2017 13th International Insolvency & Restructuring Symposium

Sir Ivan Rogers career in the U.K. civil service previously included work for British politicians Kenneth Clarke and Sir Leon Brittan, and he was chosen in 2003 to be Principal Private Secretary to then Prime Minister Tony Blair. From November 2013 to January 2017, Rogers took on the role of the U.K.’s Representative to the European Union in Brussels. Following the Brexit referendum in June 2016, Rogers resigned his position in January of this year to permit a smooth handover to his successor who would conduct the Brexit negotiations. His experience of the inner workings of the EU give him a unique insight into how the Brexit negotiations may play out and, coupled with his work in the Treasury and the City, he will be able to give our audience an intellectual view of how the land lies.

This panel will look at the questions surrounding the typical life cycle of distressed investing in Europe. The panelists have a significant amount of experience in all aspects of the process, from choosing investments to structuring and funding to exiting the deal. Their insights, including the good, the bad and the ugly, should prove to be an informative and entertaining tour around a complex issue that nevertheless has a high degree of profit potential for those who get it right!

Among the many issues that need to be negotiated between England and the EU for the Brexit to happen is the one dealing with restructuring and insolvency law. The U.K. has in recent years — due to its common membership in the European Insolvency Regulation regime — turned into a hotspot for foreign companies (and individuals) wanting to avail themselves of the English legal infrastructure for their recoveries. This scheme of arrangement — the companies’ voluntary arrangement in combination with the U.K.'s enormously efficient court system — has become highly attractive, since the decisions of English courts are generally recognized automatically throughout Europe. Brexit might change this and deprive other countries of what is currently a huge advantage (and source of income). It is also unclear what will happen with all those contracts under which non-U.K. parties have subjected themselves to English law; Brexit’s implications on them are likely to create enormous problems. This panel will discuss these complicated issues and more.

p{ margin: 1em !important; } A panel discussion charting the emergence of special insolvency regimes in different jurisdictions and evaluating their effectiveness. Are industry or sector based specialist regimes the way forward?