A new kind of lab to better understand bankruptcy and insolvency
Laval University and the University of Montpellier announced today the creation of the International Associated Laboratory: Contracts, Securities, and Consumer and Corporate Insolvency (LIA-CSI). Under the joint direction of Professor Aurore Benadiba of the Faculty of Law at Laval University and Christophe Albiges, professor at the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the University of Montpellier, the LIA-CSI will contribute to critical and ongoing reflection on the protection of consumers and businesses in a fragile economic context.
"One of our main research interests will be to evaluate the effectiveness of legal tools for preventing and dealing with 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) and low-income consumers, the transformation of MSME financing and restructuring methods, and the implications of the reform of French security law for the practices of credit institutions. The scientific activities of the LIA-CSI will promote collaborative work with professionals and stakeholders in the field in order to respond to the practical needs and challenges of the law.
An international associated laboratory is a structuring entity in which a teaching and research team from Laval University and an international university join forces around a jointly defined scientific program. This unique research vehicle encourages complementarity between 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 , Securities, and Insolvency of Consumers and Businesses with Laval University, our long-standing and valued partner. The creation of this program is the latest success of 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 is the culmination of ten years of fruitful collaboration between Professors Albiges and Benadiba and testifies 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 carried out in this LIA will help find solutions to important issues such as consumer and corporate over-indebtedness and the impact 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, Securities, and Consumer and Corporate Insolvency has been made official today. The chosen structure allows us to reaffirm and formally recognize the long-standing 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 structuring entity will bring together highly qualified researchers and stimulate national and international interdisciplinary research on important issues. This partnership between the two law faculties is all the more significant as it is the first international associated 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.