CLICK HERE FOR PROGRAM BOOK 

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR

Tim Clark
267 -249-2170
timclark@forsurelegal.com

PROCESS SERVER FOR COLLECTION FIRMS
Where compliance, customer service and advanced technology remain the qualities that set us apart!

PROUD TO BE YOUR SPONSOR FOR THE 9TH STRAIGHT YEAR

SEMINAR SCHEDULE

8:00-8:30am

Registration and Breakfast

8:30-8:40 am

Opening remarks by PACBA President Brit Suttell

8:40-9:40 am

Session 1 - Regulation F: Are you Ready? (1 Substantive Credit)
Summary: The CFPB’s new debt collection rules take effect November 30, 2021. During this informative one hour session Attorney Joann Needleman will detail what debt collectors and debt collection attorneys’ need to be doing to be ready for the new rules.

SPEAKER:
Joann Needleman, Esquire
Member; Leader Consumer Financial Services Regulatory & Compliance Practice Group Clark Hill, PLC.
BIO

9:40-9:45 am

Break & Visit Sponsors/Exhibitors

9:45-10:45 am

Session 2 - A View from the Bench (1 Ethics Credit)
Summary: Alan R. Mège is not only a practicing attorney and a member of the PACBA but is also a sitting Magisterial District Judge. In that role he hears a wide variety of cases ranging from criminal and traffic to landlord-tenant and general civil matters including collection cases and has numerous attorneys appear before him each year. During this hour Judge Mège will offer his view of how well (both good and bad) these attorneys’ advocate for their clients while providing insight on how attorneys’ of all experience levels handle matters before his court. Throughout the presentation he will offer tips and suggestions on how attorneys’ can satisfy their ethical obligations while also being effective advocates for their clients as an officer of the court.

SPEAKER
Hon. Alan R. Mège , Esquire
Law Office of Alan Mege
BIO

10:45-11:00 am 

Break & Visit Sponsors/Exhibitors

11:00-12:00 pm 

Session 3 - A perspective from the Chapter 13 Trustee’s office: Creditors’ Chapter 13 bankruptcy practice in the Western District of Pennsylvania (1 Substantive Credit)
Summary: For attorneys representing creditors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases, the practice in the Western District of Pennsylvania presents differences from the practice in the Eastern and Middle Districts, not the least of which being that the Western District is a total conduit jurisdiction. Attorney Jim Warmbrodt will offer observations of problems frequently experienced by creditors’ attorneys and will suggest best practice tips to avoid these pitfalls. Jim will also discuss how Covid has impacted practice before the Bankruptcy Court and the Chapter 13 Trustee, as well as the potential impact of those changes over the long term.

SPEAKER
James Warmbrodt, Esquire Staff Attorney
Office of the Chapter 13 Trustee for the Western District of Pennsylvania
BIO

12:00-12:45 pm

Lunch

12:45-1:45 pm

Session 4 - The Ins and Outs of Requesting and Presenting Remote Witnesses in the Covid-19 Era (1 Substantive Credit)
Summary: Attorney Rob Polas and Bryan Polas have been at the forefront of using remote witnesses at both the Magistrate and Common Pleas Court for the past several years. Ever since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic however, Rob and Bryan have continued to lead in the area as they have successfully requested and offered remote witness testimony in numerous courts across the Commonwealth. During this informative hour, Rob and Bryan will offer his insights on how the process works along with tips and suggestions on ways to successfully present a remote witness before a court.

SPEAKER
Robert J. Polas, Esquire
Associate Counsel Litigation Department (PA) (OH); Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC.
BIO

SPEAKER
Bryan Polas, Esquire
Associate Counsel (PA); Hayt, Hayt, & Landau, LLC.
BIO

1:45-2:00 pm

Break & Visit Sponsors/Exhibitors

2:00-3:00 pm

Session 5 - Current Trends in Debt Collection Litigation (1 Substantive Credit)
Summary: Debt collection litigation is evolving as each day passes. Whether you are pursuing a claim in the magisterial district court or in the court of common pleas there are unique challenges that arise in each court. In this session, three experienced collection attorneys will relay their experiences in these courts from the perspective of representing all types of creditors and all types of claims.

SPEAKER
Matthew D. Urban, Esquire
Shareholder, Weltman, Weinberg & Reis, Co, L.P.A.
BIO

SPEAKER
Thomas J. Michael, Esquire, Principal
Thomas J. Michael Associates, LLC.
BIO

3:00-3:30 pm

VOTE ON NEW BOARD MEMBERS