Mark Cullingford > Thrings LLP > Bristol, England > Lawyer Profile

Mark Cullingford

023 8093 0314 mcullingford@thrings.com

Work Department

Restructuring and insolvency team Bristol, London, Bath and Swindon.

Position

Mark has over 20 years’ experience in advising on business recovery, restructuring and technical insolvency issues and has been consistently regarded in the Legal 500 as a leading practitioner in restructuring and business and personal insolvency since moving to the South West from Nottingham in 1999. Mark and the team’s practice includes pre-insolvency advisory work, advice to businesses on the brink of insolvency, distressed and pre-pack transactions including advice to executive and non executive directors/propietors, stakeholders, creditors and associates or insolvency practitioners engaged to oversee or conduct the transaction. Clients include a large number of regional and national firms of insolvency practitioners, lenders, creditors, businesses, their management and individuals. Mark is a regular presenter at R3 seminars and training courses. Some examples of Mark’s recent assignments have included: advising administrators of a national music retailer in dealing with multiple ROT claims, claims for conversion made against administrators and other disputes; advising an international vehicle manufacturer on the restructuring of its regional franchise arrangements following the insolvency of a group of franchisees/dealers; advising trustees of a charitable company on the restructuring and adjustment of pension schemes in light of pensions deficit arising on cessation; advising a publically owned trading company on restructuring and insolvency issues and negotiations with its sponsoring authority including related pensions and regulatory compliance issues. Insolvency practitioner clients include: Baker Tilly; BDO; Begbies Traynor; Bishop Flemming; FRP Advisory; Grant Thornton; Hazlewoods; KPMG; Kingston Smith; Leonard Curtis; Macintyre Hudson; Mazars; Milsted Langdon; Moore Stephens; Moorfields; Price Waterhouse Coopers; Smith Williamson; Undebt UK. Recent reported cases: Re European Home Retail plc, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills v Fowler and others [2012] (oppressive disqualification proceedings); Hicks and Ponting v Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills [2013] Mithani, Director’s Disqualification (discharge of disqualification undertaking).

Career

Trained Warren & Allen, Nottingham; qualified 1995; trainee solicitor Warren & Allen 1993-98; associate solicitor Townsends 1999; Thring Townsend (upon merger) 2001; partner 2002 onwards (conversion to Thrings 2011).

Languages

Limited knowledge of French and German.

Memberships

R3; Insolvency Lawyers Association; Member of Bristol Chancery Court Users Committee; Member R3 South West Region Committee. Current directorships: Thrings LLP; Lee & Pembertons Ltd.

Education

Nottingham Trent University (1991 LLB); Chester College of Law (1992).