How insolvency courts handle conflicts is an important aspect of the Directive on preventive restructuring frameworks and it has become more important in the current COVID-19 crisis, as a result of which insolvencies are or will be on the rise. Insolvency courts are one of the key actors that can impact the length and costs of conflicts, and, consequently, the effectiveness and efficiency of insolvency proceedings. However, there is a lack of empirical research that examines when, why and how insolvency courts prevent actual or potential conflicts. This article reports the results of an empirical study that explored the strategies used by insolvency judges in the Netherlands to resolve conflicts and to prevent a dispute from becoming one. The results show that insolvency courts deploy “under the radar” mediation-like strategies to prevent actual and potential conflicts involving insolvency practitioners, enhancing the speed and cost-effectiveness of the winding-up of cases in the perceptions of stakeholders. Consequently, insolvency judges do not only act as adjudicators in court proceedings, but also take on mediation-like roles, at least in some jurisdictions. Limitations and challenges of these roles are discussed. The findings of this study are relevant for determining and regulating the roles and tasks of insolvency judges.

中文翻译：

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“来吧”：破产法官作为降级器

破产法院如何处理冲突是关于预防性重组框架指令的一个重要方面，并且在当前的 COVID-19 危机中变得更加重要，因此破产正在或将要上升。破产法院是影响冲突持续时间和成本的主要参与者之一，进而影响破产程序的有效性和效率。然而，缺乏实证研究来检验破产法院何时、为何以及如何防止实际或潜在冲突。本文报告了一项实证研究的结果，该研究探讨了荷兰破产法官用来解决冲突和防止争端成为冲突的策略。结果表明，破产法院部署了“不为人知”的类似调解的策略，以防止涉及破产从业人员的实际和潜在冲突，提高利益相关者认为案件清盘的速度和成本效益。因此，破产法官不仅在法庭程序中充当裁决者，而且至少在某些司法管辖区中扮演类似调解的角色。讨论了这些角色的局限性和挑战。本研究的结果与确定和规范破产法官的角色和任务有关。但也至少在某些司法管辖区扮演类似调解的角色。讨论了这些角色的局限性和挑战。本研究的结果与确定和规范破产法官的角色和任务有关。但也至少在某些司法管辖区扮演类似调解的角色。讨论了这些角色的局限性和挑战。本研究的结果与确定和规范破产法官的角色和任务有关。