Smith Invited to Speak at BU Symposium on Distressed Municipalities

Charlotte Bankruptcy Member Zach Smith was invited to speak at the Boston University School of Law symposium “Distressed Municipal Financing:  Navigating Uncharted Waters,” scheduled for February 7.  Smith will lead a panel discussion surveying current issues and trends in distressed municipal financing, including the fiduciary duties of public pension trustees, and Puerto Rico's municipal debt crisis, among others.

This Symposium, presented by the Boston University Review of Banking & Financial Law, brings together practitioners, judges, and leading scholars to discuss key financial issues arising in debt-laden communities across the nation, including:  historic bankruptcies in Detroit and San Bernardino, pension obligation conflicts, and the tension between austerity measures and bailouts.  Perspectives on municipal use of volatile securities and the effect of voter mobility on local finance policy, among others, will be presented.  Participants will examine how state and local governments can navigate conflicting interests to generate workable financing solutions.