General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | LLAW3023 |
| Course name: | Insolvency Law |
| Programme offered under: | LLB Programme |
| Semester: | Second |
| Designated research course: | Not applicable |
| Specialization: | Commercial, corporate and financial law |
| Co-requisite: | Business Associations |
| Course offered to non-law students: | No |
| Credit point value: | 6 credits |
1.2 Course description
Insolvency law is particularly important for those aspiring to become commercial lawyers in Hong Kong, as the city is emerging as an international hub for insolvency practice. More generally, it is essential for anyone seeking to navigate today’s complex global economy.
This course examines Hong Kong and English corporate insolvency and restructuring law, adopting a comparative perspective with the U.S. Bankruptcy Code as a basic reference framework. It integrates doctrinal analysis with insights from corporate finance, providing a sharper evaluation of the practical effectiveness of legal rules. At the same time, this integrated approach offers students a more effective way to develop practical lawyering skills.
The course is carefully designed to be intellectually rigorous yet accessible, giving students the opportunity to acquire practical skills and cultivate a global perspective on corporate insolvency without an excessive workload outside the classroom.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Alex Huang | alehuang@hku.hk | CCT 508 | By email |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
Students who successfully complete Cross-border Insolvency Law should have achieved the following learning outcomes:
CLO 1 Be familiar with and be able to apply the basic knowledge and common law principles for
(a) moratorium;
(b) set-offs;
(c) priority claims
(d) pari passu
CLO 2 Be able to apply domestic and international law/rules for identifying and settling issues regarding
(e) transnational and cross-border insolvencies
CLO 3 Be able to understand
(f) the differences between the US and UK models for bankruptcy reorganisation;
the former being debtor in possession (DIP) and the latter, administration replacement
CLO 4 Be able to appreciate the significant use of
(g) forensic accounting in finding out whether the company’s insolvency was caused by fraud
CLO 5 Be able to understand and comment on the key issues set out in the legislative proposal for corporate rescue in Hong Kong
CLO 6 Be able to identify the key issues in China’s Enterprise Bankruptcy Law as well as its (lack of) full implementation
CLO 7 Be familiar with the Official Receiver’s Contracting-out Schemes
2.2 LLB Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Please refer to the following link: https://course.law.hku.hk/llb-plo/
2.3 Programme Learning Outcomes to be achieved in this course
| PLO A | PLO B | PLO C | PLO D | PLO E | PLO F | |
| CLO 1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 6 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 7 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary
| Assessment task | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| To be confirmed | 100% | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| *Feedback method (to be determined by course teacher) | |
| 1 | A general course report to be disseminated through Moodle |
| 2 | Individual feedback to be disseminated by email / through Moodle |
| 3 | Individual review meeting upon appointment |
| 4 | Group review meeting |
| 5 | In-class verbal feedback |
3.2 Assessment Detail
To be advised by course convenor(s).
3.3 Grading Criteria
Please refer to the following link: https://www.law.hku.hk/_files/law_programme_grade_descriptors.pdf
Learning Activities
4.1 Learning Activity Plan
| Seminar | 3 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks |
| Private study time: | 9.5 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks |
Remarks: the normative student study load per credit unit is 25 ± 5 hours (ie. 150 ± 30 hours for a 6-credit course), which includes all learning activities and experiences within and outside of classroom, and any assessment task and examinations and associated preparations.
4.2 Details of Learning Activities
To be advised by course convenor(s).
Learning Resources
5.1 Resources
| Reading materials: | Reading materials are posted on Moodle |
| Core reading list: | TBA |
| Recommended reading list: | TBA |
5.2 Links
Please refer to the following link: http://www.law.hku.hk/course/learning-resources/