This is a calendar of events of interest to Los Angeles bankruptcy professionals. All start times are Pacific Time. If you would like an event to be posted on "the dog," please send your announcement to J. Scott Bovitz. Include the link to the registration page on your group's web site. Thank you.
April 30, Zoom
California Receivers Forum. Health and Safety Receiverships. Griswold, Keena, Pope.
April 30, networking and more
TMA SoCal. Night of Excellence. Beverly Hills.
May 1-4, systems down (U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California)
From Friday, May 1, 2026 to Monday, May 4, 2026, the Court will conduct an essential systems and security upgrade that will impact its information systems. As a result, the following Court systems and applications will not be available from 5:00 PM PDT on Thursday, April 30, 2026 to 9:00 AM PDT on Monday, May 4, 2026:
CM/ECF accountholders should refrain from conducting any transactions during the maintenance window. The Intake section at each divisional office will remain open to accept filings during regular business hours, from 9:00 AM PDT to 4:00 PM PDT. Regular service will resume at 9:00 AM on Monday, May 4, 2026. Please contact the ECF Help Desk at (213) 894-2365 should you have any questions. For emergency filings during the maintenance period, please call (213) 200-3894.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
KATHLEEN J. CAMPBELL
CLERK OF COURT
May 2, Zoom
Central District Consumer Bankruptcy Attorney's Association. Meet the Chapter 13 Trustees' Staff Attorneys. Blume, Clark, Koyama, O'Hair, Wirsching.
May 4-8, Zoom conference
American Bankruptcy Institute. Consumer Practice Experience.
May 7, Zoom
cdcbaa. Meet the Chapter 13 Trustees. Blume, Clark, Koyama, O'Hair, Wirsching.
May 11, Zoom
American Bankruptcy Law Journal. Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Practical Questions for Bankruptcy Scholars: The State of Chapter 11 Practice. Hon. Lopez, Casey, Coordes, Ellias, Lubben, Simon.
May 12, Zoom
Financial Lawyers Conference. Bankruptcy Considerations: Sales & Financing of Future Receivables & Royalties. Neumeister, Medrano, Seber.
May 14-17, CBF
California Bankruptcy Forum. 38th Annual Insolvency Conference. Santa Rosa.
May 27, Zoom
Inland Empire Bankruptcy Forum. Chapter 13: Top 10 Mistakes Attorneys and Staff Make (Riverside edition). Kelly, Gouveia.
May 29, mediation lunch
U.S. District Court and U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Court appreciation lunch for mediators. Los Angeles (DoubleTree). RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/2026MediatorLuncheon
June 1, Blackshear deadline
Blackshear fellowship.
The National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges is delighted to bestow upon the Honorable Cornelius Blackshear, a dear friend and esteemed colleague, the distinction of naming their fellowship program "The Honorable Cornelius Blackshear Fellowship Program."
Between one (1) and five (5) up-and-coming bankruptcy attorneys will receive Presidential Blackshear Fellowships at the 2026 NCBJ Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA (October 7-10, 2026). Individual attorneys, law firms, government agencies and bankruptcy judges are invited to nominate, as Blackshear Presidential Fellows, attorneys who deserve special recognition for their professional accomplishments to date, and who show the potential to distinguish themselves in future years as highly respected members of the bankruptcy or debt restructuring bar, just as Judge Blackshear himself did. Read about his illustrious career here.
To be nominated, the prospective program participant must:
The Blackshear Presidential Fellowship provides a stipend for reimbursement of 50% of expenses (up to $2,000.00 maximum) for travel, lodging and meals incurred to attend the NCBJ Annual Conference and waiver of NCBJ registration fees (not including optional activities, meals or tours) to the applicant(s) selected. Only one attorney from any single law firm or agency may participate.
Nominations will be accepted, commencing on May 1, 2026. The nomination period will close on June 1, 2026. Nominations submitted prior to or after these dates will be disregarded. Each nomination must be in the form of correspondence from an authorized partner of the law firm, senior attorney of a governmental agency or bankruptcy judge attesting to the qualifications of the nominee to be a Blackshear Presidential Fellow, including the number of years the nominee has practiced law. Please include a completed application form with the nomination including the nominee’s full contact information and email address. The application form is available on the NCBJ website. Lawyers in firms with five (5) or fewer attorneys may self-nominate but must fulfill the eligibility requirements. The correspondence and attachments in PDF format must be sent by e-mail to Hon. Kathy Surratt-States.
The following items must be submitted with your application:
Here is the Blackshear Fellowship Criteria & Application. Applications may only be submitted until June 1, 2026 at 5 pm EDT.
June 1, dinner
Los Angeles Bankruptcy Forum. 2026 Night with the Judges. Hon. Barash, Hon. Bason, Hon. Bluebond, Chief Judge Brand, Hon. Kaufman, Hon. Russell.
June 15, looking for representatives
The United States District Court, Central District of California, is currently accepting applications from qualified individuals interested in serving as Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference Lawyer Representatives. The selected Lawyer Representatives will be representative of the entire district and reflect the diversity of lawyers practicing before the Court. [The dog reminds you that bankruptcy lawyers are welcome to apply.]
For more information, please see the Notice from the Clerk.
June 18 deadline
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit invites applications from highly qualified candidates for a Bankruptcy Judgeship for the Southern District of California beginning March 16, 2026. This position is available immediately; however, the selection process may take up to 18 months to complete. The official duty station for this position is San Diego, California.
June 23, Zoom
Financial Lawyers Conference. Commercial Law Update. Weise, Hilson, Bouslog.
July 9, deadline
Opening for a Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of Washington.
July 22-23, conference
Turnaround Management Association, Northern and Southern California. TMA Summer Extravaganza. Sonoma.
October 7-10, conference
National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges. Marriott Marquis, San Diego.
February 6, 2027, moot court
American College of Bankruptcy, Ninth Circuit Chapter. Fifth Law Student Bankruptcy Negotiation Competition. UCLA School of Law.