Chicago-Kent advances to final rounds of the 2017 Ian Fletcher International Insolvency Law Moot

A team from Chicago-Kent College of Law at Illinois Tech is the only team in the United States to advance to the final rounds of the 2017 Ian Fletcher International Insolvency Law Moot in Sydney, Australia. To qualify, the Chicago-Kent team of Maxwell Eichenberger '17, Jeffrey Goldberg '17, Jeffrey Michalik '17 and Stephanie Wolf '17 submitted a brief to the competition last fall that tested their knowledge of international insolvency issues as well as their legal research and writing skills.

Only eight teams worldwide have been selected to compete in the oral rounds March 15 to 17. Michalik and Eichenberger will travel to Australia to represent Chicago-Kent in the final rounds, held at the University of Sydney Law School.

This year, students will argue a hypothetical case involving the liquidation of a car parts manufacturing company based in the fictional jurisdiction of Nuzilia. In the final round, competitors will plead their case before a distinguished panel of judges consisting of Chief Justice James Allsop of the Federal Court of Australia; the Honorable Allan Gropper, a retired judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District New York; and Lord Justice David Richards of the British Royal Courts of Justice.

Professor Adrian Walters, director of the Program in Business Law, and Lauren Hargrove, a clerk to the Honorable Timothy Barnes of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois, are serving as the team's coaches.

Maxwell Eichenberger graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a bachelor's degree in political science and legal studies. Jeffrey Goldberg completed his undergraduate education in communications and psychology at the University of Connecticut. Jeffrey Michalik earned a B.S. degree in psychology from Loyola University Chicago. Stephanie Wolf earned a bachelor's degree in legal studies and political science graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

This is the inaugural year for the Ian Fletcher International Insolvency Law Moot. The competition, which honors Professor Ian Fletcher, Q.C., of the University College London Faculty of Laws, is co-sponsored by INSOL International and the International Insolvency Institute. The Fletcher Moot is designed to encourage the best and brightest students around the globe to learn about international insolvency law and international commercial litigation.