7th Conference of the Judicial Insolvency Network on 18 April 2026

23 Judges attended the 7^th Conference, with 17 attending in person and a further 6 remotely. Please refer to Annex A for the full list of participants.

The highlights of the 7^th Conference include:

• The launch of an online repository of important jurisprudence from the courts represented in the JIN.  The online repository, which will be regularly updated, resides in the refreshed JIN website and it may be accessed via this link. 

• An initiative jointly with the Judicial Dispute Resolution Network* on the formulation of a ‘best practices’ guide on the use of mediation to resolve issues in insolvency proceedings. Data from a survey carried out by the JIN to understand the attitudes and approaches to mediation in different jurisdictions will be one of the bases upon which the guide is formulated.

  • _{* A non-binding and voluntary group of judges seeking collectively to promote the early, amicable and cost-effective resolution of court disputes through the judicial dispute resolution process to achieve fair outcomes for litigants.} 

• The development of a judges’ guide on recognition of foreign insolvency proceedings in the different JIN member and observer jurisdictions.

For the first time, external speakers were invited to present on trends in Liability Management Exercises in the US and Europe, and the latest developments in the use of arbitration as a dispute resolution mechanism in insolvency disputes. 

Asset Tracing and Recovery was another area of discussion with a presentation on the Toolkit and Background Notes on Asset Tracing and Recovery in Insolvency Proceedings adopted by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law. This is an area of continued focus for the JIN.

The 7^th Conference was also the third and final JIN Conference chaired by Chief Justice Geoffrey B. Morawetz, who will retire from the bench on 15 May 2026 after serving as Chief Justice of the Ontario Superior Court Justice for almost seven years. The JIN expresses its deep and heartfelt appreciation for Chief Justice Morawetz’s outstanding and consequential leadership of the JIN for the past three years. During that time, Chief Justice Morawetz has led the JIN with characteristic warmth and distinction, providing a clarity of vision and thought leadership that has immensely benefited the JIN. Under his leadership, the JIN has grown its membership and observer ranks, especially in Asia and the Middle East, and has seen the adoption of the JIN Admiralty Guidelines and JIN Core Protocol. The JIN wishes Chief Justice Morawetz the very best, and a joyful and fulfilling retirement.

Formed in 2016 as a network of insolvency judges from across the world with objectives to serve as a platform for, among others, the sustained and continuous engagement for the development of best practices in cross-border insolvency and restructuring, the JIN remains a unique network of insolvency judges from across the world where its activities are initiated and executed by judges for judges. The JIN remains firmly committed to provide judicial thought leadership in cross-border insolvency and restructuring.