Next Generation Lawyers

Rising Stars

Insolvency and corporate recovery in Wales

Blake Morgan LLP

One of the few standalone insolvency groups in Wales, Blake Morgan LLP has developed excellent ties among lenders and insolvency practitioners (IPs), ensuring that it receives a significant flow of contentious and non-contentious mandates. Himself a qualified IP, team head Paul Caldicott  has been pivotal to the firm’s success, adept as he is at handling both formal insolvency processes, as well as consensual restructuring mandates. As well as assisting on corporate insolvency work, associate Sophia Farmer regularly advises trustees in bankruptcy on personal insolvency matters.

Practice head(s):

Paul Caldicott


Other key lawyers:

Sophia Farmer


Key clients

Grant Thornton UK LLP


Baker Tilly Creditor Services LLP


Bridgewood Financial Solutions


Colchester Borough Council


RAM RE Property Advisors


Coventry City Council


McAlister & Co Insolvency Practitioners Ltd


Carter Clark


Mazars LLP


Begbies Traynor Central LLP


Teneo


Evelyn Partners


Work highlights


  • Acted for Evelyn Partners on the sale of online retailer, Snug Shack Limited, via a pre-pack administration.
  • Acted for Evelyn Partners in assisting the joint trustees obtain a suspension from discharge order against an uncooperative bankrupt and realise assets valued in excess of £1m.

Capital Law Limited

Capital Law Limited handles a considerable amount of contentious and non-contentious insolvency work under the respective umbrellas of the firm’s overarching commercial litigation and commercial practice areas. ‘Clever and commercial’ litigator Philip Jones takes the lead on much of the firm’s contentious insolvency work and is regularly engaged by IPs pursuing insolvent companies in the context of alleged fraudulent trading, transactions at an undervalue and asset tracing. Corporate and commercial lawyer Maria Coggins is the de-facto head of the non-contentious offering, and has over the years gained significant experience advising IPs and corporates on consensual restructuring matters and formal insolvency procedures.

Practice head(s):

Philip Jones; Maria Coggins


Other key lawyers:

Duncan Macintosh; Guto Llewelyn; James Williams; Simon Williams


Testimonials

‘The team are very diverse but operate as one so it is a one stop solution. Everyone seems to have different talent and work well together.’

‘It is a diverse and growing team. We particularly value the different practice areas and the willingness of the lawyers to pull in colleagues from different departments where their expertise will be valuable to the issues in hand.’

‘Philip Jones is clever and commercial.’

‘Philip Jones has a huge amount of experience in litigation including insolvency.’

‘Maria Coggins is an excellent problem solver.’

Key clients

Menzies LLP


Teneo Restructuring Limited


Development Bank of Wales


Holland Shellfish International Limited


Fastfit Station MK Limited


Motion Events Ltd


Work highlights


  • Acting for the Liquidators of Walsham Chalet Park Limited (in Liquidation) in respect of various claims against the company’s former directors and officers (which resulted in the disqualification of all directors).
  • Advising Motion Events Ltd, the UK’s and one of the world’s most popular music event venues, in the administration of Festicket.
  • Assisting the Liquidators of VIA Project 4 Limited – a failed, unregulated collective investment scheme – with a myriad of legal issues.

JCP Solicitors

The 'experienced and hardworking' team at JCP Solicitors regularly advises office holders, lenders and corporates across both contentious and non-contentious matters. Sophie Thomas is 'knowledgeable and client-focused' and continues to primarily specialise in advising fixed charge receivers on their recoveries work. David Owen is 'assured and confident' at handling conventional contentious insolvency matters for both debtors and creditors, including advice in relation to misfeasance and undervalue claims. Andrew Meech co-heads the team with Thomas and 'is particularly strong when it comes to commercial strategy in an insolvency scenario’. 


Practice head(s):

Sophie Thomas; Andrew Meech


Other key lawyers:

David Owen; Emily Summer


Testimonials

‘The insolvency team at JCP is small and specialist and provides practical advice. They are able to provide niche advice and good case management advice from their experience in running insolvency cases.’

‘It is a solid, experienced and hardworking team that delivers prompt and clear advice upon request within normally short turnaround times expected of insolvency practitioners.’

The team is very approachable and knowledgeable.’

Work highlights


Darwin Gray

Darwin Gray has ‘top class knowledge of insolvency law but with the ability to produce practical solutions’, ensuring it is a popular choice among officeholders, including IPs and trustees in bankruptcy, in relation to corporate and personal insolvencies. Able to draw upon many years’ experience in the field, ‘pragmatic and commercial’ team head Mark Rostron is key to the firm’s success, and as well as his deep knowledge of the relevant law is also noted for his ability to handle the advocacy in hearings by virtue of his higher rights of audience.

Practice head(s):

Mark Rostron


Other key lawyers:

Kate Heaney


Testimonials

‘The team are knowledgeable and helpful. I never get the impression they are out of their depth on a case, no matter how complicated it is. I know I can rely on their advice.’

‘The firm has top class knowledge of insolvency law but with the ability to produce practical solutions.’

‘Mark Rostron’s advice is always comprehensive, pragmatic and commercial.’

Key clients

Michelle Williams (insolvency practitioner at Bailams & Co Insolvency Practitioners)


Huw Powel and Katrina Orum (insolvency practitioners at Begbies Traynor (Cardiff))


John Cullen, Freddy Khalastchi, Bethan Evans, Jonathan Bass and Rachel Lai (insolvency practitioners at Menzies (Cardiff and London))


Dean Collins (insolvency practitioner at Doyle Davies Insolvency Practitioners)


Susan Clay and W Vaughan Jones (insolvency practitioners at Jones Giles & Clay)


Paul Weber (insolvency practitioner at Leigh Adams insolvency Practitioners)


Manolete Partners PLC (insolvency litigation funders)


Sandra McAlister, Simon Barriball, Helen Whitehouse and Gareth Bishop (insolvency practitioners at McAlister & Co.)


Steve Elliot (insolvency practitioner at Monahans (Swindon))


Anthony Broom (insolvency practitioner at AJB Restructuring and Insolvency Limited)


Peter O’Duffy (insolvency practitioner at I P Services Limited)


Work highlights


  • Advised and conducted contested successful application for possession of and sale of farm land, farm house and farm buildings.
  • Successful misfeasance claim against and full recovery from director of a restaurant business, on behalf of the liquidator.
  • Reference of question to court under s.112 Insolvency Act 1986 to determine beneficial ownership of a fund of money formerly held in the client account by a now defunct firm of solicitors.

Hugh James

Drawing upon strong ties with national and regional IPs, as well as with public sector clients as creditors, Hugh James receives a regular flow of work on formal insolvency situations, as well as in a corporate restructuring context. Team head Alex Pay is a the forefront of most of the work and is able to leverage his broader commercial litigation prowess to good effect on contentious insolvency matters, in particular. In addition, Pay has niche expertise in dealing with insolvent probate estates.


Practice head(s):

Alex Pay


Key clients

Menzies LLP


Mazars LLP


Begbies Traynor LLP


BDO LLP


Kennway Francis Ltd


Quantuma Advisory Ltd


Bishop Fleming LLP


Welsh Government


Work highlights


  • Advised Carter Backer Winter and Kennway Francis (as Trustee in Bankruptcy and successor Trustee) in protracted possession proceedings concerning bankrupt’s property.
  • Advised Bishop Fleming as Liquidator in relation to potential support of a preference claim.