Insolvency & Restructuring

We are the acknowledged leaders in these two areas. Our barristers have been key figures in all the major insolvency and restructuring matters of recent years, whether in litigation or non-contentious restructuring, and deal with all insolvency related legal issues whether arising out of the financial difficulties of companies, banks, public bodies, partnerships, associations, or individuals (living or deceased).

Among the most recent and significant cases our Members have acted in are all the leading Restructuring Plan and Scheme cases (including Virgin Active, Gate Gourmet, Amigo Loans, Deep Ocean, Codere, Matalan, Swissport, Pizza Express, DTEK Energy Group, Café Nero, NCP; Abraaj) all the leading CVA cases (including New Look and Regis), cases relating to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (including Carluccios, Intu, and Debenhams), the recent Special Manager applications (including British Steel and Calon), proceedings arising out of multiple corporate collapses (including BHS, on which members of Chambers also advised the UK Government), cases relating to the severely impacted airline industry (including Virgin, Flybe and Malaysian Airlines), NMC (involving the first set of administrations in the ADGM), PwC v Saad (assistance of foreign liquidators), Irving Picard v Primeo (assistance of foreign liquidators), Re Lehman Brothers International (Europe) (the “Waterfall Applications”), Bloom v Pensions Regulator (provable debts, administration expenses), Landsbanki v Heritable (Icelandic credit institutions, set-off), Belmont Park Investments v BNY Corporate Trustee Services (anti-deprivation principle), HMRC v Football League Ltd (challenge to the “football creditors rule”) , Re Lehman Brothers International (Europe) (client money).

High-value restructurings include APCOA Parking, Stemcor and The Co-operative Bank.

Members of Chambers continue to be involved in large ongoing corporate insolvencies, such as Greensill, Lehman Brothers, MF Global, Rangers FC and Phones 4U as well as high profile bankruptcies and personal insolvency cases, such as Re Boris Becker, Gertner, Hood, and Shlosberg v Avonwick Holdings Ltd.

Our reputation in insolvency and restructuring is reflected in the prominent role that members play in these fields in other jurisdictions, particularly the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Dubai and Hong Kong. Our Members regularly appear in and advise on cases in these jurisdictions, and also act as legal experts when required.

Our barristers also write and edit many of the leading books on insolvency and restructuring, including our longest running textbook Muir Hunter on Personal Insolvency (Briggs and Tribe, Sweet & Maxwell), Butterworths Insolvency Law Handbook (23^rd ed 2021, Davis and Haywood, Butterworths LexisNexis), Cross-Border Insolvency (Sheldon, Bloomsbury); The European Insolvency Regulation (Moss, Isaacs and Fletcher, OUP); The Law of Administrators and Receivers of Companies (Lightman & Moss, Sweet & Maxwell) and Corporate Administrations and Rescue Procedures (Trower, Goodison, Abraham and Shaw, Bloomsbury). Members also contribute to Halsbury’s Laws and Totty & Moss on Insolvency.

South Square was voted Company/Insolvency set of the year 2020 by Chambers UK Bar Awards.

'In a league of its own for insolvency law'Legal 500