Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Kon Asimacopoulos is a partner in Kirkland's European Restructuring Group and acts for companies and investors in national and cross-border financial restructuring, insolvency and litigation matters. He has been involved in dozens of the leading global and European restructuring and litigation matters over the course of the past 20 years.
Jat is head of the restructuring and insolvency group. He specialises in a range of debt finance transactions, acting for credit and special situations funds, corporate clients, sponsors, bondholders and senior and mezzanine lenders in relation to, amongst other things, workouts and restructurings, and real estate finance. He has worked on several domestic and international private and public deals. His international finance experience also includes a secondment to Italy, where he assisted a local firm with the English law aspects of a securitisation and refinancing relating to a major Italian airport company. Jat’s restructuring experience includes a secondment to the restructuring group legal team at a global financial institution, where he was involved in multibillion dollar restructurings. Jat is a member of the Institute for Turnaround and is a contributing editor of the ICLG Restructuring and Insolvency series. Jat is a partner champion of our REACH (race, ethnicity and cultural heritage) staff network, a forum for networking and peer support between ethnic minority staff and allies. Jat is ranked in The Legal 500 Hall of Fame, which highlights individuals who are at the pinnacle of the profession and considered by clients to provide continued excellence.
David Ereira is a partner in the Restructuring and Finance practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s London office. Mr. Ereira’s principal areas of practice are Restructuring and Insolvency, Private Equity and Acquisition Finance, and Real Estate Finance. Mr. Ereira was chairman of The Insolvency Service and was awarded an OBE for services to insolvency. Prior to joining Paul Hastings, Mr. Ereira was a partner at Magic Circle firms.
Shareholder, Co Vice-Chair of GT's Global Restructuring & Bankruptcy Practice
Rebecca is the Global Co-Head of Banking at Linklaters and a partner in the Restructuring and Insolvency team, comprising specialists throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia and handling the world's most challenging and significant domestic and cross-border assignments. Rebecca advises creditors, (including banks and other financial investors and steering committees) insolvency office holders, and corporate debtors and their directors in all aspects of non-contentious restructuring and insolvency work. With a remarkable breadth of practice and extensive experience, Rebecca has acted on a wide range of workouts, business recoveries, stressed financings and administrations and liquidations. Rebecca has also advised on a series of real estate and corporate restructurings in many jurisdictions, including, currently, on the restructuring of Abengoa in Spain, the largest ever European restructuring involving three separate processes, including a Spanish judicial confirmation, an English company voluntary arrangement (CVA) and U.S. Chapter 11 proceedings.
Barry Russell is a partner in Akin’s financial restructuring group. Representing noteholders, bondholders and other creditor groups, Barry is a leading force in the cross-border financial restructuring and institutional private placement market. For more than 25 years, he has advised on many of the most significant cross-border workouts and financial restructurings—some involving complex political and economic issues—of European companies. Insurance companies, pension funds, investment funds and other institutional investors rely upon Barry’s highly commercial, pragmatic approach and his ability to reach beneficial and successful outcomes for his clients. Barry focuses his practice on complex workouts and financial restructurings, as well as cross-border institutional private placement issuance. To learn more about Mr. Russell, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/barry-g-russell.html
Neil co-heads the Dentons UK and Middle East Restructuring and Insolvency Group, and has focused in all aspects of insolvency for over 30 years, in particular contentious and litigious work, including major international fraud and asset tracing work. He is named as a Leading Individual in Restructuring in Who's Who Legal 2019 and is regularly ranked in the leading directories in which he has been described as "very astute" and "tough opposition".
Rising stars
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Luci has extensive experience of managing complex and challenging domestic and international corporate insolvencies and restructurings, as well as major commercial disputes and investigations arising in the context of formal insolvencies. Her advisory practice spans the full spectrum from consensual restructuring to formal insolvency, including contingency planning (enforcement options, COMI shifts and managing counterparty risk), the use of restructuring tools (e.g. schemes of arrangement and CVAs), insolvency appointments, pre-packs and trading insolvencies, and strategic advice to stakeholders (with a particular focus on directors/officers of distressed corporates). During the COVID-19 pandemic, Luci has been engaged in providing complex, technical and bespoke advice to boards of directors of stressed and distressed companies across a wide range of sectors and has advised confidential high-profile clients on matters relating to their response to the ongoing pandemic, particularly in the retail, international aviation, energy and rail sectors. Recently, Luci advised Hurricane Energy Plc, the AIM-listed oil exploration and exploitation company, on its ground-breaking proposed restructuring plan with bondholders. Other notable matters include British Steel, where Luci led the cross-departmental team assisting Network Rail with contingency planning and providing strategic advice, and several confidential matters in the rail franchising arena where Luci provided complex technical and bespoke board level advice to distressed corporates, frequently in situations of strategic significance and/or with a political dimension.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Ian advises domestic and international clients on all aspects of restructuring and insolvency matters. He is known for his cross-sector experience advising a variety of stakeholders. Ian has significant multi-sector experience (including real estate, hospitality, leisure & retail, financial services, automotive and healthcare). He has worked extensively on business turnarounds and both creditor and debtor led restructurings. He regularly acts for lenders, distressed investment funds, insolvency practitioners, trade creditors, landlords, directors, sponsors and foreign lawyers. Ian is listed as a 'Next Generation Partner' in The Legal 500 UK 2023.
Edward Downer is a partner in the Business Reorganization & Restructuring Department. With extensive experience in international financial restructurings, distressed debt investment and stressed and distressed financings, Edward is a go-to adviser for clients investing or involved in financial distress situations. He has developed a broad restructuring practice in the UK, Europe, Australia and the US, representing distressed debt investors, special situations lenders, distressed companies and other finance parties including bank and non-bank trustee companies.
Paul advises on a broad range of corporate restructuring and recovery issues. His clients include companies in financial difficulties, their directors and shareholders, insolvency practitioners appointed over such companies, lenders to and other major creditors of troubled entities, investors interested in a “loan-to-own” strategy and buyers of businesses where there is an insolvency aspect. Paul’s experience also includes a secondment at Warwick Capital Partners LLP. Paul is a qualified insolvency practitioner, having passed the Joint Insolvency Examination Board examinations in 2013. Paul is the co-author of the Insolvency and Restructuring Manual, 3rd Edition, published by Bloomsbury Professional Ltd, the "England" chapter of The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Corporate Recovery & Insolvency 2020 and the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020, also published by Bloomsbury Professional Ltd.
Iben Madsen is our People & Development Partner, responsible for the training and development of lawyers in the London office. Prior to moving into the People & Development role, Iben was a partner in the Business Reorganization & Restructuring Department. She gained extensive experience advising all types of stakeholders (including debtors, creditors and insolvency practitioners) on restructurings, insolvency proceedings, acquisitions and disposals of stressed and distressed businesses. Iben gained particular experience in handling complex, cross-border mandates, such as Intu, Lecta, Proserv, Premier Oil, CGG, Core Media Group, Monier and Travelodge. She has also regularly been called upon to advise a range of stakeholders in the special situations sphere.
Tessa is a partner in the Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy practice. She has experience in all areas of contentious insolvency work. She also has significant experience in restructuring and non-contentious insolvency work. Tessa has advised financial institutions, Insolvency Practitioners, directors, corporate debtors and other creditors on contentious and non contentious issues, domestically and in respect of cross border matters. Her sector experience includes real estate, energy, telecommunications, rail and retail.
Ross is a restructuring and finance lawyer who acts for banks, funds and corporates on a wide range of cross-border restructuring and banking transactions. His practice particularly focuses on restructurings, distressed financings, distressed debt investment and analysis, and loan, bond and claim trading. Ross is an active member of the Loan Market Association’s secondary documentation committee, which prepares, reviews and updates the market standard documentation used throughout the European loan market for par and distressed debt trading.
Leading individuals
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Richard is a partner in Linklaters' Restructuring and Insolvency team, comprising specialists throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia. Richard is based in London but has extensive cross-border and international experience, advising creditors (including banks and other financial investors and steering committees), insolvency office holders and corporate debtors and their directors on a wide range of workouts, business recoveries, stressed financings and insolvencies.
Partner Mark Fennessy focuses his practice on contentious and non-contentious restructuring and insolvency matters. He has particular experience in multifaceted group collapses and global insolvency issues. He has been involved in a number of high-profile assignments for banks, funds and various strategic parties. Mark has advised on a number of complex cross border matters for creditors (including direct lenders and distressed debt funds) and sponsors and is highly skilled in the restructuring of complex structures and an expert in special situations. He has also actively led a number of complex litigation matters and has significant experience in the investigation of complex fraud cases, multijurisdictional disputes, anti-avoidance/antecedent transaction advice, corporate investigation and analysis, asset tracing, international enforcement and the development of litigation strategies. Additionally, Mark is a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner and an Authorised Fixed Charge Receiver (Non-appointment taking). View more at: https://www.mwe.com/people/mark-fennessy/
Michael Fiddy is a partner in the Restructuring, Bankruptcy & Insolvency practice of the London office and co-head of the Firm's global Restructuring, Bankruptcy & Insolvency practice. He is particularly recognized for his market-leading work in portfolio and distressed real estate restructuring. He regularly acts for financial institutions, funds, debtors, creditors and office holders on both domestic and international transactions.
Richard specialises in complex, cross-border restructuring and insolvency matters, having worked in the field for over 16 years, with a particular focus on representing insolvency officeholders, creditors, corporate debtors, directors and other stakeholders, including on contingency planning. Richard’s most recent experience has spanned a wealth of sectors, including the financial services / financial institutions, consumer, retail, manufacturing and oil and gas sectors. He has particular expertise in distressed M&A acting for both private equity and trade purchasers and insolvency practitioners as sellers. Richard also advises a number of financial institution clients, regulators and other stakeholders on matters relating to bank financial restructuring, bank resolution/failure, compliance with BRRD and related matters. Richard was part of the original Linklaters team that led on the Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008 and continues to act for the administrators of LBIE.
Partner; Ian heads our Restructuring and Insolvency group and advises across the full spectrum of restructuring, refinancing and insolvency matters. He has significant experience advising companies (and their boards), lenders, investors and buyers on complex and international restructuring and distressed situations. Ian also frequently advises governments, central banks and insolvency practitioners.
Partha Kar has developed a wide range of cross-border restructuring and insolvency and special situation experience over the last 18 years. He has acted for investors, financial creditors (including alternative credit funds), turnaround advisors, companies (debtors and creditors) and insolvency practitioners/appointees in multi-jurisdictional restructurings and all classes of insolvency proceedings; directors, shareholders and creditors of companies that are financially impaired or subject to solvent reorganization; and for vendors and purchasers of distressed debt or equity. Partha has worked on all stages of this work including contingency planning and strategy, negotiations, documentation, post-restructuring/appointment and the exit.
Sean is a partner in the restructuring group based in our London office. Sean represents investment funds, financial sponsors, financial institutions and corporate borrowers in connection with transactions across the credit spectrum, in particular, cross-border and domestic financial restructurings, special situations investments, credit-led opportunities, event-driven financings, and specialized lending transactions.
Graham Lane is a partner in the Business Reorganization & Restructuring Department and Co-Chair of the European Restructuring Group. He advises stakeholders in all types of restructuring and insolvency matters, with a particular focus on complex cross-border projects. Graham is frequently called upon to: (i) act for par and distressed investors in both "yield" and "loan to own" scenarios; (ii) act for large multinational debtor groups in the negotiation, documentation and implementation of complex and frequently hostile restructuring transactions; (iii) act for private equity and venture capital investors seeking to capitalise on restructuring opportunities and to protect and optimise existing investments; and (iv) provide advice and guidance for insolvency practitioners, particularly in connection with novel and ground-breaking issues arising from "COMI shifts" and pre-packaged administrations. Graham has gained extensive experience from playing key roles in some of the largest and most noteworthy market-leading restructurings of the last decade, including Intu, Lecta, Europcar, Agrokor, Premier Oil, Travelodge, Klöckner Pentaplast, MF Global and European Directories. He is also known for his broad experience in the French market having been involved in CGG, Vivarte, Latécoère, Eurotunnel and other significant French restructurings.
Sarah specialises in large, complex debt and equity restructuring matters. She has a particular focus on debtor advisory and capital structure solutions, including bank debt restructurings, distressed mergers and acquisitions, exchange offers and structured financing. Sarah has extensive cross-border and international experience advising corporate debtors and their directors across Europe, Middle East and Africa. Prior to joining Linklaters, Sarah worked for 12 years at Goldman Sachs in London as a managing director in the restructuring advisory and financing group. Prior to joining the investment bank, she also spent 14 years working as a lawyer in private practice.
Partner and head of Skadden’s European corporate restructuring practice
Elaine Nolan is a restructuring partner in the London office of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP. Elaine advises strategic investors, sponsors, insolvency practitioners, turnaround managers, directors, debtors and creditors in all forms of national and international financial restructurings and insolvencies.
Liz Osborne is a partner in Akin’s financial restructuring group. She concentrates on UK and cross-border insolvencies, workouts and restructurings. She acts for hedge funds, bondholders, institutional lenders, secondary market investors, and creditor committees in relation to strategic and legal issues concerning their distressed debt and special-situation involvements. To learn more about Ms. Osborne, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/liz-osborne.html
Emma Simmonds is a partner in Akin ’s financial restructuring group. She has advised creditors on numerous high-profile restructurings of distressed bonds, private placement notes and loans in Europe. She has more than 15 years of experience working with a broad range of financial institutions on complex cross-border restructuring and insolvency matters across various industries and jurisdictions. Emma is a member of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and chair of the London office’s Inclusion Council. To learn more about Ms. Simmonds, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/emma-simmonds.html
James Terry is a partner in Akin's financial restructuring group. He practices in the areas of cross-border and domestic financial restructuring, workouts and insolvency, and advises clients in relation to strategic and legal issues concerning their distressed debt and special situations investments. James has broad knowledge in a range of different business sectors including telecommunications, packaging, paper, transport, mining, automotive, energy and power. James is known as the leading practitioner in the London market for Norwegian and other Scandinavian restructurings, as well as restructurings in the offshore, oil and gas and shipping sectors. His clients include hedge funds, bondholders, institutional lenders, secondary market investors and creditor committees. To learn more about Mr. Terry, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/james-terry.html
Partner; Tom advises across the full spectrum of restructuring and insolvency matters, including complex corporate restructurings and contentious and non-contentious insolvency matters. In the financial services space his experience includes bank resolution and insolvency work for governments, central banks and insolvency practitioners.
Mr. Katz is a restructuring and insolvency partner resident in Fried Frank's London office. He has extensive experience advising distressed investors, borrowers, financial institutions, bondholders and insolvency practitioners in relation to all aspects of restructuring and insolvency matters. He advises on a range of cross-border and UK restructurings and insolvencies including matters in the automotive, real estate, construction, financial services, retail and leisure sectors. Mr. Katz has lectured on a range of insolvency topics including the Eurozone crisis, cross border insolvency administration, anti-avoidance provisions, employment/ insolvency law, directors’ duties and customer insolvency.
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