned his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law and his B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College.
-
Kathy Bazoian PhelpsRaines Feldman LLP | Los Angeles, CAKathy Bazoian Phelps has been a lawyer since 1991 and is currently a partner at Raines Feldman LLP in the Los Angeles office. In addition to individually serving as a fiduciary in certain matters, Kathy practices in the area of insolvency law, fiduciary representation, and fraud litigation, where she represents federal equity and state court receivers and bankruptcy trustees. Kathy frequently serves as special litigation counsel for fiduciaries and interested parties in fraud-related litigation, cases arising out of receivership and bankruptcy as well as parallel criminal and civil forfeiture proceedings. She is particularly knowledgeable about the administration of Ponzi scheme cases and has extensive litigation experience in claims arising in these types of cases.
Kathy has lectured widely and written on bankruptcy and receivership matters, with a focus on Ponzi schemes. Her book entitled The Ponzi Book: A Legal Resource for Unraveling Ponzi Schemes, co-authored with Hon. Steven Rhodes, has garnered national and international attention as the authoritative work on Ponzi scheme law.
In addition to her roles as lawyer, speaker and author, Kathy also serves as a mediator and is currently on the mediation and arbitration rosters for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, as well as the Bankruptcy Mediation Panel for the Central District of California and the Bankruptcy Mediation Panel for the District of Arizona.
Kathy’s personal interests and accomplishments include extensive travel and the study of the Chinese Mandarin language.
-
Michael RachlisMichael Rachlis is a founding partner in the firm of Rachlis Duff & Peel, LLC. He has experience in complex commercial litigation, including various types of contractual disputes, partnership and joint venture disputes, employment disputes, insurance coverage actions, intellectual property disputes, disputes involving a wide variety of the financial instruments and various areas of the financial industry, and a variety of land use questions. Mr. Rachlis has extensive experience representing receivers in federal equity receiverships. Many of these disputes in these areas involved seeking or defending against emergency, injunctive relief, and have been in state and federal courts, and alternate dispute resolution forums across the country.
Mr. Rachlis has been a guest speaker on advocacy issues in complex litigation and land use matters including but not limited to discussions at Northwestern University (School of Journalism), the Historic Preservation Graduate Program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and at the Illinois Preservation Conferences. Mr. Rachlis spoke at the Law Seminars International Seminar on “Real Estate and Land Use Litigation” on obtaining relief in failed real estate transactions. Mr. Rachlis is also a previous speaker at NAFER’s Annual Conference. Mr. Rachlis has co-authored several op-ed pieces that have appeared in various publications such as Crain’s Chicago Busines, the Chicago Tribune and other publications.
Before establishing his current firm, Mr. Rachlis was an associate and partner with the boutique Chicago litigation firm of Hedlund Hanley & John. Prior to that, he practiced with Jones Day Reavis & Pogue.
-
Oren BitanBuchalter PC | Los Angeles, CAOren Bitan has an extensive legal background that includes business, real estate, banking, receivership, consumer product, and commercial litigation. Mr. Bitan is known for his ability to solve complex business disputes for his clients in a strong but practical manner. He is a trusted advisor who guides his clients through their day to day legal concerns, and has particular expertise in matters involving real estate, banking and lending, creditors’ rights, wine, beer, liquor, cannabis, and intellectual property.
Mr. Bitan is co-chair of Buchalter’s Cannabis Industry Law Group and advises cannabis businesses on a wide variety of issues, including regulatory advice, banking, lending, financing, intellectual property, receivership, real property development and leasing, and assembling teams of attorneys to provide corporate and employment advice. Representative clients include vertically integrated companies, brands, retailers, distributors, cultivators, manufacturers, investment funds, secured lenders, factors, equipment lessors, and IP licensors. Mr. Bitan is also an experienced appellate lawyer and has successfully argued numerous times before the California Court of Appeal and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Receivers’ Huddle: Exotic and Unusual Receiver Motions
Thursday, March 10 | 2:00 – 3:30 PM ET
ZOOM MEETNG
Please note, this Receivers’ Huddle will NOT be recorded.
Have you ever used a settlement procedures motion to recover millions of dollars for the receivership estate without having to file any complaints? Have you ever heard of or used a motion for instructions to obtain relief which normally requires a separate proceeding? How about accomplishing a sale of millions of dollars of real estate that would appear to be under water because of competing secured creditor claims before having to sort out the legitimacy and priority of those secured claims? Learn about these and other exotic motion practice stories by joining moderator Ira Bodenstein and panelists Oren Bitan, Kathy Bazoian Phelps and Michael Rachlis for the Receivers Huddle. Come prepared to share your unusual motion success stories with the NAFER membership during the discussion following the presentation.