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The global automotive industry is facing unprecedented disruption, from supply chain pressures and shifting consumer demand to the transition toward electrification and stricter regulatory frameworks. These forces are creating unique restructuring challenges and opportunities across both the U.S. and European markets. This panel will bring together experts to compare approaches on both sides of the Atlantic, examining how legal, financial and operational strategies differ and the lessons that can be drawn from recent high-profile cases. Attendees will gain insights into emerging risks, cross-border considerations, and the tools available to manage distress in one of the world’s most complex and rapidly evolving industries.

Director liability in restructuring continues to grow in importance across borders, with shifting legal regimes and case law creating uncertainty for boards and restructuring professionals alike. This panel will compare filing laws and requirements in key jurisdictions, including Ireland and Germany, and examine the evolving roles of independent directors and restructuring practitioners.

This panel will explore how tariffs, geopolitical tensions and macroeconomic pressures are reshaping the restructuring landscape. The panelists will examine the impact of these forces on such sectors as real estate, energy and retail, highlighting emerging distressed assets and strategies for navigating complex cross-border and domestic restructuring challenges. Attendees will gain practical insights into mitigating risk and identifying opportunities in an increasingly volatile environment.

This session will explore the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital-asset recovery in cross-border bankruptcy proceedings. The panelists will examine the challenges in making recoveries when digital-asset businesses are the subject of fraud or hacking activity, and discuss how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing asset-tracing, evidence-gathering and recovery processes. They also will cover the practical challenges insolvency professionals face when appointed over businesses in this sector, especially when there is a parallel criminal investigation and/or prosecution, and ways in which practitioners can navigate that landscape to achieve the best outcomes for stakeholders by drawing on real-life examples of cases in which the panelists have been involved.

This annual session features leading U.S. practitioners and judicial perspectives on the most pressing developments in U.S. restructuring and insolvency. The panelists will examine the surge in private credit and its impact on liability management, explore how public perception shapes insolvency outcomes, and assess current trends in chapter 15 relief and cross-border practice. The panelists also will address the practical realities of forum-shopping, discuss where cross-border restructurings have succeeded or struggled, and share lessons learned from recent cases in which recognition was denied or chapter 11 presented unexpected hurdles. International experience will be brought to the forefront, providing comparative insights to help practitioners navigate today’s fast-evolving insolvency landscape.

This panel will examine the evolving landscape of third-party releases in insolvency proceedings, with a focus on their implications in chapter 15 cases. This panel of U.S. and international judges and practitioners will discuss parallel proceedings in jurisdictions including the U.S., U.K., Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, France and Luxembourg, highlighting the complexities that arise when third-party guarantees and releases intersect with cross-border recognition. The panelists also will address the aftermath of Purdue Pharma, explore the challenges of forum-shopping and enforcement across borders, and provide practical insights on navigating divergent legal frameworks.

This panel will provide a forward-looking exploration of European insolvency and restructuring law in the context of global cross-border practice. The panelists will examine the evolution of European insolvency frameworks, the work of UNCITRAL Working Group V, and current efforts at harmonization through choice-of-law initiatives and upcoming EU legislation. Special attention will be given to new national restructuring tools such as the Dutch WHOA, Germany’s StaRUG and Spain’s Restructuring Plan, with comparative analyses of how these procedures perform in practice and interact with U.S. chapter 15 recognition. Attendees will gain a practical understanding of how these reforms are shaping the future of cross-border insolvency and what they mean for practitioners navigating multi-jurisdictional restructurings.

Securing plan confirmation is rarely straightforward. From feasibility disputes to contested classifications and objections over good faith, bankruptcy professionals must navigate a range of legal and strategic hurdles. This panel will delve into the most pressing issues impacting plan confirmation today, including judicial interpretations of key confirmation requirements, creditor pushback on cramdown provisions, and the growing influence of subchapter V in small business reorganizations. Panelists also will highlight practical pitfalls that can derail confirmation, and will share approaches to overcoming objections and achieving consensual resolutions. 

This panel will address the most recent developments in preference case law, including with respect to the new value and ordinary course of business defenses, due diligence, evidence, the sale of and liens on preference actions, recent cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, and preference actions in recent mass tort- and crypto-driven bankruptcy cases.

This panel will address a variety of post-confirmation topics, starting with the pre-effective date planning and issues, and post-effective date pitfalls and deadlines. Attendees will also learn about other important topics particular to Subchapter V, post-confirmation jurisdiction, and useful tips for creditors.