Western Law students continue dominance at Insolvency Institute of Canada competition
November 04, 2025
Photo LTR: Jieru Chi and Molly Gangbar
Since 2011, Western Law students have won 22 awards in the Insolvency Institute of Canada (IIC) Law Student Writing Award program. This year, recent graduates Jieru Chi and Molly Gangbar added two awards to the total.
Jieru Chi, JD’25, who is now articling at McCarthy Tétrault, placed second in the competition for her paper The COMI Test and the Case for the MLEGI.
“My paper examines the role of centre of main interests (COMI) under the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency, focusing on its implementation and interpretation in Canada. It highlights Canada’s cooperative and flexible approach, which reflects a broad commitment to modified universalism. Yet, divergent interpretations of COMI across jurisdictions expose the limits of relying solely on domestic judicial discretion,” explained Chi.
“The paper then explores how the UNCITRAL Model Law on Enterprise Group Insolvency (MLEGI) responds to these challenges by offering a more structured and predictable framework for coordinating group restructurings across jurisdictions that may apply different COMI standards.”
Molly Gangbar, JD ’25, articling student at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, placed third for her paper Reaffirming Monitor Independence: Trees Corporation and the Role of the Monitor.
“This paper examines the evolving role of the monitor in CCAA proceedings, focusing on the statutory restrictions under Section 11.7(2) meant to preserve monitor independence. It highlights the 2024 Trees Corporation decision, where the Ontario court strictly interpreted Section 11.7(2)(a)(iii) to bar former auditors from acting as monitors unless exceptional circumstances exist,” Gangbar explained.
“This marked a shift from earlier, more permissive approaches. The decision reinforces the importance of impartiality and raises policy questions about balancing independence with practical restructuring needs. The paper also explores reform proposals like appointing an amicus curiae or bifurcating the monitor’s role.”
Both Chi and Gangbar, who originally wrote their papers for Professor Alfonso Nocilla’s Advanced Restructuring and Insolvency course, were grateful for the opportunity to deepen their experience in insolvency law and build confidence in legal writing and research.
“Taking the Advanced Restructuring and Insolvency course exposed me to the nuanced and dynamic legal sphere of insolvency,” said Gangbar. “This award is especially meaningful to me as it recognizes the interest and growth I have developed in an area of law that I had recently begun to explore.”
Chi added, “The course allowed me to explore in depth the areas of insolvency law that interested me most and to engage in detailed legal research and writing. On a personal level, as a new immigrant to Canada who completed law school in a second language, this recognition is especially meaningful. It has given me confidence in my ability to research and write about complex legal issues and to pursue a challenging area of practice.”
Professor Nocilla, who sponsored the submissions of both former students, is proud of the long history of success that Western Law students have demonstrated in the competition.
“Western Law’s extraordinary success in the IIC competition speaks to the quality of our students and our business law program,” said Nocilla. “I am delighted to see Jieru and Molly joining the ranks of other Western Law alumni who have won awards in this prestigious competition, many of whom are now leading insolvency practitioners.”
The IIC is an invitation-only national association of senior insolvency professionals, including lawyers, trustees, advisors, academics, and lenders. Its Law Student Writing Award program was created to provide an opportunity for JD students to develop their knowledge of insolvency and restructuring law and to receive feedback from leaders in the field.
