BGN reaches out to Argentinean Professionals and Judges

Posted: November 24th, 2010 | Author: Nick Hood | Filed under: All, News | No Comments »

One of the key objectives of the Begbies Global Network is to support its members in enhancing their reputations in their domestic markets and in particular to make them the “go to” firm for local professionals whose clients need assistance in foreign markets.

So we were delighted to follow up the highly successful BGN members’ meeting in Buenos Aires with a two day seminar programme run jointly with Naveira, Truffat, Martínez, Anido, Lorente & López the law firm which represents the network in Argentina and where our very good friend, Javier Lorente is a partner.

The seminar programme was preceded by a hugely enjoyable “Assado” (a very special type of barbecue) at Javier’s house on Sunday, 14 November. Martin Prager from Pluta and I, joined a number of leading US and Argentinean insolvency judges and South American professionals at this splendid event which was the perfect way to bring judges and insolvency experts together. Much quality networking was done in the most pleasant of circumstances at Javier’s country house, fortified by copious quantities of delicious Malbec and succulent cuts of beef, cooked to perfection by our host.

The following day saw a programme of panel sessions, all given by members of the network, covering a broad range of topics including the key features of major European insolvency systems, the use of virtual data rooms and other management information control techniques, insolvency issues in emerging markets in South America, Asia and Africa, and fraud investigation and asset tracing in offshore jurisdictions. An overview of cross border insolvency and the network by myself was the start point for the day.

The full details of the programme can be found on the BGN website, together with the presentation delivered by the various speakers. The sessions were well attended by around 75 top flight Argentinean lawyers and accountants.

The final part of the seminar was a full day on 16 November dedicated to panels moderated by US and Argentinean Judges, covering important topics such as the sale of assets and businesses in an insolvency, transparency and public information in legal proceedings, the way in which the insolvency of groups of companies is handled and, finally, the abuse of insolvency proceedings by both creditors and debtors.

The audience was even greater than on the first day, with the lecture theatre being packed for much of the day.

The entire seminar showcased both the network in general and Javier’s firm in particular, as well as greatly increasing the awareness and knowledge of local professionals about international insolvency issues.

Our grateful thanks go to Javier and his partners for giving so generously of their time and resources in organizing and participating in the event.

In a final flourish to a wonderful visit to Argentina, I accompanied Javier Lorente to the ultimate soccer local derby, the clash between River Plate and Diego Maradona’s former club, Boca Juniors. Staged in the world’s first ever concrete-constructed sports stadium, now a venerable location beginning to show its great age but steeped in soccer history and atmosphere, this game was an unforgettable experience, which was won 1:0 by Javier’s beloved River Plate. Photos of the event are posted below.

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