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| I. Sources of Applicable Law | 1 |
| II. Fiduciary Duties of the DIP and DIP Counse | 4 |
| A. Fiduciary Duties, In General | 5 |
| B. Management of the Estate | 7 |
| C. DIP Duties With Respect to Asset Sales | 11 |
| D. Drafting a Reorganization Plan | 12 |
| E. Duties of DIP Counsel | 13 |
| III. Qualification to Serve as DIP Counsel | 17 |
| A. Disinterestedness and Lack of Any Adverse Interest | 17 |
| B. Representation of Multiple, Affiliated Entities | 19 |
| C. Attorney Direction by Management | 21 |
| D. Fee-Related Disqualification | 22 |
| E. DIP's Counsel's Representation of the Estate's Creditors | 25 |
| F. Attorney's Ownership Interest in the DIP and Serving as Officer or Director | 27 |
| G. Effectiveness of Curative Measures | 28 |
| H. Disclosure is Mandatory | 29 |
| I. Sanctions for Conflicts and Failure to Disclose Potential Bases for Disqualification | 33 |
| Conclusive Effect of Fee Award, and Indemnity for Ethical Violations | 35 |
| IV. Prepetition Retainers and Fee Agreements | 37 |
| A. Source of Retainer | 37 |
| B. Earned on Receipt Retainers | 38 |
| C. Installment Retainers | 42 |
| D. Limiting the Scope of Representation | 44 |
| V. Representation of Creditors and Committees | 45 |
| A. Conflicts of Interest With Bankruptcy Estates | 45 |
| B. Representation of Multiple Creditors | 47 |
| C. Fiduciary Duties of Creditors' Committee Members | 47 |
| D. Committee Counsel's Fiduciary Duties | 49 |
| VI. Client Misconduct and Improper Requests | 52 |
| A. Prepetition Counseling | 52 |
| B. Illegal Client Conduct During a Bankruptcy Case | 56 |
| VII. Litigation Tactics and Defenses | 60 |
| A. Attorney-Client Privilege and Ethics | 60 |
| B. Trustee Power to Waive the Debtor's Privilege | 61 |
| C. Creditors' Committee Exercise of Privilege | 62 |
| D. The Joint Defense or Common Interest Doctrine in Bankruptcy | 64 |
| VIII. Abusive Litigation Tactics | 65 |
| A. Standards Under Rule 9011 and Related Rules | 65 |
| B. Obtaining Sanctions | 67 |
| C. Reporting Bankruptcy Misconduct | 70 |
| D. Judicial Disqualification | 70 |
This outline is adapted from Chapter 27, Ethical Responsibilities, Norton Bankruptcy Law & Practice 2d (Thomson-West 2005)
