About

I am a Partner in the Disputes team within Lewis Silkin’s Manchester office with a particular specialism in dealing with insolvency disputes and restructuring. I have over a decade of experience handling some of the most complex and high value insolvency and commercial disputes in the North West with a particular focus on acting for insolvency practitioners, directors, shareholders, creditors, investors, lenders and charities to assist them to resolve their disputes commercially and efficiently.

On the insolvency side, I handle both contentious and non-contentious work across both personal and corporate insolvency. That includes misfeasance and breach of duty claims, antecedent transaction challenges, wrongful and fraudulent trading, director disqualification proceedings (including making several successful Section 17 applications for relief post disqualification) and trustee in bankruptcy work where significant asset recovery forms a substantial part of my expertise. I’ve also developed experience in contested administrations involving complex property interests, competing creditor classes and court applications to facilitate difficult sales.

I have led numerous multi-disciplinary teams on complex restructurings (both solvent and insolvent) and advised office holders, secured lenders, receivers, directors approaching insolvency and purchasers on pre-pack administration sales. I also have experience with FCA-regulated company insolvencies and Special Administrations as well as advising insolvency practitioners on investigations brought by their regulatory body.

My commercial disputes practice covers the full range of business conflicts from breach of contract and property disputes through to civil fraud, asset tracing, shareholder and director disputes, professional negligence and high value debt recovery work. I am also a qualified mediator and have substantial experience in handling all forms of ADR to resolve disputes effectively.

Experience

Insolvency & restructuring

  • Advised joint administrators on the complex sale of land following a failed off-plan investment scheme, resulting in a £10m property disposal and the return of substantial sums to multiple creditor classes.
  • Advised numerous liquidators on multi-million-pound claims against directors involving misfeasance and/or breach of duty.
  • Advised a liquidator in defending a challenge to his appointment by former directors, currently listed in the Court of Appeal.
  • Assisted numerous directors facing proceedings under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, including claims for disqualification and compensation orders.
  • Advised a trustee in bankruptcy on complex proceedings arising from an undisclosed share sale by the bankrupt, creating third-party claims that ultimately enabled the bankruptcy debts and costs to be paid in full.
  • Acted for an insolvency litigation funder on liquidator assigned claims valued at more than £3m.
  • Represented numerous high-profile individuals, in particular former professional athletes and provided personal insolvency advice either with the aim of avoiding bankruptcy or managing the bankruptcy process.
  • Acted for the office holders in a MVL of a charity in proceedings brought to challenge the rejection of a proof of debt worth in excess of £1.6m.

Commercial disputes

  • Acted (at first instance and up to the Court of Appeal hearing) on the leading pensions case of Manolete v White which clarified how Section 91(2) Pensions Act 1995 cannot be used by a judgment creditor to compel a debtor to draw down their occupational pension.
  • Acted for shareholders in numerous unfair prejudice / just and equitable winding up petitions.
  • Successfully defended a minority shareholder / director (resulting in indemnity costs being awarded) in a derivative claim.
  • Represented a shareholder in proceedings relating to misrepresentation, breach of contract and breach of warranty.
  • Acted for a HNWI in a contested probate matter which ultimately settled favorably before trial. 
  • Acted for a lender in professional negligence proceedings after solicitors failed to properly verify their client’s identity, resulting in the lender falling victim to fraud.
  • Acted for a professional football club in appealing sanctions imposed by the FA.
  • Secured urgent injunctive relief preventing a company director from dissipating company assets following allegations of serious misconduct and breach of fiduciary duty.