The International Insolvency Institute has invited the Chief Justice of the Cayman Islands, the Hon. Anthony Smellie, to become a member of the invitation-only organisation. The selective non-profit body, comprising leading practitioners, academics, judges and regulators in the international insolvency field, extended the invitation in a letter received on Wednesday (15 March 2017).

“Your outstanding reputation and experience make you an ideal candidate for membership in the institute,” said Mr. James Peck, president, adding: “We are very eager for you to join us.”

The Chief Justice was nominated for membership by the Hon. Allan Gropper, retired judge from the United States Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York and a member of the institute’s Judicial Committee.  His nomination was seconded by two other members of the Judicial Committee, the Hon. Richard Snowden, a High Court of Justice, England & Wales, and Justice Ian RC Kawaley, the Chief Justice of Bermuda and a Judge of the Island’s Commercial Court, a division of the Supreme Court of Bermuda.

Mr. Peck said the institute’s current membership of only 331 includes representatives from more than 45 countries. Since its inception “the institute has made significant contributions to the development and improvement of fair and effective insolvency laws and practices around the world,” Mr. Peck said.

The president said that the institute’s effectiveness “comes from active engagement of members through their work on committees, their representation of the institute at meetings of international multi-lateral organisations such as the United Nations and the World Bank, and their involvement in conferences and other initiatives sponsored by the institute.”

 As examples of the organisation’s work, Mr. Peck said that delegations fro the institute regularly participate in working groups of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).  In addition, the institute has been awarded Special Consultative Status to the United Nations and has developed a close working relationship with the American College of Bankruptcy, with which the organisation has collaborated on and published guidelines for court-to-court communications in cross-border cases.

The institute holds regular meetings at which members may showcase their work, network with colleagues, and exchange views from diverse perspectives.

Additional details about the institute’s work can be found at http://www.iiiglobal.org/ .