The Frank W. Koger Bankruptcy Symposium began in May 2008 as a memoriam to the late Honorable Frank W. Koger. The Symposium is held annually each spring at the Charles Evans Whittaker Courthouse in Kansas City, Missouri.
Invitations are sent to the active members of the WDMO bar approximately four weeks prior to the annual event. Reservations are required. In the past, three (3) hours of CLE have been approved by the Missouri Bar and the Kansas Bar and there has been no fee to attend.
In addition to an annual presentation by the United States Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Missouri, Bankruptcy Judges, the following individuals have presented at the Bankruptcy Symposium.
| Year | Presentation | Presentation |
| 2024 | A Brief Look at the History of Voluntary Bankruptcy in America and the Origins of Chapter 13
The Honorable Rebecca Connelly |
Bankruptcy, Race & Chapter Choices
Professor Pamela Foohey |
|
Judge's Material: View Marsh | Veiw Goetz v. Weber | View 522(f) Lien Avoidance--Formula MO CLE - #742593 and KS CLE # 211817 3 hrs. CLE Approved |
||
| 2023 | Developments in Subchapter V Cases
Paul Bonapfel View top 15 document | View comparison document |
The Modern Family Debacle: Bankruptcy Judges Decide That Some of the Debtors’ Loved Ones Do Not Count as Household Members
Creola Johnson |
|
3 Hours CLE (No Ethics) MO CLE - #720331 and KS CLE #201272 |
||
| Chapter 11, Subchapter V Workshop
Paul Bonapfel, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, Georgia 3 Hours CLE (No Ethics) MO CLE - #720332 and KS CLE #201273 |
Additional Materials Application to Employ |
|
| 2022 | Can and should Bankruptcy Judges be "real" Judges? Preliminary observations of a new judge and implications for bankruptcy practitioners Craig T. Goldblatt U.S. Bankruptcy Judge District of Delaware MO CLE - #695861 and KS CLE #191496 - 3 hrs. CLE approved |
Fake and Real People in Bankruptcy Melissa B. Jacoby Professor, Graham Kenan Professor of Law University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill |
| 2021 | Recognizing and Addressing Implicit Bias in Bankruptcy Proceedings Christopher M. Alston U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Western District of Washington |
Elephants and Mouseholes in the Code: A Comment on Statutory Interpretation in Bankruptcy Troy McKenzie Professor, School of Law New York University |
| 2019 | Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy - Top 10 Suggestions Elizabeth L. Perris U.S. Bankruptcy Judge (Ret.) District of Oregon |
The Ethical Implications of Artificial Intelligence in the Practice of Law - Lawyers Beware! Erithe A. Smith U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Central District of California |
| 2018 | The Challenge of Being a Successful Bankruptcy Lawyer, a Good Person and a Zealous Advocate David Lander Professor Saint Louis University School of Law |
Chapter 13 Plan Confirmation: A Mock Trial Daniel P. Collins Chief, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge District of Arizona |
| 2017 | Issues in Individual Chapter 11 Cases The Honorable John E. Hoffman, Jr. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Southern District of Ohio |
Recent Developments Regarding Fraud and Bad Faith in Bankruptcy Cases Michelle Harner Professor, University of Maryland, Carey School of Law (newly selected Bankruptcy Judge - District of Maryland) |
| 2016 | So You Think You Understand Rule 11 The Honorable Peter Bowie U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, former Chief Southern District of California San Diego, CA |
It's What You Didn't Say: Preclusion and Estoppel Doctrines In and Out of Bankruptcy John Rao National Consumer Law Center Washington, DC |
| 2015 |
Lawyers, Judges & Social Media: What to Know Before you Friend, Tweet, Blog, Endorse or Troll Paula Frederick |
Saints, Sinners, and Stories We Tell About Debt Professor Robert M. Lawless View Attitudes Toward Indebtedness document | View Race Disparity document |
| 2014 |
Selected Confirmation Issues in Small Business and Individual Debtor Cases The Honorable Barbara J. Houser |
21st Century Ethics for Bankruptcy Attorneys Professor Lois R. Lupica |
| 2013 | Mistake and Misbehavior In Undue Hardship Discharge Litigation Professor Rafael Pardo Robert T. Thompson, Professor of Law Emory, Law Atlanta, GA |
Some Difficult Issues in Consumer Cases, Plus Some UCC The Honorable William Houstion Brown U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, retired Western District of Tennessee |
| 2012 | This is Not My Beautiful House! Evidence Issues Related to Challenges to Standing The Honorable Pamela Pepper Chief Judge United States Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Wisconsin |
Consumer Bankruptcy Practice after Lanning, Ransom, and Schwab Professor Charles J. Tabb University of Illinois School of Law |
| A Conversation with the Experts WDMO Bankruptcy Judges Trial Attorney, U.S. Trustee’s Office Chapter 13 Trustee |
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| 2011 | The Ten Trickiest Ethical Issues of Our Time Professor Laurie L. Levenson Loyola Law School |
Means Testing after Lanning and Ransom & Other Fun for Consumer Practitioners The Honorable Eugene R. Wedoff U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Illinois |
| View Panel Discussion Question & Answer Dialogue | ||
| 2010 | Multi-media Bankruptcy Ethics Presentation Nancy B. Rapoport University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
Bankruptcy and The Supreme Court Kenneth N. Klee, Esq. Professor at the UCLA School of Law Los Angeles, CA |
| 2009 | Saving Homes in Bankruptcy Katherine M. Porter University of Iowa College of Law |
Piercing the Veil of Securitization: Assignee Liability Professor Steve Nickles Wake Forest University School of Law |
| 2008 | Bankruptcy Law that is More than Bankruptcy Law Roles of Equity and State Law David Epstein Counsel, Haynes and Boone Dedman School of Law, Southern Methodist University |
Gaming the Means Test Professor Margaret Howard Washington and Lee University School of Law |
Biography
Frank W. Koger was appointed as a United States Bankruptcy Judge in 1986. In 1996 he was appointed to the newly formed Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Eighth Circuit, and served as its first Chief Judge until his death.
While serving as a Bankruptcy Judge he was elected President of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges in 1996, and served six years on the Bankruptcy Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. As a Bankruptcy Judge, he published 321 opinions, and wrote or participated in another 31 as a Bankruptcy Appellate Judge. His opinions are scholarly, and sometimes humorous, but always reflective of the practical approach he brought to each and every matter that came before him.
His accomplishments as a bankruptcy judge were not surprising to those who had watched his career. He had been first in his class,
and an editor of the Law Review, at the Kansas City University School of Law, graduating in 1953. After three years in the Air Force as a Staff Judge Advocate, he returned to Kansas City in 1956, where he practiced law for the next thirty years in the firm eventually known as Shockley, Reid & Koger. During that time, he was elected President of the Commercial Law League of America, taught at several law schools and for the American Institute of Banking, and served as a long-term member of the Board of Directors of St. Luke’s Hospital, among many other civic commitments.
Frank Koger’s life cannot and should not be remembered only for his contributions and service to the law. Just as remarkable was his
strong commitment to his wife, Jeanine, to their daughters, Missy and Courtney, and to their granddaughter, Tory.