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Actons’ advice to insolvency practitioners ‘reflects the vast experience amassed by the team’, with its ‘strong commercial acumen overlaying robust technical analysis of complex issues’. Practice head Nicky Calthrop-Owen and consultant Richard Leman ‘epitomise’ the team’s strong skill set and level of service, and Chris Murratt is noted for his ‘experience, knowledge and people-management skills’.

Dominic Offord at Browne Jacobson LLP, on the contentious side, acts for insolvency practitioners, and saw an increase in LPA receiverships in 2010. The team also advises shareholders and directors of companies facing administration and liquidation, on procedural and restructuring matters.

Eversheds LLP is a restructuring powerhouse. It acted on the administrative receivership of Trent Concrete in the region’s highest-profile matter of 2010, assisting the receivers to complete contracts for the Olympic village. Mark Wood’s dedicated team is on a host of bank panels for restructuring and also acts for IPs. It is ‘very professional, proactive; slightly expensive, but good dynamic advice and options/strategies are proposed’.

Gateley’s dedicated corporate recovery practice acted for most of the UK clearing banks as well as various accountants in 2010, on financial restructuring and security enhancement matters.

Freeth Cartwright LLP’s instructions derive largely from insolvency practitioners and have recently 
been geared towards restructuring and strategies for assisting business recoveries, or proceeding to formal insolvencies. Simon Baigent advised PwC in the liquidation and sale of West Midlands International Airport.

Cross-border insolvency is a specialism of Geldards LLP, which advises German banks and Irish debtors on ‘bankruptcy tourism’. Senior associate Anton Smith acted for Volksbank in the leading case Re Hagemeister. The ‘knowledgeable and proficient’ Adrian Slater heads up the team.

Harvey Ingram LLP handles contentious and non-contentious issues for SME directors and insolvency practitioners. Sean Moran heads the team.

The team at Nelsons Solicitors Limited includes 
the ‘extremely knowledgeable’ Stuart Vandermark 
and ‘rising star’ Emma Ward; they are ‘the people to go 
to in Nottingham’ for liquidations and personal insolvencies involving fraud and complex property transfers.

At Hewitsons LLP, the ‘top-drawer’ Dominic Hopkins is experienced in complex contentious matters; he is an ‘excellent litigator who can pick up the issues surrounding a case extremely quickly’; and David Browne is ‘capable of drilling through the bureaucracy’, and is recommended for insolvency sales and purchases. Insolvency is ‘a highly specialised industry in which few solicitors should tread. The firm is one of the few that does and should’.

Howes Percival LLP is ‘a good all-rounder’ for personal insolvency matters and representation of creditors and liquidators against directors. Deloitte, PKF and Smith Cooper instructed the team in 2010.

Carl Mifflin at Shakespeares specialises in corporate and personal insolvency and turnaround work. Work highlights in 2010 included the £3m sale of a caravan park by its administrators, and successful claims against the former directors of a company totaling £1m.

Rachel McCahill-Brown at Smith Partnership is an experienced insolvency specialist and ‘technically excellent’, and is noted for her ‘depth of knowledge and commercial capabilities’. The firm assisted S Robinson & Sons on a sale, and provided advice to directors on personal guarantees and purchases of business and assets following administration.

Ashwin Mody at Spearing Waite LLP is a litigation expert of choice for insolvency practitioners, and in 2010 handled claims of £1m for wrongful trading and recoveries for creditors on liquidations totaling £2m. The team also acted in 12 administrations and liquidations, including that of Ariel plc.

Although qualified insolvency practitioner Peter Cropley retired from Chattertons, Peter Lawson continues to advise practitioners, trustees and directors on procedural matters and claims.

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