On November 22, 2022, Dawn Kirby confirmed a chapter 11 plan of reorganization for IBEC Language Institute which provides English language and American culture lessons to Japanese business people and their families in New York City. Previously offering in-person learning in midtown Manhattan, the company pivoted to online classes after COVID-19 caused international travel restrictions and economic shut-downs in New York City. The chapter 11 process provided the company with the time it needed to restructure its operations and propose a plan to pay its creditors.
On August 31, Dawn Kirby was invited to join the Judicial Conference Planning Committee for “Roadways to the Bench” to be held on April 3, 2023, at the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, NY. Approximately 40 Federal Courts across the nation will simultaneously hold the event with a keynote address from Washington D.C. and local judicial roundtables. The goal is to cast a wide net to attract the broadest pool possible for Federal Magistrate Judges and Bankruptcy Judges by educating lawyers and law students on the process.
On August 8, 2022, Julie Curley was invited by SDNY Chief Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn to the NYSB Business Bankruptcy Advisory Committee. The mission of the SDNY Business Bankruptcy Advisory Committee is to consider and recommend case management practices and procedures that may expedite and improve case administration, promote commercially reasonable and legally appropriate outcomes to all constituencies and assist the court in fulfilling its functions as a fair and efficient tribunal in business cases within the SDNY arising under chapter 11 (including subchapter V) and chapter 15 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.
On July 19, 2022, Julie Curley closed on the sale of the assets of a bakery that manufacturers and sells artisanal macaroons, which was overleveraged by unsecured MCA loans that crippled its cashflow and rendered it unable to operate. The bankruptcy auction of the assets resulted in a competitive bidding environment which yielded a high bid in excess of $20,000 of the asset’s value.
On July 11, 2022, Julie Curley as chair of the Bankruptcy Committee for the Westchester County Bar Association, hosted a dinner at Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown, New York to honor and celebrate the retirement of the Honorable Robert D. Drain as US Bankruptcy Judge, Southern District of New York after 20 years of service, and to honor and commemorate the Honorable Cecelia G. Morris for her 10 years of service as Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York.
On June 28, 2022, Erica Aisner was elected as a Director for the New Rochelle Bar Association, and was sworn in at the Officer & Board Installation on September 7, 2022.