The first-ever Bankruptcy Week Summit is officially over. As Ed Walters, CEO of Fastcase, and Janine Sickmeyer, Managing Director and Founder of NextChapter, said, we are preparing for an oncoming tsunami of bankruptcy filling due to COVID-19. Fillings are currently low due to court closures and clients waiting to file, but experts anticipate a huge spike in bankruptcy cases. During the last recession, bankruptcy fillings rose 74% according to OCLC.
NextChapter orchestrated this event to help current practitioners of bankruptcy and lawyers who are making the leap into bankruptcy. This week-long, free bankruptcy conference taught legal professionals about the types of bankruptcy, tips and tricks for filling, and how to build an efficient law firm. Some of the top names in legal tech and bankruptcy law came together to host informative virtual webinars.
Quick stats:
- 5 days
- 17 sessions
- 22 speakers
- 3269 registered attendees
- Average attendance rate of 55%
Session highlights:
Bankruptcy Week was jammed packed with a educational webinars, fireside chats, and even a Women of Legal Tech Panel! Below you'll find a recap of some of the most noteworthy sessions.
The State of Bankruptcy Today
Janine kicked off the conference with a keynote addressing the state of the economy, and the upcoming increase in bankruptcy cases due to COVID-19.
Bankruptcy Basics
In our highest attended session, Ron Drescher outlined the basics every lawyer needs to know about bankruptcy. He also answered some questions from the audience.
Refine Your Law Firm Strategy
Stephanie Everett of Lawyerist took us through the business-side of running your law firm. She covered how to craft and implement a law firm strategy.
Women of Legal Tech Panel
During this panel, Jess Birken, Ivy Grey, Janine Sickmeyer, and Cat Moon joined forces to discuss the legal industry and how technology plays a role. Ivy Grey, former bankruptcy attorney during the last recession, said "Bankruptcy is the most creative work that a lawyer can do," and we couldn't agree more!
Don't Leave Money On the Table
Jordan Turk of LawPay taught that billing and collections is the lifeblood of any practice, and needs to be streamlined to better serve the client.
Marketing Your Law Firm
Jim Christy, CEO of Postali gave a talk about how to market your law firm. You need to establish an identity, use marketing to gain attention and track KPIs, or key performance indicators.
NextChapter Workshop: Learn How to Use Bankruptcy Software
By popular demand, we added a session all about NextChapter's online bankruptcy software. During this workshop, the NextChapter team went through the entire application and explained the typical workflow for attorneys and paralegals.
The Client Centered Law Firm: How to Succeed in an Experience-Driven World
Jack Newton, CEO of Clio finished the conference with his keynote address. He spoke about making your law firm stand out by meeting client needs and expectations.
What are attendees saying?
Bankruptcy Week exceeded our wildest expectations. Those who attended had some great things to say about the conference.
- "I have been enjoying BK week. This has been a very well thought out presentation/introduction into bankruptcy law. I am excited about continuing in this practice area." -Kimberly B.
- "Bankruptcy Week is better than Shark Week."
- "What you guys have done in putting this on and making this available for free. What a great organization." -Ron Drescher
- "This week has been very informative. Not only are they providing information about bk law, they are also providing the tools we can use to make it easy. Great job!" - Kim T
Did you miss Bankruptcy Week? Don't worry, you can rewatch all sessions on our Youtube Playlist.
Stay tuned for important announcements about Bankruptcy Week 2021!