Insolvency practitioner advisory

We have extensive experience advising insolvency practitioners on every aspect of their appointment (both personal and corporate), from effecting the appointment itself (including hostile appointments) to case closure and everything in between. Our team are market leaders in advising on all aspects of both contentious and transactional insolvent estate work, providing advice on appointees’ powers and duties, management of various stakeholder interests including creditor claims (which can turn contentious), asset tracing and recovery, business and asset disposals as well as handling a wide variety of disputes as part of any mandate.

In addition to our ability to advise on insolvency matters within the three jurisdictions of the UK, we also have cross border legal partnerships and trusted foreign advisers throughout Europe and beyond (including India, the Middle East, Far East and the US), allowing our team to efficiently and cost effectively handle cases with foreign elements and considerations. In contentious matters where speed can be crucial in locating and locking down assets, this network is invaluable.

The team, supported by other service lines within the firm, has expertise across a wide variety of sectors, including retail, hospitality, energy, healthcare, manufacturing and charities. Several members of our team are part of internal firm networks that bring together experts within each of these sectors from across different service lines, ensuring that we stay ahead of the curve on trends, thought leadership and changes in the law.

• Acting for fixed charge receivers on their appointment and the disposal of a Grade II Listed period office building in central London. We have advised the receivers on methods of disposal and tax matters which included cross border and multi-party elements. The value of the deal was over £50 million.
• Acting for receivers in relation to a 29 storey office block. We advised the receivers on issues around property management, refurbishment works including removal of asbestos, new lettings and facilities management. We acted on the eventual disposal at a level significantly higher than was anticipated at the outset of the transaction.
• Acting on the receivership of a large country estate which included a Grade I listed mansion of key historic importance, several other houses and cottages. We advised on difficult issues around ownership of chattels, emptying the property, dealing with trespassers and security issues, letting shootings rights, employees, priority of charges over various parts of the estate and dealing with a difficult borrower. A sale far in excess of initial expectations was achieved resulting in the appointing lender being very nearly repaid in full.