Presentations

Rikita Karakawa is a Partner at Abe, Ikubo & Katayama (AIK) in Tokyo, recognized as a leading expert in Japanese insolvency law. He has strong ties to our host city, having earned his LL.M. from the University of Chicago Law School in 2018.

At AIK, Ricky focuses primarily on international and cross-border insolvency cases. The firm is highly trusted by the Japanese bankruptcy courts and frequently appointed as trustees in major insolvency proceedings such as Japan Airlines, alongside significant experience representing debtors.

Notable recent matters include Ricky acting as leading counsel for WeWork Japan in its civil rehabilitation and currently leading the trustee team in the bankruptcy case of Funai Electric, a long-established TV manufacturer that operated internationally.

After nearly two decades of association with some of the top law firms in India, Jyoti founded AJA Legal in 2019. She has represented some of the largest financial institutions, including banks and asset reconstruction companies as well as borrowers, before various judicial and quasi-judicial forums. Jyoti has acted for and advised all stakeholders in Insolvency landscape in India. She also brings extensive experience in white-collar crime and corporate fraud matters and regularly advises and represents multinational and Indian corporations across diverse sectors in commercial litigation and arbitration.

Jyoti has been consistently recognised by Chambers and Partners (Asia-Pacific and Global) for Dispute Resolution: Insolvency since 2015, as well as for Dispute Resolution: Mumbai. Her work has also been acknowledged by Legal Era, where she was awarded Leading Lawyer – Restructuring and Insolvency (2022) and Young Achiever – Law Firm category (2016–2017). She has been noted by Benchmark Litigation (Asia-Pacific) as one of the Top 100 Women in Litigation (2020), and by Asia Law as a Distinguished Practitioner in Insolvency and Restructuring (2020–2025). She is a regular speaker at leading conferences and round-table discussions.

Dhanshuklal Vekaria is a partner in Carey Olsen’s dispute resolution and insolvency team in Hong Kong.

He has a broad range of experience in Cayman Islands, BVI and Bermuda offshore proceedings, regularly advising and acting on matters including cross-border disputes involving both private and publicly listed offshore corporates in relation to restructuring, insolvency and winding up. He also has extensive experience in corporate fund disputes acting for funds, investors and financing parties; private client trusts disputes acting for beneficiaries, trustees and settlors; fair valuation disputes; asset tracing and asset preservation matters; enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards; and shareholder and joint venture disputes.

John is a partner of Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, a major national Canadian full-service law firm.   He has been a member of the firm for 29 years and is based in its Toronto office.

His practice focuses on insolvency and commercial litigation and arbitration.  In his insolvency practice, John has acted for insolvent companies, Monitors, trustees, receivers, and secured and unsecured creditors.  He has been involved in numerous cross-border insolvency proceedings.

John has been involved in the Inter-Pacific Bar Association for well over a decade, including acting as Co-Chair of the Insolvency Committee (2018-2022) and Vice Chair (2014-2018).

He has been recognized for his work in the Legal 500 Canada for dispute resolution, by the IFLR 1000 for financial restructuring, and by the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (for Insolvency—Financial Restructuring and Insolvency—Insolvency Litigation).

Florian Wolff is a partner in the Frankfurt office of GÖRG Partnerschaft von Rechtsanwälten mbB and head of the firm’s East Asia Desk, where he leads cross-border matters, in particular international corporate and commercial transactions. With a track record of advising companies, private equity funds and institutional investors on their investments in Germany and the EU, Florian provides invaluable counsel on complex matters that can have significant impact on clients’ investments and operations in Germany and the EU.
Drawing on his extensive experience, Florian brings a wealth of knowledge to help clients navigate challenging issues arising in international mid-cap M&A transactions, joint venture agreements, and cross-border trade matters. His strategic and commercially-minded approach makes him sought after by clients from other EU countries, North America, and East Asia. Florian and his team of native-speaking lawyers counsel numerous companies from China, Japan, and South Korea, as well as German clients on their investments in these markets.
In addition, Florian has played a key role in building the firm’s international legal practice. He develops and coordinates cross-border teams, implements best practices for working with international clients, and supports the firm’s strategic expansion into new markets.
With a focus on automotive suppliers, mechanical engineering, metal and other materials, software/hardware, IT, and telecommunications industries, Florian advises well-known large and midsized companies across a wide range of industries.