Stetson University College of Law

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From left to right: The Honorable Alexander L. Paskay, Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Emeritus and Stetson adjunct professor Douglas L. McElhaney, the U.S. Consul General in Milan, Italy Stetson Assistant Dean and CLE Director Jan Majewski W. Gary Vause, Dean of Stetson University College of Law Judge Francesca Fiecconi, Tribunali di Milano, Milan, Italy

September 13, 2002:  Gulfport, Fla. - Stetson University College of Law Office for Continuing Legal Education presented the Third International Bankruptcy Symposium and the First Overseas Elder Law Symposium this summer in Varenna, Italy.

The conferences were designed for U.S. judges and attorneys to meet with their Italian and European counterparts. Special guest Douglas L. McElhaney, the U.S. Consul General in Milan, Italy, greeted the participants and spoke about the importance of intercultural educational and professional exchanges.

"These programs provided a unique opportunity for intercultural exchange on major legal issues affecting Europe and the United States. That's why it is important to study other countries and their solutions to similar problems," said Assistant Dean and CLE director Jan Majewski.

Stetson University College of Law staff attending the Symposiums included: Dean W. Gary Vause, Assistant Dean Jan Majewski, Assistant CLE Director Kristen Mory, CLE Conference Assistant Pat Discianno and Coordinator of the J.D./M.B.A program Jim Thaler. Stetson University College of Law alumni attending included: Michael Becker '78, Rebecca Becker '78, Stephen Busey '69, Ed Boyer '78, John Brook '81, Linda Griffin '91, Mary Alice Jackson '91, Nancy Rhoades '85, Beth Ann Scharrer '89, Angela Stathopoulos '97, Traci Strickland '91 and Susan Woodard '91.

The program chair for the Overseas Elder Law Symposium was Rebecca C. Morgan, Boston Asset Management Distinguished Professor of Law and the Director of the Center for Excellence in Elder Law at Stetson University College of Law. Elder Law speakers included Judge Francesca Fiecconi, Tribunali di Milano, Milan, Italy; Professor Stefano Liebman, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy; Edwin Boyer and Robert A. Jackson, Boyer Jackson, P.A., Sarasota; Richard Milstein, Akerman, Senterfitt & Eidson, P.A., Miami; and Robert Lee Young, Carlton Fields, P.A., Orlando.

The elder law topics covered included: Guardianship/Ethical Issues; Legal and Ethical Issues in Approaching Elderly People in Italy; Hague Convention/International Charter of Rights; The Retirement and Pension System in Italy; Cultural Issues in Dealing with the Elderly and Their Legal Problems; Policy Issues of Long Term Care: Perspectives and Projections; Paying for Long Term Care; and Bankruptcy Law for the Elder Law Attorney.

The Honorable Alexander L. Paskay, Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Emeritus and Stetson adjunct professor was the program chair and a speaker for the International Bankruptcy Symposium. Other speakers included U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael G. Williamson; Lucio Ghia, an Italian attorney from Rome, Italy; Kornelia Nagy-Koppany with Hogan & Hartson L.L.P. in Washington D.C.; Roberta A. Colton with Trenam, Kemker in Tampa; Stephen D. Busey with Smith Hulsey & Busey in Jacksonville; Robert Lee Young with Carlton Fields, P.A. in Orlando; Steven M. Berman with Berman & Norton Breman, P.A. in Tampa; and Louis X. Amato with Louis X. Amato, P.A. in Naples.

The bankruptcy topics covered included: Cases Ancillary to a Foreign Proceeding; an Overview of the Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency as Adopted by UNCITRAL; Central/Eastern European Region Insolvency Problems; First Day Orders in Chapter 11; Latest Developments in the Field of International Trade and Commerce: Cross-Border Insolvencies; Liability of Officers and Directors of a Debtor for Misfeasance, Malfeasance and Breach of Fiduciary Duty; New Perspectives of Italy's Bankruptcy Law; Eligibility Under Chapter 13, Protection of Co-debtors, Valuation Problems, Lien Stripping; Common Evidentiary Problems; Cash Collateral Problems and Executory Contracts; Chapter 13 Plan Provisions, Classification Problems, Confirmation Process, Discharge in Chapter 13.

During free hours, participants shared legal experiences and discoveries made in Italy. An array of pre-scheduled events included a boat tour of Lake Como, a tour of a silk factory, and tours of the Villa Carlotta estate and the Valtellina countryside.

For more information on the next international CLE program scheduled for May 18-21, 2003 in York, England, or other CLE programs, please contact the Office for Continuing Legal Education at Stetson University College of Law at (727) 562-7830 or visit www.law.stetson.edu/cle.