Joint Event with AIJA in Seville, 29 June-1 July 2023

“Leaving stormy waters to sail away for new horizons”

In beautiful, yet hot Seville, the joint conference of the International Association of Young Lawyers (AIJA) and INSOL Europe’s Young Members Group (YMG) – took place from 29 June to 01 July 2023. The conference was a further joint event between both organisations, following on from the seminar in Mallorca in 2019. 

The eve of the conference saw participants gather for a welcome reception and networking dinner. The first day of the programme, on Friday 30 June, was full of interesting panels and discussions, beginning with the opening and welcome speech by Álvaro Fernández Sánchez del Corral and keynote speech by Judge Amanda Cohen Benchetrit touching on the issues of the latest EC Proposal for a directive harmonizing certain aspects of insolvency law. Later that day, panels covered perspectives on business opportunities, the development of pre-insolvency proceedings, the impact of new challenges and crises as well as a role-playing interaction between participants mimicking negotiations, court motions or group strategy.

The second day, Saturday 1 July, began with a roundtable on confidentiality in pre-insolvency proceedings, followed by other panels on insolvency-related litigation issues and sharing practical observations on the impact of crises on restructuring options. A social programme occupied the afternoon with a chance to visit Seville landmarks, such as the Real Alcázar.

The smooth organisation of the conference was entirely due to the efforts of the organizing committee helped by generous support from the sponsors. In total, the event was attended by approximately 70 lawyers from across the world, which allowed for the exchange of information and sharing of experience from a truly international perspective. The YMG of INSOL Europe plans to continue cooperation with AIJA’s Insolvency Commission, so future events will be on the horizon.

Report by Mateusz Kaliński, LL.M. (Tatara & Partners, Krakow/Warszawa)

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> Tuesday 13 December 2022 from 18:00 to 19:00 CET
> FREE • On-line • Prizes to be won!

Made possible by the generous support of Schiebe Und Collegen

Bring the festive cheer and join our online Christmas Quiz on Tuesday 13 December at 18:00 CET for one final reunion before winding down into the holiday season.

The session will last approximately 1 hour and INSOL Europe encourages attendees to wear their favourite Christmas Jumper, Santa Hat, Elf Ears or Reindeer Nose… and don’t forget to bring a drink!

Of course, the winner will receive a prize carefully selected by our loyal sponsor of the Young Members Group, Robert Schiebe on behalf of Schiebe Und Collegen.

If you are a member of INSOL Europe and under 45, please register by contacting our dedicated quiz master:
harriet@insol-europe.org. 

We look forward to seeing you online!

Clarissa Nitsch & Robert Peldan
Co-Chairs of the INSOL Europe Young Members Group

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The Young Members Group hosted another online event on Thursday, 13 January and this time we collaborated with AIJA for a virtual speed networking session. It was a great occasion to start the year for INSOL Europe by catching up with old friends and making new connections. We want to thank everyone for participating. It was wonderful to see you all. If you missed the event or just want to enjoy the fun again, you can watch a recording of the session here:



Thank you to Robert Schiebe of Schiebe und Collegen for again providing sponsorship for this event.

Post-event update!
Mixing chocolate and beer sounded special but the festive season is about celebrating special moments and getting together with friends. 

The Young Members Group hosted another online event on Thursday, 9 December and this time we had a beer and chocolate expert with us. WernerCallebaut gave us and around 20 Young Members surprising insights when he explained how well for example cherry chocolate and dark beer would go together. The mood was not dark at all – we had a wonderful and lively Christmas party for our Young Members. It was a great occasion to close the year for INSOL Europe by looking back on 2021 and give a preview on 2022. We want to thank everyone for participating. It was wonderful to see you all.

If you were unable to attend the session, please feel free to watch back the recording at a later date here.  

Below you will find additional advice, provided by our expert, on pairing beer & chocolate that might further inspire you. At present this is only available in Dutch, however there are many free translation apps that you could utilise.
PDF > Tournee Pralinée brochure
PDF > Combined tasting of beer and chocolate
 
Next on the Young Members Group agenda is our another Online Speed Networking together with the Insolvency Commission of AIJA on 13 January 2022, 6 p.m. CET. If you want to be part of it, please register your interest by sending an email to Harriet Taylor. She will put you on the list before the official registration starts.

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Young Members Group Christmas Networking Event - Belgian Beer & Chocolate Tasting
Online, Thursday 9 December 18:00 – 19:00 CET - Free to attend - Limited availability!

As a sequel to our highly popular speed networking event we are pleased to inform the members of the YMG community that the next event in the pipeline is the “Virtual Beer & Chocolate Tasting Event” that is scheduled for 9 December (18:00 – 19:00 CET). 

Now that the evenings are becoming long and dark, it is the perfect time to join us with some mouth-watering sweets and hand-picked beverages. Besides, this time you don’t have to bring your own beverage. 

INSOL Europe and the YMG are the best way to meet colleagues with the same interest and field of work. We want to give interested and prospective young members a chance to see how great it is to be part of INSOL Europe and the YMG, even if the venue is on-line. 

Don’t miss the chance to meet old Young Members before the Christmas season kicks in and join us - we look forward to seeing you all!

Thank you to Robert Schiebe of Schiebe und Collegen for again providing sponsorship for this event.

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We managed to get nearly 40 Young Members and Non-Members of INSOL Europe online for our latest online networking event. Our dear president, Marcel Groenewegen, opened the event which was a great honor for us and so was the participation of our long time sponsor, Robert Schiebe of Schiebe und Collegen, who had an active role in the session again. 

As Co-chairs it was a great opportunity to give you some background information on what we’ve been doing over the Summer and what our plans are for later this year and next year. It became clear that in the next six months the YMG will be firing on all cylinders: the Autumn Online Conference will include a YMG panel-discussion and a pre-Christmas event is being planned. Early in 2022 we are going “full steam ahead” to Dublin. Member or non-member - don’t miss the YMG drinks reception there! It’s the highlight of the Annual Congress for the young crowd. Last but not least, once more we will strengthen our cooperation with YANIL and with the Insolvency Commission of AIJA so that we have a chance to repeat the legendary time on Mallorca of 2019. 

The actual speed-networking sessions were once again a great success. All the participants had the possibility to meet old and new friends in four different sessions, which each lasted for four minutes. During the breaks between the speed-networking sessions, we had the possibility to exchange thoughts with the larger crowd. The discussion was so lively and the people were so active, we could have carried on for hours. We hope you had the same feeling and that each one of you uses the next opportunity to join in on our next speed networking event and that those of you who are not yet a registered member of INSOL Europe and the YMG feel that it’s time to change that.

It was wonderful to see all your smiling faces online beginning of September and we hope to have a chance to catch up soon again. Please feel free to contact us with anything that might be helpful for you in regard to the YMG or the event.

You can watch a short section of the event here:
 

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All members of INSOL Europe aged 45 or below were invited to join our free virtual speed networking session on Thursday 18 March.

It has been much too long since we had the chance to mingle (virtually) at the end of October at our successful wine-tasting with Anne Bach and Georges-Louis Harang. The new Co-Chairs of the YMG would have loved to send you a parcel with wine, chocolate or gin to have another tasting event but COVID-restrictions don't allow us to. However, we were still be able to come together virtually for this online networking session which was attented by over 20 young members keen to meet new colleagues and catch-up with old friends.

You can watch a recording of the event (without the private speed-networking sessions themselves of course!) here:
 

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AIJA / INSOL EUROPE Winter seminar
Chamonix - Postponed

The AIJA Insolvency Commission and INSOL Europe’s Young Members Group invite you to a winter seminar in the beautiful mountain resort of Chamonix, France. We are delighted to be working together again on a seminar which will give participants the opportunity to discuss the latest developments in the insolvency field and network with professionals from both organisations and many jurisdictions.

The academic program will take place in the mornings, leaving afternoons free to take part in winter sports, enjoy stunning views of Mont Blanc, or simply for relaxation in the spa. The social programme will take full advantage of the alpine activities and vibrant nightlife of Chamonix, allowing attendees to strengthen their professional network in this fun and unusual setting.

For further information or to become a sponsor, please visit the AIJA website.

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What a great occasion to meet the Young Members Group (YMG) at the Annual Congress in Copenhagen! 

More than 100 young-ish attendees met at the YMG Drink Reception hosted at the wonderful Manon les Suites, kindly sponsored by Schiebe und Collegen, followed by a cheerful dinner at the Llama.

This year’s Congress was also a great occasion for the YMG to be involved in the organization, to be panelists and to be active in the INSOL Europe groups. Dr. Anne Bach (née Laspeyres) and Georges-Louis Harang, co-chairs of the YMG, gave an update of the year and shared the lineup of the upcoming events.

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AIJA / INSOL Europe Young Members Group

Joint Conference

13-15 June 2019, Mallorca, Spain

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Save the date! Call for contributions!

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Athens is still in our mind… it was a great success and a wonderful Congress. Our drinks reception (kindly sponsored by Schiebe und Collegen) was hugely popular as well with more than 100 young professionals attending!

As you might remember, the drinks reception was also the opportunity to announce a new format organized for our YMG members: a joint seminar with the international association of young lawyers – AIJA. This seminar will take place from 13-15 June 2019 (save the date!) on the beautiful island of Mallorca! We are happy and proud to let you know that the program for this first joint seminar, exclusively organized for and by young insolvency professionals, has now been agreed upon and finalized!

The general idea of the seminar is to put forward young insolvency professionals which will be realized by an interactive / participative concept, which means:

Firstly, we are seeking to involve YOU into the seminar’s program, meaning that we invite you to join the seminar not only as participant but as panelist/speaker and/or as chairman of one of the panels. The topics to be dealt with and the positions to be occupied as well as the application process are detailed below.

Secondly, AIJA will be calling for speakers/panelists on their side as well and the idea would be to have Insol Europe/AIJA-mixed panels enabling panel participants to broaden their professional network towards the members of the respective other organization.

Thirdly, if you choose not to run for one of the panels, you will still be able to take an active role at the seminar, as we have provided for four debate panels where delegates will be able to vote via a smartphone app for the speaker / opinion that has convinced them more. Besides, you will obviously also have the chance to meet young Insol Europe and AIJA delegates and broaden your professional network.

Besides the technical program, the seminar will provide for various networking opportunities during lunch/coffee breaks, a drinks reception on Thursday evening, a beautiful dinner on Friday evening, a (optional) social program on Saturday afternoon (not yet defined but with the promise of exciting activities) and an (optional) dinner on Saturday evening.

We will inform you in due course when the registration for the seminar will be opened.
 

Accommodation / Registration Fee
The estimated costs of the seminar will be as follows:

• Registration fee: approx. €400-€500 (including Thursday’s welcome cocktail, Friday’s full day seminar incl. lunch, coffee breaks and dinner and Saturday’s half-day seminar incl. lunch); the exact amount will depend on contributions to the seminar by sponsors.
• Accommodation: The seminar will be held at the Hotel Blau Porto Petro. Room rates will amount to €212 per night, including breakfast;
• Costs of all other (optional) activities (leisure program and dinner on Saturday) will be confirmed later.

Proposed technical program for Friday, 14 June 2019

• Panel 1 (45 minutes, 2 panelists + 1 chairman): Stakeholder liability on insolvency (Comparative directors’ and receivers’/supervisors’ liabilities in insolvency)
• Panel 2 (45 minutes, 2 panelists + 1 chairman): On the attack: Shareholder redress on insolvency
• Panel 3 (90 minutes, 4 panelists + 1 chairman): How to unpack the corporate parcel -  Pros and cons of different insolvency structures for groups of companies
• Panel 4 (45 minutes, 2 panelists + 1 chairman): Liquidation of assets: international perspectives (International perspectives for the liquidation of assets in insolvency proceedings)
• Panel 5 (45 minutes, 2 panelists + 1 chairman): Receiving support:  Banking instruments to support the activities of the receivers 
• Debate 1 (30 minutes, 2 speakers + 1 chairman): Should companies be allowed to sail abroad to avoid national insolvency regulation?
• Debate 2 (30 minutes, 2 speakers + chairman): Tools of trading:  Should companies be allowed to use restructuring/insolvency proceedings as a tool to preserve their business?

Proposed technical program for Saturday, 15 June 2019

• Panel 6 (60 minutes, 2-3 panelists + 1 chairman): Credit where credit is due: Protective strategies for creditors on debtors’ insolvency
• Debate 3 (30 minutes, 2 speakers + 1 chairman): Mezzanine creditor regimes: should creditor or shareholder regimes apply? (Which regime should apply to mezzanine creditors/hybrid capital holders in insolvency/restructuring – the one applicable to creditors or the one applicable to shareholders?)
• Debate 4 (30 minutes, 2 speakers + 1 chairman): Giving up the day job: Is maintaining employment an achievable objective within the context of insolvency proceedings?

Being a chairman of a panel / debate
Your job as a chairman of a panel / debate will be to act as coordinator of the panel / debate and being the link between the panelist-team and the event’s organization team. Tasks will encounter gathering input by the panelists, streamlining the technical content of the panel as well as the PowerPoint presentation that will have to be prepared by the respective panelists, introducing panelists and giving a brief overview of the topic at the seminar, moderating the panel / the debate and, finally, giving a short summary of the topic / findings to conclude the panel.

Being a panelist
Your job as panelist will be to work out technical details of the panel, including a (short, to-the-point) PowerPoint presentation on the topic you will be speaking about, in cooperation with your fellow panelist(s) and the chairman.

Being a speaker (debate panels)
Your job as a speaker of a debate panel will be to prepare the debate in a one-sided way, i.e. arguing (only) for or against the actual problem. The major arguments you will raise for/against the problem could be outlined on one PowerPoint slide in bullet-point format. Please note that delegates will – at the end of the debate – vote via a smartphone app on what side was the more convincing one.

If you wish to participate in one of the panels / debates as panelist, speaker and/or chairman please contact us via e-mail stating the topic(s) you would be interested in until 31 January 2019 and, if you are running for the role of a panelist or speaker, a very brief outline on what you would like to say on the topic. We will gather applications, coordinate with AIJA’s organization team and let you know by mid-February 2019 for what role / topic you have been chosen and who your team will be.

If you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact one of us. We will be more than happy to help you find the right topic / role and get you in touch with potential other panelists, i.e. to team up or discuss the topic in more detail.

Last but not least: Sponsoring the seminar
The seminar will be a great opportunity for you/your firm to reach out to a wide community of young and motivated insolvency professionals issued from two large organizations. Details on available sponsorship packages can be found enclosed. Please contact our Sponsorship Manager Hannah Denney for details, should you/your firm be interested in becoming a sponsor.

We are very much excited hearing back from you, having you on panels and making this seminar a true YMG event.
 

Co-Chairs of the Young Members Group:
Georges-Louis Harang (harang@hocheavocats.com) 
Anne Bach (ABach@GOERG.de)