Section 363(b) of the Bankruptcy Code affords debtors flexibility to sell assets outside of the ordinary course of business after notice and a hearing.  This right is supported by 

Oil and gas price volatility is as much a part of the energy business as drill bits. Few predicted that the current down-cycle would be as long or as deep as it is proving to be. While global events could turn and prices improve, lower prices seem to be a reality for now. Lower prices impact the finances of everyone in the energy industry. Insolvencies, business failures, and bankruptcies are inevitable in this environment; and when they occur, they affect everyone, at all levels and in all aspects of the industry.

Hard times for the oil and gas industry—what a year, 2015—insolvency issues. Tis true that the oil and gas industry runs in cycles, but this transition to bust has been fast and furious. Looking back at 2015 is hard enough. How about looking ahead? Turning off the spigot is having its consequences, all up and down the industry. The list of pressure points and potential losers can be long.

Bankruptcy and restructuring professionals usually do not need to be political junkies. Amendments to the Bankruptcy Code, and the accompanying machinations of the Congressional legislative process, typically occur at a glacial pace, and such changes nearly always affect future rather than current chapter 11 cases.  However, the 

Last time, we mentioned that a Virginia-based mining company will be selling of parts of its business—including parts located in Kentucky—as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. In this and our next post, we wanted to provide a brief overview of Chapter 11 bankruptcy and why it is important for businesses to work with experienced legal counsel when pursuing a bankruptcy.

Most companies do not own all of the intellectual property (IP) rights that their businesses rely on. It is not uncommon for some portion of a company’s IP rights to be in-licensed from other persons or entities under a license agreement. In such cases, the licensee has contractual rights to use the IP that is the subject of an in-license but not full ownership of such IP. In the day-to-day operations of a company, the distinction between owned IP rights and in-licensed IP rights can easily get lost.

While the FCC recently opined that consumers can revoke their consent to receive calls via an ATDS in any manner that clearly expresses a desire not to receive further messages, a district court in Illinois has set some perimeters on revocation.  In Cholly v. Uptain Group, Inc., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 171415, C.A. No. 15 C 5030 (N.D. Ill. Dec.

On New Year's Eve 2015, Swift Energy Company and 8 affiliates filed a voluntary petition commencing a prepackaged chapter 11 case in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.  The case is docketed as case no. 15-12670, and has been assigned to The Honorable Mary F. Walrath.  The petition lists assets of $1.024 billion and liabilities of $1.349 billion.

Pursuant to Section 727 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, an individual Chapter 7 debtor may receive a discharge "from all debts that arose before the date of the order for relief under this chapter." A Chapter 11 or Chapter 13 debtor may receive similar relief pursuant to Sections 1141 and 1328(b), respectively. Under any chapter, this discharge serves the Bankruptcy Code's principal goal of relieving a debtor from his or her prepetition obligations and providing the debtor with a "fresh start" on emergence from bankruptcy.

Economists are renowned for their uncanny inclination to see dark clouds on a sunny day. Restructuring professionals tend to fall into the same camp; we’re no Pollyannas when it comes to forming views on business conditions. Perhaps working extensively with challenged companies tends to skew our outlook.