Michael Green > Howes Percival LLP > Cambridge, England > Lawyer Profile

The ‘professional, polite and efficient‘ debt recovery team at Howes Percival LLP handles high-value and complex matters, partly through its role on the Crown Commercial Services Panel, which sees it act for The Insolvency Service. Morris Peacock, the ‘very helpful, informative’ Norwich-based Gordon Simpson, and Cambridge-based litigation specialist Michael Green are the practice heads. Peacock acted for The Insolvency Service in the investigation into the failure of BHS Limited and connected companies whilst Simpson notably assisted Bures Farm Partners in contentious debt recovery matters to secure £250,000. William Shirley in Norwich also plays a key role in the practice.

Howes Percival LLP‘s insolvency practice is noted as having ‘superb expertise in this field’. The group is led by head of insolvency and corporate recovery Michael Green from Cambridge and Morris Peacock from Norwich, who oversees the firm’s work for the Insolvency Service. He notably acted for the Insolvency Service in the investigation into the alleged failure of BHS Limited and connected companies and the subsequent conduct of directors’ disqualification proceedings. The team is noted as having ‘a wealth of experience in running all aspects of heavy litigation’. In Norwich, ‘excellent solicitor’ William Shirley, ‘who is very experienced in litigation and advisory work’, and senior associates Leon Head and Patrick Manning are all central to the practice.

The practice at Howes Percival LLP is led from Milton Keynes but has an increasingly strong presence in Cambridge through experienced litigation partner Michael Green, and Stephen Patch, who bolstered the team with his arrival from Shoosmiths LLP in December 2022; Patch is an experienced adviser to high-net-worth individuals. Green, who is ‘excellent both in terms of technical expertise and litigation strategy‘, was recently appointed by the High Court to handle the winding up of a £5m farming estate. Litigation associate Victoria Sandell also plays a key role in the practice.

The litigation practice at Howes Percival LLP is growing its reputation in Cambridge, where the team is regarded as ‘responsive and emphatic’. The firm handles a growing volume of national and London-based litigation work, including as a Crown Services panel member. Practice head Michael Green, who handles company and shareholder matters, warranty claims, technology disputes, as well as cases concerning restraint of trade, and the ‘insightful, clear and intelligent’ director Victoria Sandell are noted as being ‘the dream team for commercial litigation in Cambridge and beyond‘.