Meet the team
Organigram
Team Services
Tanner De Witt is ranked as a Tier 1 / Band 2 law firm in the field of restructuring and insolvency in Hong Kong by leading industry publications including Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. Our lawyers specialise in a wide spectrum of insolvency administrations, complex restructurings and bankruptcies involving global assets, with a particular emphasis on contentious and court-related issues.
While Tanner De Witt is an independent Hong Kong law firm, our Restructuring and Insolvency lawyers act for many international clients involved in multi-jurisdictional and high profile matters. We provide legal advice and representation to insolvency practitioners, creditors, directors, shareholders, private and listed companies, bondholders, and individuals facing cash flow difficulties and have experience with a wide range of specialist tribunals and professional associations.
Tanner De Witt Solicitors provides Restructuring and Insolvency legal solutions to clients involved in a diverse range of industries in Hong Kong, the People’s Republic of China and throughout the Asia Pacific Region.
We advise and act on:
- Corporate rescue in Hong Kong
- Company restructurings and reorganisations, formal and informal
- European, North American and Asian insolvency cases
- Contentious and non-contentious matters within insolvency administrations
- Insolvency procedures in Hong Kong and cross border jurisdictional issues
- Solvent restructurings
- Corporate rescue including schemes of arrangements
- Winding-up, provisional liquidators, liquidation and appointment holders
- Court approved receivers and receiverships
- Bankruptcy, individual voluntary arrangements and trustees in bankruptcy
- Directors duties
- Litigation, asset tracing and recovery and the enforcement of security
- Debt collection
- Defaulting loans, notes and bonds and distressed debts
Restructuring and Insolvency – Our International Network
As a top Hong Kong law firm, Tanner De Witt Solicitors has established relationships with overseas professional services providers, including offshore law firms and major international liquidators. This international network of experts is easily accessible by our lawyers ensuring clients receive fully integrated advice concerning their often multi-jurisdictional and complex matters.
Restructuring and Insolvency – Our Hong Kong Lawyers
The Restructuring and Insolvency practice at Tanner De Witt Solicitors is co-led by Ian De Witt and Robin Darton, both of whom are ranked as top lawyers in the field by various publications including Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners.
Testimonials
Awards and Recognition
Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2021
Regularly referred work by international law firms and also benefiting from deeply entrenched relationships with local IPs and officeholders, independent domestic firm Tanner De Witt regularly advises creditors and debtors on purely Hong Kong-related matters, as well as on the local law issues associated with regional/international restructurings/insolvency. Co-headed by the ‘user-friendly and cost-conscious’ Ian De Witt and Robin Darton, although the firm is also active in consensual out-of-court restructuring matters (including an increasing amount of restructuring work relating to Hong Kong-listed companies), it is undoubtedly best-known for its contentious insolvency advice, including work relating to fraud and asset tracing, and claims against auditors. Sunny Hathiramani is also recommended.
Chambers and Partners Asia 2021
What the team is known for Well-established independent Hong Kong firm with a strong reputation, particularly in relation to high-stakes contentious insolvency cases. Regularly handles complex domestic litigations. Clients include distressed companies and liquidators. Also able to handle cross-border Hong Kong–Mainland China restructurings, as well as non-contentious matters. Strengths One source considers the team a “good outfit that works well to get deals done,” while a second notes that the team is “very active in the market.” Work highlights Advised KPMG as the liquidators of the collapsed China City Construction International. Ian De Witt is widely respected as a market leader with “a really good reputation” for complex insolvency matters. His deep expertise spans both the advisory and contentious aspects of restructuring and insolvency-related work. Robin Darton is a highly regarded authority on international insolvency and liquidation matters. One market source describes him as “a good guy who is well respected,” while a second commentator calls him “a really highly regarded insolvency practitioner.”