International Legal English

About International Legal English

Whether you're a lawyer, law student, or legal professional, this podcast helps you improve your Legal English skills. Each episode breaks down essential legal vocabulary, grammar, and real-world usage in contracts, negotiations, and court proceedings. Designed for non-native speakers, we focus on clear explanations, practical examples, and useful tips to boost your legal communication. Full Disclosure: This podcast is made with 100% AI tools. It complements the International Legal English textbook but is also useful on its own for self-study.

Publisher

Benjamin Koper

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Mar 2025

Latest episode

22 Aug 2025

Latest episodes

25 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Aug 2025

   European Shareholder Agreements: Control, Exit, and Deadlock Strategies

   Host [Host Name] and Guest [Guest Name], a leading legal expert, discuss European shareholder agreements, detailing control, exit, and deadlock strategies for effective business governance.

2. 

   18 Apr 2025

   Cross-Border Collapse: Navigating Global Insolvencies

   In this episode, we explore four landmark European corporate insolvency cases—Air Berlin, Cimolai S.p.A., Collins & Aikman, and Thomas Cook Group—highlighting key legal strategies, coordination challenges, and stakeholder impacts. Air Berlin (2017): Germany-based airline collapsed after Etihad withdrew financial support. Main insolvency proceedings were opened in Germany under the EU Insolvency Regulation, with COMI disputes arising over Austrian subsidiary NIKI. The case involved liquidation and asset sales, with no recovery for unsecured creditors. Cimolai S.p.A. (2023): Italian construction firm faced insolvency due to risky derivatives. Combined Italian and UK restructuring processes overcame the post-Brexit Gibbs rule to bind English-law creditors. The dual-track plan preserved jobs and avoided liquidation. Collins & Aikman (2005): A US-linked insolvency led to the UK administering 24 EU subsidiaries across 10 countries. This pioneering centralized approach used “synthetic secondary proceedings,” influencing later EU law and preserving 5,000 jobs through a going-concern sale. Thomas Cook Group (2019): The travel giant’s collapse led to fragmented national insolvency proceedings. While the UK entity was liquidated, subsidiaries like Condor were saved. The case sparked calls for EU-level reforms in travel sector insolvencies. Each case illustrates evolving strategies in cross-border insolvency, the role of COMI, the impact on creditors and employees, and the growing need for international cooperation.

3. 

   16 Apr 2025

   Corporate Insolvency Insights: Navigating Financial Distress

   Corporate Insolvency Law: Key Concepts and Procedures Objective: Provides a structured approach for handling insolvent companies through rescue or liquidation. Distinct from personal insolvency, which focuses on giving individuals a fresh start. Goal: Balance the rights and interests of creditors, shareholders, and employees. Common Law Systems (e.g., UK): Use procedures like administration, receivership, and Company Voluntary Arrangements (CVAs). Civil Law Systems (e.g., Czech Republic): Use statutory procedures like reorganizace (reorganization) and konkurz (liquidation). Shared Aim: Maximizing creditor recovery while preserving viable businesses where possible. Initiated by a secured creditor. Receiver manages and sells specific assets to repay that creditor. Not focused on saving the business. "Receivership is focused, creditor-driven, and does not prioritize company rescue." Provides a statutory moratorium from creditor actions. Administrator may run the business, sell it, or propose restructuring. Exit routes: return to directors, liquidation, CVA, or pre-pack sale. "Administration offers temporary legal protection while exploring rescue or better-value asset sales." Debt restructuring agreement proposed by the company and insolvency practitioner. Approved if 75% of creditors (by value) vote in favor. Supervised by an appointed insolvency professional. Court-supervised plan involving creditor class voting and judicial confirmation. Allows continued business operation while restructuring debt. Licensed professionals who manage different aspects of insolvency: Receiver: For secured creditors. Administrator: Business stabilization and rescue. Liquidator: Wind-up and asset distribution. Types of creditors: Secured: Rights over specific assets. Unsecured: No asset security. Preferential: Statutory priority (e.g., employees). Creditor powers: Vote on CVAs/reorganization plans. Form creditors’ committees (e.g., věřitelský výbor in Czech law). Review reports and challenge practitioner decisions. "Creditors have legal tools to monitor, influence, and, if needed, oppose insolvency outcomes." Ensures coordination between main and secondary insolvency proceedings. Case Study: EuroBuild AG – German main proceedings with Polish secondary proceedings to ensure fairness and consistency. Possible outcomes: Rescue (e.g., ModeTex S.A. – returned to profitability). Job retention (e.g., XYZ Electronics – saved 60% of jobs). Higher creditor returns (compared to liquidation). Liquidation, if rescue is not viable. Let me know if you'd like this turned into a PDF handout, a presentation slide deck, or an ESL-focused lesson. I. Purpose and Scope of Corporate Insolvency LawII. Cross-System VariationsIII. Core Insolvency Procedures1. Receivership (Creditor-Driven)2. Administration (UK – Rescue-Oriented)3. Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) (UK)4. Reorganizace (Czech Republic)IV. Insolvency PractitionersV. Creditor Rights and ParticipationVI. Cross-Border Insolvency (EU Regulation 2015/848)VII. Outcomes and Real-World Application

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Contact International Legal English

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.