Dr Oriana Casasola

Profile

I have been an academic at the University of Leeds since October 2021. Prior to this, I was a lecturer at the University of Huddersfield and a research fellow at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Germany). I have a PhD from the University of Leeds and an LLM in International Economic and Business Law from the University of Groningen (the Netherlands), where I also acquired a Master of Honours and a master's degree in law from the University of Udine (Italy).

I am an expert in cross-border insolvency and restructuring law, studying both the EU and UNCITRAL frameworks. In the field, I have written extensively about transaction avoidance and cross-border protocols. I also navigated substantive insolvency and restructuring rules through comparative methods.

My current research examines transnational insolvency and restructuring instruments, with particular attention to Title II of the proposed 2026 Insolvency Directive. I am also investigating the practical use of cross-border insolvency protocols under the Recast European Insolvency Regulation (EIR Recast). In addition, I am preparing the second edition of EU Insolvency Law: Cross-Border Insolvency Law in Comparative Focus (Edward Elgar).

Responsibilities

• Programme Manager for the LLM in International Business Law

Research interests

My primary research interests revolve around insolvency and restructuring law, with a core focus on cross-border litigation and cooperation.

In terms of litigation, my research focuses on transaction avoidance provisions (a.k.a. actio pauliana or clawback provisions). These are claims that permit the restoration of the insolvency order and value by invalidating acts of insolvent debtors. They are available in almost any insolvency system. My PhD dissertation, supervised by Prof Gerry McCormack and Dr Zinian Zhang, was in the area of avoidance actions as well as the following:

The Transaction Avoidance Regime in the Recast European Insolvency Regulation: Limits and Prospects. 2019 28(1) International Insolvency Review 1

The Harmonization of Transaction Avoidance: A Compromise Solution (2020) 29 (5) Norton Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice

The Harmonization of Transaction Avoidance in the EU (Edward Elgar 2023)

The International Complexities of Section 423 of the Insolvency Act 1986 in the Sequana Case, co-authored with Prof Gerry McCormack and forthcoming in the OUP collection Creditors and Directors: Law and Liability, edited by John Wood, Sophia Ellina and John Tribe

The contribution to the Norton Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice won the silver medal of the 2020 prize in International Insolvency Studies awarded for original legal research, commentary or analysis on topics of international insolvency and restructuring significance and on comparative international analysis of domestic insolvency and restructuring issues and developments.

The practical impact of my research on avoidance actions is the most discernible in my involvement in the preparatory works for the European Commission Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council harmonising certain aspects of insolvency law:

Study on the issue of abusive forum shopping in insolvency proceedings

Study on tracing and recovery of debtor’s assets by insolvency practitioners

My current research project on transaction avoidance examines the II Title of the 2026 Insolvency Directive, evaluates its standing against global benchmarks, and proposes legislative design must-haves.

A second major area of my research concerns cross-border insolvency protocols as tools for enhancing cooperation and coordination in international insolvency cases.

I worked under the supervision of Professor Stephan Madaus and the leadership of Professor Daniele Vattermoli on the European Justice Programme-funded project “Transnational Protocols: A Cooperative Tool for Managing Cross-Border Insolvency” (JUST-AG-2017, Proposal No. SEP-210469720). The project culminated in the development of the European Model Protocol designed to facilitate cooperation between insolvency practitioners and courts across Europe. This work also resulted in the publication: Casasola, O. and Madaus, S. (2022), “Cross-Border Insolvency Protocols: Cooperation, Coordination, and Communication Duties under the Recast European Insolvency Regulation”, European Business Law Review, 33(6), 839–880.

In this area, I am currently undertaking a new research project evaluating the practical use and effectiveness of insolvency protocols within the European Union.

Past research projects:

My latest research project Behind Closed Books: Money Laundering in UK Insolvency Proceedings investigated the interplay of money laundering and the insolvency and restructuring system. The resulting policy paper and video highlight the money-laundering risks inherent in the insolvency and restructuring systems, the compliance challenges experienced by practitioners, and the anti-money-laundering governance structure within the English insolvency and restructuring system. Reflections and conversations on the topic can also be found in the Oxford Business Blog Post and INSOL Talks podcast.

Further in the past, I investigated how insolvency and restructuring regimes work for farmers and look into the sustainability implications of farmers' financial distress. On the topic, I have written:

The Italian Exclusion of Farming Enterprises from Major Insolvency Proceedings: An Assessment of its Appropriateness within the European Union Insolvency Context, Co-authored with Dr Elisa Salvadori 2025 34(1) International Insolvency Review.

Addressing Farmers Financial Distress in England, forthcoming 2025(2) in the Journal of International and Comparative Law.

The research project underpinning the article 'Addressing Farmers Financial Distress in England' has been supported by the Micheal Beverley Innovation Fellowship, which has been an opportunity for great personal and professional development under the coaching of Paul Slater and Katie McDermott. Some of the findings of my fellowship research have also been discussed in a webinar hosted by the Global Food and Environment Institute: What are the needs of farmers in financial distress within the UK insolvency regime?

Primary investigator (PI)

• Addressing Farmers Financial Distress

Co-investigator (Co-I)

• Behind Closed Books: Money Laundering in UK Insolvency Proceedings

Qualifications

• FHEA
• PhD
• LLM
• Master Degree in Law
• Master of Honours

Professional memberships

• INSOL Europe
• International Insolvency Institute - NextGen Program
• INSOL International
• Young Academic Network of Insolvency Law
• British Association of Comparative law
• insolvency Law Association
• Society of Legal Scholars

Student education

The insights gained from my research endeavours significantly influence my teaching role as the module leader for postgraduate modules in international corporate insolvency law and conflict of law in business transactions. My research also informs my teaching of EU law at the undergraduate level.

I am also a certified coach, and I employ mentoring and coaching techniques in my pedagogical activities and pastoral care.

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Business Law and Practice
• Centre for Innovation and Research in Criminological and Legal Education

Current postgraduate researchers

• Matthew Chippin
• Xingyu Tian