“Given the current state of global economic affairs, I hope that attorneys will avail of this training and embrace professional opportunities to assist debtor and/or creditor clients navigate through the financial upheaval caused by this pandemic,” said Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.

PURPOSE
The District Courts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, in partnership with the Guam and CNMI Bar Associations, are pleased to host a virtual and in- person Bankruptcy Seminar Series. This Bankruptcy Seminar Series will expose our federal and local bar members, debtors, creditors, banking institutions, lenders, real estate agents, brokerage firms and other interested businesses to current bankruptcy issues. Attendees will receive updated case law and information to assist them in deciding whether a bankruptcy case should be filed, and the issues which may arise therein.

VIRTUAL SEMINAR PART 1
“Building a Bankruptcy Practice”
September 24, 2020
8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (GMT +10)

The first virtual Seminar in the series was open to members of the Guam and CNMI Bar Associations. Bar members who registered with the Guam Bar Association and attended this two-hour series received 1.5 general Continuing Legal Education Credits (CLE) and 0.5 ethics credits. They are eligible to attend Seminar 2 of the Virtual Seminar Bankruptcy Series at no additional cost.

VIRTUAL BANKRUPTCY SEMINAR 2
“Economic Impacts of COVID-19”
October 30, 2020
8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (GMT+10)

This second virtual seminar will focus on “Cutting Edge Bankruptcy Issues” and is designed to provide information and guidance to the NMI’s federal and local bar members, banking institutions, lenders, creditors, real estate agents, brokerage firms and other interested businesses. Businesses are struggling to survive, and bankruptcy may be the right solution for some, but it is not the only option for a struggling business. This seminar will provide valuable insight of ways for business to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. Key topics will include valuation of assets, moratoriums on loans and mortgages, forgiveness of PPP loans, and more.

This presentation will include the following distinguished panelists:

The Honorable Judge Daniel P. Collins is a Bankruptcy Judge for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Arizona. Judge Collins was appointed as a bankruptcy judge on January 18, 2013 and served as Chief Judge from 2014 to 2018. He is currently a member of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, American Bankruptcy Institute, Arizona Bankruptcy American Inns of Court, Federal Bar Association, National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, State Bar of Arizona and the Maricopa County Bar. Previously, he was a partner with the Law Firm of Collins, May, Potenza, Baran & Gillespie, P.C., in Phoenix, Arizona, specializing in the practice areas of bankruptcy, commercial litigation and commercial transactions. Judge Collins served on the State Bar of Arizona’s Subcommittee on the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act and chaired the Bankruptcy Section of the State of Arizona from 1995- 1996.

Siska S. Hutapea, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS, R/W-AC, MRICS, MRE, is the President and Chief Appraiser of Cornerstone Valuation Guam, Inc., the leading real estate analyst in Guam. Hutapea has been engaged in real estate research, valuation, and consulting since 1992 with roots in Jakarta, Indonesia, and has had experience in Guam real estate appraisal and consulting since 1999. Hutapea led various global experts from USA, Australia, Ireland and local appraisers from Guam to complete the assignment, which resulted in Guam first ever implementation of Geographical Information System (GIS).

Clarke Schaumann, CEO and member of the Board of Directors for ANZ Guam, Inc. is a global finance professional and an expert in the banking community. Schaumann has a Master of Accountancy from Brigham Young University and Master of Business Administration from China Europe International Business School. He leads a Digital, Financial, and Cultural transformation to provide the right banking solutions while managing the right amount of risk and improving customer and employee experience through new ways of working and leading. Schaumann also served as a Head of Asian Relationship Banking in New Zealand and a Senior Audit Manager in New Zealand and Hong Kong.

Andrew Helman is a partner and co-chair of Bankruptcy Practice at Murray Plumb and Murray law firm in Portland, Maine. A large part of his work is focused on helping clients, both debtors and creditors, find solutions to problems caused by financial distress and counseling them on how to avoid those problems in the future. He also represents clients in distressed and non-distressed transactions, business litigation, and preference actions, with his practice areas being Bankruptcy, Business Transactions, and Commercial Litigation. After graduating from law school at the University of Maine, Helman joined the Maine State Bar Association and American Bankruptcy Institute as Co-Chair of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Health Care Committee. Some of Helman’s publications have been featured in Law 360 and American Bankruptcy Institute Journal.

WHO MAY REGISTER
Virtual Bankruptcy Seminar 2 is open to Guam and CNMI bar members, banking institutions, lenders, debtors, creditors, real estate agents, brokerage firms, and businesses. You must register with the CNMI Bar Association to attend this second seminar.

• Registration fee is $25.00 for Part 2
• Continuing Legal Education Credits (CLE): Seminar 2- Two (2) general credits

For more information and details regarding the virtual and in-person Bankruptcy Series seminars, please contact the CNMI Bar Association via email at cnmibar@gmail.com or the District Court for the NMIs Lawyer Representative, Vince J. Seman at (670) 483-7911, or email at vjseman@semanlaw.com.
 

FUTURE VIRTUAL SEMINARS AND ON-ISLAND TRAINING

VIRTUAL BANKRUPTCY SEMINAR 3 is scheduled for November 19, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (GMT+10)

This seminar will focus on:

• Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcies, (operations continue, management remains, plan for reorganization)
• Employee issues focusing on wages, benefits and retirement accounts, liability of debtors in possession under the WARN Act
• Unexpired lease and executory contract issues
• Preference issues
• Opportunities in bankruptcy including automatic stays, commercial landlords acquiring their tenants, executive bonuses and restructuring under secured obligations in bankruptcy.

Presenters:

• The Honorable Daniel Collins, Bankruptcy Judge, Arizona Bankruptcy Court
• Misty Perry Isaacson, Pagter and Perry Isaacson, Bankruptcy firm in Santa Ana, California
• Alika L. Piper, Esq., Kleansky Piper, LLP, Honolulu Hawaii

ON ISLAND, IN PERSON BANKRUPTCY TRAINING will be held once the COVID-19 pandemic situation improves. We anticipate having Arizona Chief Bankruptcy Judge Daniel Collins, Hawaii Chief Bankruptcy Judge Robert Faris, our Bankruptcy Trustees, Curtis Ching and Howard Hu, along with other distinguished bankruptcy experts hold a one-week intensive Bankruptcy Academy both on Guam and the CNMI.