Christopher S. Sontchi is an International Judge of the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) and is the former Chief Judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware where he served for 16 years. He is a frequent speaker in the United States and abroad on issues relating to corporate reorganizations, having made over 100 appearances.
He is a Lecturer in Law at The University of Chicago Law School and has taught restructuring to international judges with the World Bank Group, most recently in the People’s Republic of China. He is also a member of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, International Insolvency Institute, Judicial Insolvency Network, National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, American Bankruptcy Institute and INSOL International. He was recently inducted into the American College of Bankruptcy. In addition, he is a member of the International Advisory Council of the Singapore Global Restructuring Initiative and the Founders’ Committee for The University of Chicago Law School’s Center on Law and Finance.
Justice Sontchi has testified before Congress on the safe harbors for financial contracts. He has also published articles on creditors’ committees, valuation, asset sales, and safe harbors.
Juctice Sontchi attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School, after which he returned to his native Delaware to serve as a law clerk in the Delaware Supreme Court.
Justice Sontchi is married and has two adult children.
Publications
Edward R. Morrison, Mark J. Roe, and Christopher S. Sontchi, Rolling Back the Repo Safe Harbors, 69 The Business Lawyer, No. 4, 1015 (August 2014)
Christopher S. Sontchi, Valuation Methodologies: A Judge’s View, 20 American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review, No.1, 1 (Spring 2012)
Christopher S. Sontchi and Bruce Grohsgal, Should the Appointment of a Committee of Unsecured Creditors Be Made Optional in Chapter 11 Cases? XXXVIII ABI Journal, No. 11 (November 2019)
Christopher S. Sontchi, Loan to Own is Back – With a Twist, 27 Journal of Corporate Renewal, No. 6, 30-33 (July/August 2014)
Christopher S. Sontchi, Mortgages Should Be Removed from Repo Agreement Safe Harbors, XXXIII ABI Journal, No. 6, 10-11, 63 (June 2014)
Christopher S. Sontchi, Top 10 Things I Have Learned Since I Took the Bench, XXVII ABI Journal, No. 6, 46-47, 78 (July/August 2008)
Congressional Testimony
Exploring Chapter 11 Reform: Corporate and Financial Institution Insolvencies; Treatment of Derivatives, Hearing Before the House Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial, & Antitrust Law of the House Committee of the Judiciary, 113th Cong. 6 (Mar. 26, 2014)
Professional Affiliations
American College of Bankruptcy, Fellow
The University of Chicago Law School, Lecturer in Law (2009 – present)
International Insolvency Institute, Member
Judicial Insolvency Network, Founding Member
World Bank Group, Consultant
National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, Member
American Bankruptcy Institute, Member
INSOL International, Member
Widener University Delaware Law School, Adjunct Professor (2011 – 2021)
Honors
Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors Judicial Service Award (2016)
Positions
Singapore International Commercial Court (2022 – present)
Singapore International Arbitration Centre (2023 – present)
World Bank Group, Consultant (2023 – present)
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (2006 – 2022), Chief Judge (2018 – 2021)
International Insolvency Institute, Co-Chair of Judicial Committee (2019 – 2021)
American Bankruptcy Institute Mediation Committee, Special Projects Director (2022 – present)
Singapore Global Restructuring Initiative, International Advisory Council, member (2020 – present)
The University of Chicago Law School Center on Law and Finance, Founders’ Committee, Distinguished Member (2020 – present)
International Insolvency Institute, Co-Vice-Chair of Judicial Committee (2018 – 2019)
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware Local Rules Committee (2015 – present)
American Bankruptcy Institute and Delaware State Bar Association, Delaware Views from the Bench, Judicial Chair (2017 – 2022)
Judicial Insolvency Network, founding member (2016 – present)
INSOL New York, Americas Annual Regional Conference, Technical Committee, member (2017)
Turnaround Management Association, member of the Boards of Trustees of TMA Global (2017-2018) and the Philadelphia/Wilmington chapter (2017 – 2020)
INSOL International Multinational Judicial Colloquium on Insolvency, Judicial Steering Committee, member (2015 – 2017)
American Bankruptcy Institute, Annual Mid-Atlantic Bankruptcy Workshop, Judicial Co-Chair (2013 – 2016)
American Bankruptcy Institute Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11, Committee on Financial Contracts, Derivatives and Safe Harbors, member (2012 – 2014)
Bar Admissions
Supreme Court of the State of Delaware
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States District Court for the District of Delaware