The present application is directed towards systems and methods for managing ownership of one or more SSL sessions. A cluster of nodes intermediary between at least one client server may maintain a succession list for at least one session of a first client from the at least one client. The succession list may include a list of nodes within the cluster and an order of succession for the nodes to transfer ownership of the at least one session. A first node of the cluster may enter an operational state for managing one or more sessions between the at least one client and the at least one server. A second node of the cluster may initiate, based on the succession list and responsive to the first node entering the operational state, a transfer of ownership of the at least one session from the second node to the first node.