The Modern Corporation Conference | Liverpool | Wednesday 13th May 2026

In furtherance of the objectives of the Research Development Fund of the Faculty of Society and Culture, Liverpool John Moores University, corporate law and comparative legal research enthusiasts are hereby invited to The Modern Corporation Conference, scheduled for Wednesday 13th May 2026, at Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Theme - Preserving the 21st century corporation and protecting the economy: perspectives and challenges.

Keynote speaker - Professor David Milman. Professor Milman is Professor Emeritus, School of Law, Lancaster University. He has wide interests in the area of international business law. He is an expert in Corporate Law and Insolvency Law. His research interests are in the fields of company law, insolvency law, international business law and partnership law. He has held editorial and advisory positions for leading publications including The Company Lawyer, Insolvency Intelligence, Sweet and Maxwell's Company Law Newsletter, and the Bankruptcy and Personal Insolvency Reports. He co-authors the renowned Sealy & Milman: Annotated Guide to the Insolvency Legislation (currently in its 28th edition). He has worked on research projects for various governmental and non-governmental institutions. He is a founding member of the University of Manchester’s Centre for Law and Business, and a Professorial Associate at Exchange Chambers.

Guest speaker - Professor Paula Giliker. Professor Giliker is Professor of Comparative Law at the University of Bristol Law School and Co-Director, Centre for Private and Commercial Law, University of Bristol, having previously worked at the Universities of Oxford and Queen Mary, University of London. She is a former Chair of the British Association of Comparative Law, and former President and Honorary Secretary of the Society of Legal Scholars of the UK and Ireland (SLS). She is a Visiting Professor at the University of Hong Kong. She is a Titular Fellow of the International Academy of Comparative Law and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. Her areas of expertise include comparative private law, tort law, contract law and European private law.

Panel session - A Panel Session, that consists of representatives from academia and industry participants will provide insights on challenges of corporate insolvency on creditor interests, the economy, directors’ duties, the role of shareholders, and comparative approaches towards resolving similar jurisdictional challenges.

Submission

Please submit a-250 word abstract with innovative research ideas or research methods about any aspect of the theme of the conference in (a), (b) or (c) below, to Dr Francis Okanigbuan, [email protected] not later than Wednesday 1st April 2026.

(a) the capacity and limitations of directors in preventing corporate insolvencies, (b) the role of shareholders in preserving companies from insolvent liquidation, since shareholders are vested with quasi-management powers. (c) the ways that similar challenges that affect various company stakeholders when a company becomes insolvent are addressed in different jurisdictions, especially challenges that affect creditors and the economy.

Edited Book – selected research papers from the conference (full drafts are expected to be completed by Monday 4th January 2027) will be published as book chapters, in a peer-reviewed edited book.

Background

Data from the UK Insolvency Service indicates that the rate of corporate insolvencies remains quite high in England and Wales in 2024 (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/company-insolvencies-december-2024/commentary-company-insolvency-statistics-december-2024).

Unsecured creditors of several large insolvent companies, such as British Home Stores (BHS), Thomas Cook PLC, Carillion PLC and several other defunct companies were informed that they will only be repaid part of the money owed to them.

In August 2025, the collapse of Liberty Steel led to swift government intervention, not just to protect over 1,500 employees that would have been made redundant, but the intervention was necessary to ultimately avert the detrimental impact that the collapsed company would have had on the economy. For example, in March 2020, the Institute for Government reported that the collapse of Carillion PLC led to the insolvencies of 780 small UK construction companies in the first quarter of 2018 (IFG Insight, March 2020 page 4, see Smithers R, ‘Insolvencies in UK building firms rise 20% after Carillion collapse’, The Guardian, retrieved 10 January 2020, www.theguardian.com/business/2018/oct/01/insolvencies-in-uk-building-firms-rise-20-after-carillion-collapse).

In June 2024, two former directors of BHS were held liable for wrongful trading and misfeasance and breach of directors' duties for failing to consider the interest of creditors (Wright v Chappell [2024] EWHC 1417 (Ch), see [1154 - 1155]. However, the amount of money awarded against both directors is significantly less than what is owed to creditors, indicating that unsecured creditors are unlikely to be repaid a significant amount of their capital.

These challenges demonstrate that this is the ideal time to engage in discussions relating to the following.

a. the capacity and limitations of directors in preventing corporate insolvencies,

b. the role of shareholders in preserving companies from insolvent liquidation, since shareholders are vested with quasi-management powers.

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Host or Publisher Dr Francis Okanigbuan [email protected]