A new kind of laboratory to better understand bankruptcy and insolvency
Laval University and the University of Montpellier announced today the creation of the International Associated Laboratory: Contracts, Security Interests, and Consumer and Corporate Insolvency (LIA-CSI). Under the co-direction of Professor Aurore Benadiba of the Faculty of Law at Université Laval and Christophe Albiges, a professor at the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the University of Montpellier, the LIA-CSI will be tasked with contributing to critical and ongoing reflection on the protection of consumers and businesses in a fragile economic context.
“One of our main research focuses will be to assess the effectiveness of legal tools for preventing and addressing the difficulties faced by insolvent or bankrupt businesses and consumers, whether in Quebec, Canada, or France,” explained the co-directors. We will focus in particular on the effects of COVID-19 on insolvent or bankrupt micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) as well as on low-income consumers, on the transformation of MSME financing and restructuring methods, and on the implications of the reform of French security law with regard to the practices of credit institutions. "The LIA-CSI’s research activities will promote collaborative work with professionals and stakeholders in the field to address the practical needs and challenges of the law."
An international partner laboratory is a collaborative entity in which a teaching and research team from Laval University and a team from an international university join forces around a jointly defined research program. This unique research initiative fosters synergy between the teams, increases training and research capacity, and promotes student and faculty mobility.
“It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that the University of Montpellier welcomes today’s official announcement of the establishment of the LIA: Contracts , Security Interests, and Insolvency of Consumers and Businesses, in partnership with Laval University, our long-standing and valued partner. “The creation of this program is the most recent success resulting from the close collaboration between our two universities,” said François Pierrot, Vice President for International Relations at the University of Montpellier.
“The inauguration of this laboratory marks the culmination of ten years of fruitful collaboration between Professors Albiges and Benadiba and attests to the high quality of their research,” said Eugénie Brouillet, Vice-Rector for Research, Creation, and Innovation at Laval University. “I am convinced that the results of the work conducted in this LIA will help identify potential solutions to significant issues such as consumer and corporate over-indebtedness and the impacts of financial crises on vulnerable individuals.”
“The Faculty of Law and Political Science at the University of Montpellier is honored that the creation of the International Associated Laboratory: Contracts, Security Interests, and Consumer and Corporate Insolvency is being formalized today. “The chosen organizational structure allows us to reaffirm and formally recognize the longstanding ties between the Faculty of Law at Laval University and that of Montpellier,” said Guylain Clamour, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the University of Montpellier.
“In addition to strengthening ties between the two partner universities, the creation of this new strategic entity will bring together highly qualified researchers and foster national and international interdisciplinary research on important issues. “This partnership between the two law schools is all the more significant as it marks the first international research laboratory in the field of law at Laval University and in the province of Quebec,” concluded Anne-Marie Laflamme, Dean of the Faculty of Law at Laval University.