Chapter 15 as an Expansion Tool: Obtaining U.S. Relief Beyond the Bankruptcy Code Through Foreign Proceedings

Thursday, October 8th, 2026 – 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM – Pacific Ballroom – 18

Panelists:

Katherine Catanese, Squire Patton Boggs (moderator)
Hon. Mr. Justice Michael Quinn – High Court of Ireland
Hon. Thomas Horan – U.S. Bankruptcy Court, D. Del.
Hon. James Peck – International Judge of the Singapore International Commercial Court and Retired Judge,  U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D.N.Y.
Judge Frank Bailey (ret.)  U.S. Bankruptcy Court, D. Mass. 

Description:

This panel will examine how Chapter 15 has the potential to evolve into a powerful mechanism for obtaining relief in the United States that the Bankruptcy Code itself does not expressly provide. The panel will also focus on the most efficient and effective gateway jurisdictions achieve the goals of global restructuring.

In the wake of recent Supreme Court and appellate decisions narrowing the scope of implied authority U.S. Chapter 11 cases, cross-border restructurings have taken on renewed importance—not merely as coordination tools, but as gateways to U.S. injunctions, claim-binding effects, discovery, and enforcement relief that would be unavailable if the same enterprise filed domestically. While the discussion will inevitably use non-debtor third-party releases as a jumping off point, it will focus on the doctrinal foundations of Chapter 15, the role of comity and procedural fairness, and how courts may respond as foreign proceedings are increasingly used to access U.S. judicial power beyond the limits Congress imposed in Chapter 11.