Corporate recovery, restructuring & insolvency

We have wide and varied experience of all aspects of turnaround and restructuring over many financial crises whether acting for creditor groups, restructuring practitioners or working with the board through the process, providing them with protection and comfort they need through the difficult times. We were at the front end of restructuring in the Covid 19 crisis working to mothball companies during the lockdowns and planning the exit strategy including CVAs and Schemes of Arrangement to avoid overtrading.

We were at the front end of restructuring in the Covid 19 crisis working to mothball companies during the lockdowns and planning the exit strategy including CVAs and Schemes of Arrangement to avoid overtrading

We regularly act for administrators, advise directors on putting their company into administration and assist creditors of companies which have gone into administration, particularly landlords.

Our insolvency lawyers advise companies on the accelerated M&A process and administrators on the many issues trading the business of insolvent companies and on selling the businesses whether via a pre-pack or following a period of extensive marketing through the trading period.

As well as selling the businesses and assets of insolvent companies for administrators we act for entrepreneurs and investors  (ranging from high net worth individuals looking to diversify their investments to venture capital and private equity firms) in buying businesses from administrators and liquidators.

One of the hopes of the end of the closing of the economy caused by Covid 19 was the ability of this new money to save otherwise good businesses which have failed through no fault of their own.

Our insolvency lawyers regularly advise liquidators, directors, shareholders and creditors on all issues relating to compulsory and voluntary liquidations, including solvent liquidations (MVLs).

We regularly act on Insolvency Act and ‘breach of duty’ claims by liquidators and administrators; we also advise directors threatened with such claims.

Our corporate recovery team have acted for the trustee on many high-value and complex bankruptcies; we also regularly advise bankruptcy creditors, the bankrupt’s spouse and the bankrupt. We also have considerable experience of advising on voluntary arrangements and bankruptcy annulments.

We have considerable experience of advising directors threatened with disqualification proceedings. We regularly defend such proceedings, negotiate the terms of disqualification undertakings and act on applications for permission to be a director while disqualified.

Our insolvency lawyers regularly act in shareholder disputes and often advise minority shareholders unhappy with the way a company is being run on their rights and remedies. We are very experienced in these disputes which can be as bitter as a divorce, particularly with family companies (often following a bereavement or arising during succession planning)

and between former friends who went into business together and we have the patience and the insights and experience to steer the parties to a successful outcome, most frequently through mediation.

Having worked in Insolvency and restructuring for so long (our Team’s experience goes back to 1980) we are expert and analysing often complex security and priority arrangements affecting companies and members of the security group.

This is of particular importance for boards, investors and funders considering any form of restructuring, and to administrators and liquidators who need to know how to deal with assets in their control which may be subject to fixed or floating charges.