REGIONAL COMMITTEES: US / CANADA / CARIBBEAN
2025 III North American Regional Conference
The UCC Regional Committee hosted the 2025 III North American Regional Conference on January 15-16, 2025, at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The conference, open to all interested parties, drew 55 attendees from the US, Canada, Mexico, the Cayman Islands, and Europe. The program kicked off after lunch on Wednesday, and featured six educational panels, an optional dinner at RPM Steak, and a Women of III breakfast on Thursday morning. The positively freezing temperatures did not stop attendees from having a great time.
Many thanks to Kirkland & Ellis for hosting the event and to our generous sponsors for their support of this program.
A big thank you to our esteemed speakers who opined on the following topics:
1. Decoding Cryptocurrency Valuation Issues in Insolvency Proceedings and the Use of AI in Expert Testimony
• Moderator: Liam Faulkner( Cayman)
• Speakers þ Joel Cohen( Stout, USA) þ Vincent Lazar( Jenner & Block, USA) þ Stacy Lutkus( McDermott Will & Emery
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LLP, USA) þ Natasha MacParland( Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, Canada)
2. Choosing a Restructuring Forum in Light of Purdue; Should US Companies Restructure Abroad?
• Moderator: Kat Burke( Maples & Calder( Ireland) LLP, USA / Ireland)( NextGen)
• Speakers þ Thomas Kessler( Clearly, USA)( NextGen) þ Linc Rogers( Blake, Cassels & Graydon
LLP, Canada) þ Sharon Hamilton( Ernst & Young Inc,
þ
Canada) Ruairi Rynn( William Fry LLP, Dublin Ireland)
þ Joshua Sturm( Davis Polk, USA)( Guest)
3. Novel Issues in Canada Affecting Cross- Border Insolvencies; A Discussion of Reverse Vesting Orders and the Pension Bankruptcy Protection Bill
• Moderator: Valerie Cross( Dentons Canada LLP, Canada)( NextGen)
• Speakers þ Maria Konyukhova( Stikeman Elliott LLP,
Canada) þ Toni Vanderlaan( Deloitte, Canada)
( Financial Advisor) þ Frank Vazquez( Norton Rose Fulbright,
USA)( New Member) þ Adam Swick( Akerman LLP, USA)
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