Karen McMaster > Milbank > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Under the guidance of Katrina Buckley, A&O Shearman advises a varied mix of debtors, creditors, investors and officeholders as stakeholders in high-profile situations, running the gamut from formal insolvencies and restructurings at one end through to more transactional work at the other – including special situations and distressed M&A. As well as the core team’s deep substantive knowledge in the space, it is also noted for its ‘good connectivity across the firm’, both in terms of international resources (which have been enhanced in the US, in particular, post merger) and complementary practice areas (including litigation, corporate and finance), ensuring that it is able to provide a highly co-ordinated offering spanning geographies. A hallmark of the practice is also its ability to handle innovative, often first-in-market, situations, as was recently demonstrated by Nick Charlwood‘s work alongside the Amsterdam team which involved the first-ever parallel Dutch WHOA and English scheme proceedings. Joel Ferguson and Nick Lister ‘are very knowledgeable, proactive and user friendly’, with the former leading a multi-disciplinary team alongside Buckley for a high-profile administration. Consultant Randal Weeks also has tremendous gravitas in the industry, while at the more junior end of the spectrum Kevin Heverin, who joined the firm following the merger, adds further expertise including in relation to special situations matters. The team was further strengthened by the hire of Karen McMaster from Milbank in April 2024.