What to Expect

100% attendees last year rated the forum as very good or excellent

The R3 Eastern Committee are pleased to announce that the 2026 Eastern Forum will once again be held at the Dunston Hall Hotel, Norwich.

The forum will bring together insolvency and restructuring professionals from across the Eastern region for a programme of insightful updates, engaging content and valuable networking opportunities.

The theme of this year’s forum is Our Changing World.

The expected number of CPD hours for the forum is 5.5 hours. More information will be announced in due course.

If you are interested in sponsoring at this event or others in the Eastern region, go here or for more information, you can contact Nicola.Pogson@r3.org.uk

The R3 Eastern Committee

Programme

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  09:00: Registration and networking

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  09:35: Welcome and opening of the Eastern Forum
  Fiona Richardson, R3 Eastern Vice Chair welcomes attendees to the R3 Eastern Forum. 
  
  Speaker: Fiona Richardson, Partner, Ashtons Legal

• —

  09:50: R3 update
  R3 President Sonia Jordan will update on the work R3 has been doing for members. 

  Speaker: Sonia Jordan, Partner and R3 President, Knights

• —

  10:30: Recruitment and retention of staff in the modern day
  As HR and Recruitment leaders in the legal industry, we see first hand how recruitment and retention have shifted. Talent expectations, hybrid working, wellbeing, and purpose now rival pay. At the same time, skills shortages, regulatory pressure, and client demands are intensifying. We will share our experiences and approaches to attracting scarce expertise, building inclusive pipelines, and retaining high performers through career development, leadership capability, and culture.

  Speakers:

  Lauren Hills, Head of Talent Acquisition, Birketts LLP

  Fiona Wellstead, Human Resources Director, Birketts LLP

• —

  11:00: Networking and morning break

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  11:30: Auctions Digitalised: Realising Value in the Insolvency Estate

  Your duty to creditors has not moved. What has moved is the auction process itself. Bryan Baxter and Oliver Prior set out how digitalisation has reshaped the sector, and what that means for the estates you are appointed over. Online bidding opens the market well beyond the room, bringing more competing buyers to every lot. Live data on viewings, legal pack downloads and registered bidders shapes the reserve, the marketing and the timing of the sale. Open competitive bidding then demonstrates a best price, evidenced and defensible to creditors. An unconditional exchange removes fall-through risk and fixes the completion timetable.
  
  Speakers:

  Bryan Baxter, Founding Director & Auctioneer, Auction House

  Oliver Prior, Managing Director, Auction House

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  12:15: Session TBC

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  13:00: Networking lunch

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  14:00: When litigants in person meet AI: Insolvency on the edge
  
  Speakers:

  Sian Leonard, Partner, Birketts

  Fiona Richardson, Partner, Ashtons Legal

• —

  14:35: How insolvency litigation has become a process of continuous adaptation – to facts, assets, law, and behaviour – and what that means for IPs and funders today
  
  Speaker:

  Alison Kirby, Associate, Manolete Partners Plc

• —

  14:50: The impact of artificial intelligence on the risk landscape for Insolvency Practitioners

  This session will look at the risk and opportunities created by current and developing artificial intelligence technology within the insolvency and wider financial sector. It will consider how AI tools can be adopted, what controls should be considered, what the current and emerging risks are, and how insurers are reacting to those risks.

  Speaker:

  Alistair Schuberth, Risk Partner, Marsh Limited

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  15:30: Networking and afternoon break

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  16:00: Keeping Pace with Change: Insolvency Law Update
  Join Natalie Kearney and Raghav Trivedi for a practical review of the most significant insolvency decisions from the past 12 months. This fast-paced session will examine the key judgments that have shaped insolvency and restructuring practice, highlighting the legal principles emerging from the courts and, most importantly, their practical implications.

  Speakers:

  Natalie Kearney, Barrister St Philips Chambers

  Raghav Trivedi, Barrister, St Philips Chambers

• —

  16:40: Keynote session – Living Well on Our Moany, Groany and Droney Brain
  Have you noticed how negative our brains can be at times? How easily it overthinks, gets stuck in loops of worry, sliding into rumination? In this engaging, accessible, and life-changing keynote, Emma introduces the audience to the brain’s worry system — and, crucially, how to manage it day to day. Well-being isn’t just about cake or extra days off (although those certainly help). It turns out well-being is a skill, and like any skill, it can be learned and strengthened. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the brain, alongside practical, neuroscience-informed strategies they can apply immediately to real life.
  
  Speaker:
  Emma Mulhall, Action Your Potential

• —

  18:30: Networking drinks reception and gala dinner

Pricing (excluding VAT)

• Member- full ticket£335
• Member- New professional ticket £225
• Non-member- Full ticket£445
• Accommodation- Thursday 24 September£122

R3 Bursary Scheme

R3 is committed to encouraging greater diversity and inclusion across its events and training programme. To support this, we are pleased to offer two complimentary bursary places for the Eastern Forum to R3 members who may otherwise be unable to attend due to financial constraints. Applicants must be current R3 members and have support from their employer to attend the event if successful. The selection process is confidential and considers each application on its own merits.

To find out more about the scheme and submit an application, please visit the R3 Bursary Scheme.

Sponsors