Michael Neill > A&L Goodbody Northern Ireland LLP > Belfast, United Kingdom > Lawyer Profile

A&L Goodbody Northern Ireland LLP
42-46 FOUNTAIN STREET
BELFAST
BT1 5EF
United Kingdom

Work Department

Position

Partner; Head of Office, Belfast

Career

Michael Neill is Head of A&L Goodbody’s Belfast office. He is also a partner in both our Restructuring and Litigation departments.

Michael specialises in all areas of business recovery work, which includes advising local and national insolvency practitioners, major banks, and other creditors. Michael also conducts a wide variety of financial services and insolvency-related litigation. He acts on behalf of financial institutions as well as life, property, pension and investment companies. He has also acted for banks, companies, creditors and insolvency practitioners in the majority of high profile corporate failures in Northern Ireland in recent years.

Experience Advising:
  • Restructuring of the Quinn Group (indebtedness of circa. €1.2bn).
  • KPMG as special liquidators of IBRC which is currently the largest, most complex and cross jurisdictional insolvency on the island of Ireland
  • The major creditors in connection with the Administrations of Carillion, Nortel (UK) Limited, Thermomax Limited, Reid Transport Limited and the Jermon Group.
  • Numerous banking and financial institutions in connection with contentious litigation.
  • Various distressed loan purchasers in respect of a wide variety of restructuring and enforcement matters arising from their purchase of loan portfolios.
  • The Administrators of the Taggart Group.

Memberships

Michael is a member of the Law Society of Northern Ireland (1997). He is also a former Chairman of R3 (The Association of Business Recovery Professionals) for the Northern Ireland region. He has professional I and II qualifications from the Institute of Chartered Accountants and also writes extensively in the areas of corporate recovery and insolvency.

Education

  • Solicitor, Law Society of Northern Ireland
  • IPLS, Queens University Belfast
  • LLB (Law & Accounting), Queens University Belfast

Lawyer Rankings

Northern Ireland > Dispute resolution

The litigation team at A&L Goodbody Northern Ireland LLP is well-experienced in handling complex disputes for global companies. ‘Exceptional’ practice co-head Sam Corbett is a restructuring and insolvency specialist, while fellow co-head Micaela Diver specialises in public and regulatory cases, including those concerning public procurement, outsourcing and infrastructure projects. Brendan Fox has over twenty-five years of experience in corporate construction and property disputes. Michael Neill, who heads up the Belfast office, is also head of restructuring. Ciaran O’Shiel often works with associate Ronan Marlow on matters concerning IP, media, and technology.

Northern Ireland > Finance > Insolvency and corporate recovery

(Hall of Fame)

Michael NeillA&L Goodbody Northern Ireland LLP

The ‘technically excellent and commercially astute’ restructuring and insolvency practice at A&L Goodbody Northern Ireland LLP is well-equipped to conduct high value contentious and non-contentious administrations. Sam Corbett, ‘a phenomenal and trusted advisor’ leads the team. Notably, Corbett has been advising on the complex administration of the advertising giant AV Browne Advertising. Michael Neill is another key player in the firm; he has been advising Belfast City Airport on its rights to detain aeroplanes leased by Flybe following Flybe’s administration. The ‘extremely personable’ senior associate Ross Kane specialises in security enforcements and restructuring transactions, while associate Christopher Coulter excels in advanced litigations.