Chicago-Kent advances to the final rounds of the 2018 Ian Fletcher International Insolvency Law Moot

For the second year in a row, a team from Chicago-Kent College of Law has advanced to the final rounds of the Ian Fletcher International Insolvency Law Moot. To qualify for the 2018 competition, the Chicago-Kent team of Alanna Elinoff '18, Matthew Griffin '18, Cody Lipke '18 and Ben Mahon '18 submitted a brief last fall that tested their knowledge of international insolvency issues as well as their legal research and writing skills.

The team will travel to Vancouver, Canada, where they will compete in oral arguments February 6 to 8 at the University of British Columbia and at the British Columbia Supreme Court.  

Inaugurated in 2017, the Ian Fletcher International Insolvency Law Moot is designed to encourage the best and brightest students around the globe to learn about international insolvency law and international commercial litigation. 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.

Last year, the team of Maxwell Eichenberger '17 and Jeffrey Michalik '17 placed in the top four at the final rounds of the competition, held that year in Sydney, Australia. Chicago-Kent was one of only eight teams—and the only team from a U.S. law school—selected to compete in the international finals in 2017. 

This year, students will argue a fictional case involving an electric bike company in a hypothetical jurisdiction that has adopted the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-border Insolvency. At issue is whether Chapter 11 proceedings filed in the United States by the company can be recognized in the company’s home jurisdiction.

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

Chicago-Kent's participation was made possible by the generous gift of Jonathan Carson '97, co-CEO at Bankruptcy Management Solutions Inc.

Alanna Elinoff '18 earned a B.A. in French studies and international studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Matthew Griffin '18 graduated from Stanford University, where he majored in drama. Cody Lipke '18 completed a bachelor's degree in international business and language area studies at St. Norbert College in Wisconsin. Ben Mahon '18 earned a bachelor's degree in human biology from Cornell University and a teaching certificate from Northwestern University.