Kristin van Zwieten

Kristin van Zwieten is Clifford Chance Professor of Law and Finance in the Law Faculty and the Gullifer Fellow at Harris Manchester College. She is Director of the Commercial Law Centre at Harris Manchester College, a Research Member of the European Corporate Governance Institute, and a co-founder and editor of the Oxford Business Law Blog. Prior to taking up her post at Oxford, Kristin was the John Collier Fellow in Law at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.

Kristin’s research interests are broadly in law and finance and law and development. She has a particular specialism in corporate insolvency law, and her published works in this area include Goode on Principles of Corporate Insolvency Law (5th ed, 2018) and Commentary on the European Insolvency Regulation (2nd ed, OUP 2022). She acts as a consultant to the World Bank in relation to insolvency related law reform, and in this and other capacities has been involved in various insolvency law reform projects in emerging markets. She has a particular interest in Indian corporate insolvency law, having completed a doctorate (in the Oxford Law Faculty) on the subject. Kristin previously qualified as a lawyer in an Australian corporate law firm.

Current research projects include 'COVID-19, public policy and commercial law' (of which Kristin is principal investigator), which interrogates the treatment of distressed businesses in the pandemic, and 'The changing landscape of English corporate insolvency and restructuring law' (with Professor Jennifer Payne), which seeks to evaluate English law as amended in the pandemic and as affected by Brexit. 

Recent talks include 'What works and doesn't work in law and economics?' (keynote, European Association of Law and Economics, 40th annual conference, Berlin) and 'How should the law respond to external crises such as Covid-19' (Inner Temple Reader's Lecture, May 2024).

Associate Dean for Equality and Diversity