COURSE OVERVIEW
This course is designed for insolvency professionals seeking a practical understanding of the key financial and economic principles underlying corporate financial distress, restructuring, and bankruptcy. It provides a structured introduction to core finance and economics concepts essential for analyzing distressed firms and navigating creditor conflicts.
The course begins with an overview of corporate capital and debt structures, introducing major debt instruments and their contractual features, with emphasis on debt seniority, priority, and sources of creditor conflict. It then examines the economic and financial causes of distress and reviews commonly used models for predicting distress and default, equipping participants with tools to assess firm viability and identify early warning signals.
The course also introduces analytical approaches to valuing distressed companies and surveys the major costs of bankruptcy and available restructuring mechanisms, highlighting trade-offs across different restructuring paths.
Finally, participants explore key financing, labor, and governance issues in restructuring, including debtor-in-possession financing, management turnover, and key employee incentive plans. The course combines lectures with selected readings and case studies, emphasizing practical insights relevant to insolvency practice.
PROGRAMME
| Time | Day 1 |
| 08:45 - 09:00 | Registration |
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| 09:00 - 12:00 | Corporate Capital Structure and Leveraged Finance |
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| 12:00 - 14:00 | Break |
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| 14:00 - 17:00 | Costs of Debt and Debtor Subordination |
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| Time | Day 2 |
| 08:45 - 09:00 | Registration |
| |
| 09:00 - 12:00 | Causes for Financial Distress, Default Prediction, and Zombie Companies |
| |
| 12:00 - 14:00 | Break |
| |
| 14:00 - 17:00 | Valuation of Financially Distressed Companies |
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| Time | Day 3 |
| 08:45 - 09:00 | Registration |
| |
| 09:00 - 12:00 | Costs of Bankruptcy and Out-of-Court Restructuring |
| |
| 12:00 - 14:00 | Break |
| |
| 14:00 - 17:00 | Financing, Labor, and Other Important Issues in Financial Distress |
SPEAKER
Dr. Wei Wang is Bank of Montreal Professor of Business and Finance (at the rank of Full Professor) at Queen's University’s Smith School of Business. Previously, he served as Associate Dean of Professional Graduate Programs, managing a portfolio of 13 MBA and specialized graduate programs. He was also the founding director of Queen’s Master of Finance program in Beijing.
Dr. Wang’s research focuses on corporate restructuring, corporate governance, and financial regulation, with particular expertise in corporate financial distress and bankruptcy. A recognized authority in his field, Dr. Wang’s work is widely published in leading academic journals, including The Journal of Finance and The Journal of Financial Economics. His research has garnered significant attention, including features in The Wall Street Journal and The Globe and Mail. He has also regularly contributed to practitioner journals, such as The Journal of Fixed Income and The Journal of Alternative Investments. Dr. Wang has received five SSHRC grants from the Canadian Federal Government to support his research. He is an experienced speaker and has presented at close to 200 conferences and seminars worldwide.
Dr. Wang brings extensive teaching experience across global professional graduate programs. Beyond the Smith School, he has taught MBA, EMBA, professional master’s, and executive programs at renowned institutions, including the Wharton School and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Business School. In his commitment to advancing business education, Dr. Wang has developed numerous pedagogical materials, including eight case packages for Harvard Business School and a book on corporate financial distress and restructuring, published by Wiley with Professors Edward Altman (NYU) and Edith Hotchkiss (Boston College).
In addition to his academic work, Dr. Wang has made substantial contributions to public policy as a member of the COVID-19 and Bankruptcy Working Group, providing policy recommendations to the U.S. Senate and Congress. He serves as Vice President of the Financial Management Association and was a Director on the board of the Northern Finance Association, where he is actively expanding the reach and impact of these organizations. Before his academic career, Dr. Wang worked in commodity derivatives trading and in a fintech startup.
FEES
The registration fees for this course is $784.80 (including GST).
Please note that there will be no refund of any fees should the participant cancel the registration/ fail to attend the event. However, registration is transferable. Notice of any change in participant should be sent to SMULA, by 11 March 2026.
SMU Law Academy reserves the right to cancel or postpone any event. In such case, we will arrange for the refund of fees paid.
