Take advantage of your MBA Member Benefits!

Membership Level	Cost	Hours of CLE Included	How to Access Included Hours
Level I	$175	6.0 (Webinar or In Person only)*	Use code MBACLE24 at checkout
Level II	$275	12.0 (Webinar or In Person Only)*	Use code MBACLE2425 at checkout
Level III	$500	Unlimited (Webinar, In Person and On-Demand)	No coupon needed - choose the Level III Member rate when registering
Interested in upgrading your Membership? Email mba@meckbar.org			Want to join the MBA? Click here

*Excludes on-demand CLE. Cannot be used to register for programs that exceed the balance of your available included CLE hours.
Check your remaining CLE hours by viewing the "My CLE History" tab of your MyMeckBar profile.

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| Live Registration Open|

Western North Carolina Bankruptcy Seminar 2025 on Friday, May 16, 2025 at the Whitewater Center

Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. | CLE Program 8:45 - 3:45 p.m. | Networking Social Follows

5.5 Total Hours (4.0 Hours General 1.0 Professional Well Being and 0.5 Ethics)

CLE and Specialization Credit Approved in both North and South Carolina

Attend in person for the chance to win two Club PGA Hospitality tickets for Sunday of the PGA Championship 

 

50% DISCOUNT FROM PRICE LISTED FOR MBA Member and Non-MBA Member ATTORNEYS

IN PRACTICE 5 YEARS OR LESS

Please contact Lisa Armanini larmanini@meckbar,org or Michelle Lee mlee@meckbar.org for registration assistance

Agenda

8:00 – 8:45 a.m.      Registration and Light Breakfast

8:45 – 9:00 a.m.      Welcome and Announcements

9:00 – 9:30 a.m.      A View from the Bench – Chief Judge Laura T. Beyer, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, Western District of North Carolina, and Judge Ashley Austin Edwards, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, Western District of North Carolina (0.5 hour – Ethics/ Professionalism)

9:30 – 10:30 a.m.    Life is a Locker Room – Recovery as a Framework for a Fulfilled and Productive Life - Pete Sousa, Play-by-Play Broadcaster and Host, ESPN

10:30 – 10:45 a.m.  Break

10:45 – 11:45 a.m.  From Devastation to Recovery: Western North Carolina Post-Helene – Robert C. Tatum, PhD, Distinguished Professor in Economics, University of North Carolina Asheville, Chair, Economics Research Hub; Tige Hopper, Insurance Service of Asheville; Lance P. Martin, Ward and Smith, P.A.; and Steven G. Tate, Chapter 13 Trustee, Moderator

11:45 – 12:45 p.m.  Merchant Cash Advances: Are They Loans or Are They Sales? And Why Does It Matter? – Kara Bruce, Professor of Law, UNC School of Law

12:45 – 1:30 p.m.    Lunch (Featuring PGA Championship Giveaway)

Consumer Track

1:30 – 2:30 p.m.      Embrace the Mess: Dealing with Business Valuation, Unconventional Income Sources, and Freelance Work in Consumer Cases – Stacy Cordes, Cordes Law; Benson T. Pitts, Pitts Hay & Hugenschmidt; Deborah Crowder, Staff Attorney, Office of Steven G. Tate, Chapter 13 Trustee

2:30 – 2:45 p.m.      Afternoon Break

2:45 – 3:45 p.m.      Chapter 13 Trustee Panel – Jenny P. Holman, Chapter 13 Trustee, Charlotte Division, and Steven G. Tate, Chapter 13 Trustee, Asheville, Bryson City, Statesville, and Shelby Divisions

Business Track

1:30 – 2:30 p.m.      Have We Learned Anything? Looking Back on Five Years of Subchapter V – Shelley Abel, Bankruptcy Administrator for the Western District of North Carolina; Michael Martinez, Grier Wright Martinez, PA; and Joanne Wu-White, Poyner Spruill LLP

2:30 – 2:45 p.m.      Afternoon Break

2:45 – 3:45 p.m.      Hot Topics in Bankruptcy from the Western District of North Carolina and Beyond – Rob Cox, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin, PLLC; Zachary H. Smith, Moore & Van Allen PLLC; and Jack Miller, Rayburn Cooper & Durham, P.A.

Networking Reception

3:45 – 5:00 p.m.      

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2025 WDNC Bankruptcy Seminar Sponsors

Platinum Sponsors

 

Gold Sponsors

 

Silver Sponsor

 

Additional Sponsors

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The views and opinions of MBA CLEs are not necessarily those of the Mecklenburg Bar Association/26th Judicial District Bar.

This program has been approved for credit in the following jurisdiction(s):

North Carolina State Bar, Board of Continuing Legal Education

Credit has been approved with the North Carolina State Bar, Board of Continuing Legal Education for 0.50 Ethics credits, 4.00 General credits, and 1.00 Professional Well-Being credit.

Whitewater Center

5000 Whitewater Center Parkway

Charlotte, NC 28214

704.391.3900

Parking Included

 

Cancellation Policy

This is a joint policy of the 26th Judicial District Bar (the 26th), the Mecklenburg Bar Association (MBA), and the Mecklenburg Bar Foundation (MBF). 

Registration refunds are 1) 100% refundable for requests made 10 or more days before the event; 2) 75% refundable for requests made nine to six days before the event (a 25% processing fee will be incurred); and 3) non-refundable for requests made five days or less before the event. Registrants requesting refunds five days or less before the event may be offered the option to transfer the registration to a substitute attendee. Payment is due in full if no cancellation is received or if cancellation is received five days or less in advance of event.

Tickets purchased from outside vendors may not be refundable.

Late registrations, following the registration deadline or at the event door, may be accepted on a space available basis--additional charges may apply. For some events, food or beverage is not guaranteed for last-minute registrants.

A sponsorship and/or advertisement refund will only be granted in the case that the 26th, MBA, or MBF does not fulfill the commitment(s) agreed upon in writing.

Exceptions (such as in the event of cancellation or postponement due to inclement weather) or other requests for refunds not covered by this policy will be considered for approval by the Executive Director or his or her designee.