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Drydens is a recognised ‘heavyweight’ in the sector, and has increased its dedicated team to include 176 members, hiring several new solicitors, one being debt specialist Steve Heighway, who previously held senior positions at HL Interactive and Optima Legal. The ‘forward-thinking’, Bradford-based firm handles high-volume work for a number of large financial institutions, with a particular focus on secured debt recovery. 2010 saw it reappointed to the panels of two major lending clients, and newly appointed to the panel of a market-leading debt purchaser. The practice remains under the leadership of Philip Holden, and includes the ‘pragmatic’, ‘supportive’ and ‘focused’ Phil Harling.

Irwin Mitchell LLP undertakes a significant amount of pre-litigation work across its eight regional UK offices. In 2010, the ‘efficient’ and ‘easy-to-work-with’ team received instructions in relation to over £31.8m of debt, of which it successfully recovered around £17m. Clients include a major national accountancy firm, government bodies, and a chain of decorating material suppliers. Barry Hogg heads an 11-strong team in London.

The ‘well-organised’ and ‘efficient’ Clarke Willmott LLP acts for local authorities, managing agents and a number of utility companies. Previous work for longstanding client the London Borough of Harrow helped the firm win new instructions from the London Borough of Enfield, which has subsequently instructed the Taunton-based team in the recovery of unpaid liabilities in the region of £25m. The group continues to receive instructions from Welsh Water, and has recently taken on approximately 17,000 fresh cases for another new client, Thames Water. ‘Outstanding’ department head Jane Dunlop ‘runs a very tight ship’. Her team is praised for ‘quick response times’, and its ability to ‘grasp the intricate details of the more complex issues’.

The ‘proactive’ and ‘efficient’ practice at Moon Beever recently expanded its London operation by acquiring a small West End firm, adding one partner and three solicitors to the group. Its 50-strong Essex team continues to undertake volume debt recovery work on behalf of The Insolvency Service, local authorities and utility companies (including British Gas). As part of the firm’s expansion, a new specialist department has been created to deal exclusively with utility debt and complex collections. Frances Coulson leads the ‘exceptional’ practice, which is always willing to ‘go the extra mile for clients’.

Based across Bradford, Newcastle and Glasgow, Optima Legal continues to recover secured and unsecured loans for debt purchasers and large commercial lenders (including Bank of America and Barclays), with a particular focus on property repossessions and credit card debt recovery. Experienced litigator Denise Loney heads the team, which was recently appointed to Clydesdale Bank’s legal panel.

West Midlands firm Coltman Warner Cranston LLP specialises in debt recovery for commercial clients in the UK and Europe, including a leading high street retailer, a large electrical wholesales company, and a national parcel carrier. Commercial litigation and insolvency specialist Larry Coltman heads a 26-strong team.

Fairfax Solicitors Limited was formed in 2009, as the product of a management buyout of Eversheds LLP’s unsecured recoveries department. The Leeds-based practice has gained a number of blue-chip clients including JP Morgan, Lloyds Banking Group, Santander and American Express. Recent highlights include its appointment to the HMRC recovery panel, and the successful recovery of £100,000 of child benefit on behalf of the Child Support Agency. Team head Peter Wordsworth has an ‘educated appreciation of the diverse businesses that he serves’, and is praised for his ‘hands-on’ approach. Jonathan Holt (a former Eversheds LLP commercial partner) is also recommended.

Commercial litigator James Fairbairn heads the debt recovery team at SNR Denton. Recent highlights for the Milton Keynes based practice include acting for several large banks in relation to rent recovery, banking claims and finance agreements, and assisting a prestigious boarding school in recovering tuition fees.

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