Tag: cdcbaa

The cdcbaa focuses on education of bankruptcy lawyers in Los Angeles, and its program moderator and host is L.A. bankruptcy attorney Hale Andrew Antico

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cdcbaa Moderator Hale Antico Hosts Chapter 13 Trustee Panel

cdcbaa Moderator Hale Antico Hosts Panel for Chapter 13 Trustees

Program focuses on Variances, Particularly in the Age of Covid

Post-Seminar Update: It was a fun, two-hour cdcbaa program, and the Chapter 13 trustees’ attorneys were very open with their policies. For instance, the panel shared a lot of information in an engaging format. Also, one of the trustee lawyers said it helped to have them share information; they learned a more efficient way to do things. Finally, the bankruptcy lawyer attendees were very involved, asking questions and even bantering with the Chapter 13 trustees’ lawyers.

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Chapter 13 Trustees’ Counsel Share A Lighter Moment with cdcbaa President Attorney Antico

Hale Andrew Antico has been keeping busy being a cdcbaa moderator or host of the bankruptcy association programs. On 9/18/2021, cdcbaa President Hale Andrew Antico will moderate a panel with attorneys for Los Angeles bankruptcy Chapter 13 trustees. The two-hour talk will focus on policy changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the focus will be ontrustee variances between the offices. This will help bankruptcy attorneys know how to best work with each respective office.

The cdcbaa is the largest local association of bankruptcy attorneys representing debtors in the nation. Mr. Antico is Chair of the Chapter 13 Committee for the cdcbaa.

Chapter 13 Trustees and cdcbaa Coordination

In March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic started causing quarantines and lockdowns. Many people in Chapter 13 bankruptcies couldn’t continue making their payments. This caused a lot of concern. This caused the Chapter 13 trustees to have to adjust their policies. The trustees’ offices started developing policies about suspending payments, or keeping tax refunds. That’s the good news.

The challenge came from each trustee’s office doing things differently. The policies were difficult to track. So, one benefit of a free-ranging panel discussion is to learn which office expects what. Consequently, This will allow attorneys to better anticipate what’s needed or expected. Also, it will make the trustee’s offices operate more efficiently.

During the two years as president of the group of Los Angeles bankruptcy attorneys, Hale Antico has hosted over a dozen webinars. These information sessions have featured prominent bankruptcy lawyers, trustees, and judges. As cdcbaa moderator, Mr. Antico also takes questions from the group’s members, and tries to stir helpful discussion.

If you’re not a member of cdcbaa, you can buy tickets for Saturday’s program from the lawyers’ association website.

cdcbaa president's message fall 2021

President of CDCBAA’s Message from Hale Andrew Antico for Fall 2021

CDCBAA President’s Message for Fall 2021

The following was provided to the newsletter of the cdcbaa, the largest organization of Los Angeles bankruptcy attorneys serving consumer debtors, by its two-term President, Hale Andrew Antico.

We’re approaching autumn. That means the start of school, football, pumpkin spice everything, and this: welcome to our final cdcbaa newsletter of 2021, and the last of my second term as President of cdcbaa. We thought we were turning the corner against the pandemic. But, the dreaded Delta variant has affected many people, causing a new wave of cautions. With it, we as a society, and yes, attorneys helping people, have become somewhat accustomed to a new normal. This means embracing doing business remotely while trying to balance with safely connecting in-person.

Membership Total Increases

With that, the cdcbaa is proud to announce that our membership total continues to increase to over 215 members, despite the fact that the year is almost three-quarters over. The cdcbaa hasn’t seen membership levels this high seen since the Great Recession almost ten years ago. Much credit for our growth goes to Membership Chair David Shevitz, the cdcbaa board members on his committee, and their stalwart outreach efforts.

2021 Central District of California bankruptcy filings statistics

We’re almost two years into a global pandemic. One would think that with rising membership in a bankruptcy organization, consumer filings would be spiking with an anticipated surge. Yet, filing numbers continue to surprise expectations. In 2021, filings for all chapters in the Central District are down about 13% from lockdown year 2020. And that year showed a total 27% lower than 2019. Thus far in 2021, only two months have broken 2,000 Chapter 7 filings. In contrast, during the 2020 pandemic, eight months last year surpassed that benchmark.

Changing Legal Landscape

The California eviction moratorium, which has protected so many renters, is set to expire on September 30, 2021. Mortgage forbearance programs are set to also end on that day. September 30th is also the expiration of student loan forbearance. If not extended, any one of these events may impact consumers and filings, and we must be ready to help those who need it with compassion and skilled expertise.

There’s some promising news which could help college graduates in the U.S. Senate. Two senators introduced a bipartisan bill which would make many student loans dischargeable in bankruptcy by amending 11 USC 523(a)(8). This potential student loan reform through bankruptcy is long overdue. The Fresh Start Through Bankruptcy Act is still in committee. However, it’s our hope that this bill will become law to help millions of struggling people discharge their school debt, so stay tuned.

Educational cdcbaa MCLE Programs

One way to keep informed in this fast-changing world is the cdcbaa’s very popular MCLE programs. This month, I’ll be moderating a panel of Chapter 13 trustees’ staff attorneys. We’ll be discussing their offices’ measures in response to the pandemic such as the CARES Act. We’ll also take a look at their standard procedures, and where there is variance and agreement among the divisions to better help Chapter 13 bankruptcy attorneys.

Under the leadership of M. Jonathan Hayes and Roksana Moradi-Brovia, the cdcbaa continues to put on timely, informative, and popular programs to inform its members about developments in the law in an everchanging landscape. In May this year, Judge Mark S Wallace and Judge Wayne Johnson led a discussion of lien-stripping and family law-bankruptcy crossover with CDCA.

In June, we had fantastic programs on the developing issue of 706(b) conversions, as well as state court litigation. July saw two panels: one presenting on postpetition sales and another on nonattorney professionals in bankruptcy. A judge in attendance remarked both hours formed the best program they ever attended! The cdcbaa is appreciative to all those who give their time to present and help keep our members informed with the latest and best information.

Calvin Ashland Awards Dinner And Honoring Chief Judge Maureen Tighe

Under the leadership of cdcbaa board member Keith Higginbotham (who also serves on the Bar Advisory Board), the cdcbaa is looking forward to gathering to host our annual Calvin Ashland Awards Dinner this November. We’ll be the awarding the honor of Judge of the Year to a deserving Chief Judge Maureen Tighe. This gala will be held in a ballroom atop the Universal Sheraton with a spectacular view overlooking the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood Hills, so you won’t want to miss out this November.

The Tremendous Board of Directors

As always, I’m appreciative of the cdcbaa board of directors. Together, we accomplished so much these past two years. Marcus Tiggs led us on a migration of our popular listserv and added our recorded programs to our upgraded website. Under the stewardship of Treasurer Jeff Hagen, the cdcbaa is financially healthy and strong. Hard-working Daniela Romero edited this newsletter, and many others the past two years. And of course, my vice-president Lucy Mavyan has been key in helping out with numerous projects. She and Tamar Terzian have reached outside of our district to partner with consumer groups in other states.

And all this doesn’t even mention how tremendous the cdcbaa board of directors was in adapting to sudden change. Responding to pandemic measures and social distancing, we went from an educational organization that presented primarily in person, to one that pivoted to be transformed overnight to online-only, with eight webinars a year, each attended by hundreds of people. The feedback gathered by board member Gary Wallace shows that all this was done by providing outstanding customer service. And for that, I can only give enormous credit to the longtime heart and soul of our organization, celebrating her 10th year helping people, our skilled and talented administrator, Linda.

Closing Statement: A Strong Organization Poised for Growth and Success

It’s been an exciting two years, and the cdcbaa is in fantastic shape to face a future that’s as unpredictable as life since 2020 has been. It’s been my honor serve cdcbaa and its members while working shoulder-to-shoulder with our many stakeholders and partners as we weathered through a devastating global pandemic. I’m humbled by our members and board to have been provided this honor, and I look forward to continuing to support the cdcbaa in the years ahead.

Hale Andrew Antico is President of the cdcbaa and practices bankruptcy law in Palmdale and Santa Clarita for almost 20 years.

Sworn in President Hale Antico

Hale Andrew Andrew To Lead CDCBAA, Los Angeles Bankruptcy Lawyers

Hale Andrew Andrew To Lead CDCBAA, Los Angeles Bankruptcy Lawyers

Los Angeles bankruptcy attorney Hale Andrew Antico was named president of one of the nation’s largest groups of bankruptcy lawyers in late 2019. 2021 Update: Attorney Antico was honored to be chosen by some of the top attorneys in Los Angeles to lead this prestigious bankruptcy lawyers’ association for a second term.

The CDCBAA, a group of Southern California bankruptcy attorneys, elevated and swore in Attorney Antico to lead the group at its annual Calvin Ashland Awards Dinner. It’s an honor to be chosen to lead such a talented and dedicated collection of bankruptcy professionals.

Below is Hale Antico’s first president’s message for the CDCBAA‘s January 2020 newsletter.


President’s Message

Happy new year, and allow me the word play of wishing you great “2020 vision.” As incoming President of the CDCBAA, it’s easy to see an organization that is vibrant, successful, and thriving.

This success is due, in large part, to past presidents, including my immediate predecessor, Roksana Moradi-Brovia. As her Vice-President the past two years, I was privileged to see up-close how much Roksana cares about the CDCBAA as evidenced by her contagious passion, enthusiasm, and tireless efforts on behalf of the organization. Roksana will remain on the CDCBAA board of directors, and continue helping provide the excellent programs to which we’ve grown accustomed.

Looking Back

With some recent hindsight, I look back at the success in November of the Calvin Ashland Award Dinner. The CDCBAA Trustee of the Year in 2019 was Howard Ehrenberg. Howard was introduced by a wonderful speech from Peter Anderson, the United States Trustee for Region 16. Howard himself gave an amusing but insightful address, where he highlighted the time-consuming, but often-fruitless search for assets in many offbeat types of cases which Chapter 7 trustees have the duty to perform. Our bankruptcy system relies on a balance of judges, trustees, and attorneys, each important for its smooth operation. Howard’s sense of professional courtesy, compassion, and fairness make him a key member of our community.

The Present

Looking around at the present, we see a bankruptcy landscape where filings remain down overall (28,861 new chapter 7 cases filed in 2019, just above the year prior), continuing a decade-long trend since the Great Recession. The CDCBAA is a valuable community of information-sharing, knowledge, and learning. Members can stay informed with important case decisions, news that affects consumer lawyers (both nationally and locally), and dive deeper in lesser-known areas of our specialty. The slowdown in filings creates an opportunity to invest time in the CDCBAA and to share knowledge with and learn from the community.

Moving Forward

Peering ahead into the future, 2020 is sure to be an exciting year. We are about to kick off the year with the always-popular Ninth Circuit Review of the prior year’s bankruptcy cases, and the James T. King Symposium coming up this summer, with other valuable programs in between. Later this year, we’ll honor a Judge of the Year, and I’m excited to see who this will be. But mostly, I look forward to the CDCBAA keeping a sharp focus on strengthening the bonds between the debtor bar and the judges and trustees, in elevating the practice of bankruptcy law, and keeping our goal of benefiting the consumer debtor who needs our help, truth, and compassion.

Hale Andrew Antico is President of the CDCBAA, and has practiced bankruptcy law in Palmdale and Santa Clarita for over 15 years.