Insolvency & Restructuring Associate - 2 PQE+, Thames Valley

New - our client is a leading Legal 100 firm with an enviable reputation for their highly-rated Insolvency and Restructuring team who frequently advise international names on complex and high-value corporate restructuring and contentious insolvency matters.

Due to growth, a unique opportunity has arisen for  an ambitious individual to join the team in the Thames Valley and play an integral role in the future growth of the practice. The successful individual will be detail-orientated with some previous exposure to insolvency issues at your current firm. 

The R&I team has a wide sphere of expertise, focusing on turnaround and insolvency matters; including advising banks, asset based lenders, boards of directors, insolvency practitioners, debtors and other creditors on all matters arising where insolvency is likely unless action is taken by restructuring or where formal insolvency is imminent or has occurred. There's plenty of opportunity for progression, exposure to high quality work and excellent partner access right from the moment you join us. 

The Restructuring and Insolvency team support clients through all stages of proceedings.  The R&I team often work with a range of clients from Financial Institutions to Retailers, Insolvency Practitioners to Turnaround Directors, many of which are household names. 

This will be an excellent opportunity to join a specialist team, learning from individuals who are experts in their field.  You will be involved in a variety of work from distressed corporate restructurings, insolvency procedures – including administration, company voluntary arrangements, bankruptcy and liquidation, through to supporting the team with Board advisory work. 

This role would be best suited to someone who is enthusiastic and ambitious, and is prepared to work across disciplines in a passionate and dynamic fashion. You will be given excellent supervision, training and coaching in this role and will need a commercial approach and excellent technical, communication and negotiation skills, as well as drive and initiative.  The partners seek a supportive and keen candidate and a team player who appreciates that the nature of the work we undertake is often urgent and requires completion within short timescales.

The role will encompass advisory (including turnaround and contingency options), transactional non-contentious work and contentious work with links to the firm’s corporate, finance and real estate teams, amongst others, providing advice to all stakeholders in stressed and distressed situations including lenders, investors, corporates, directors and individuals, in addition to acting for insolvency practitioners. 

You should show evidence of understanding what is needed to help grow and develop a restructuring & insolvency practice and be willing to initiate and participate in marketing and business development activities with enthusiasm, confidence and ambition.

The team use their skills and experience to work in partnership with our comprehensive network of clients and referrers across corporates, banks, financiers, brokers, shareholders, stakeholders and insolvency professionals to work quickly and effectively to resolve both stressed and distressed situations and to; (i) advise on strategies for recovery and business turnaround; (ii) undertake varied transactional, restructuring and insolvency work (both corporate and personal, global and domestic); and (iii) advise upon the whole array of insolvency litigation / contentious insolvency processes. 

The team is known for its clear, commercially-focussed advice and prompt, responsive service. 

It is ranked tier 1 in the legal directories and is praised for having a large, diverse and distinguished practice with considerable experience across the full range of individual and corporate restructuring and insolvency matters with noticeable emphasis on:

• Acquisitions of distressed business
• Business contingency and exit planning
• Board advisory
• Business restructuring and turnaround strategy
• Debt and asset recovery
• Debt reconstruction and consolidation
• Dispute resolution (including mediations, arbitrations and other forms of ADR) Cross-border insolvency, forensics and international asset-tracing and recovery
• Insolvency and Companies Act offences and regulatory advice including director disqualification proceedings and fraud-based insolvency
• Liquidations (whether solvent, compulsory or voluntary) receiverships (court or LPA appointed), administrations, voluntary arrangements and bankruptcies Refinancing and general security advice

You will have already gained some experience of working in Restructuring and Insolvency, or within a corporate or finance role/environment, and be seeking to expand your skills and knowledge whilst being supported by an experienced team.

You will be keen to gain more experience of building and developing client relationships as you progress, and we will provide you with every opportunity to do this within a supportive team environment. 

Person Requirements:

• Minimum 3 PQE in restructuring and insolvency work 
• Familiarity with corporate and banking documents – not essential
• Ambition, energy and enthusiasm for Restructuring and Insolvency law

We would like to speak with confident, personable and professional fee-earners who strive to exceed client expectations on every transaction and are looking to promote their reputation, the team and the wider firm through networking, publications and seminars.

The successful individual will be working in all aspects of insolvency, both personal and corporate, including transactional, advisory and contentious insolvency. The team works for a wide range of insolvency practitioners, banks, lenders, investors, directors, companies and individuals and the successful candidate will be given the opportunity to work closely with all clients in an exciting area of law.

The team act on both contentious and non-contentious matters, including those involving fraud, across a wide range of sectors. You may advise on administrations and CVAs; both formal and informal procedures including; all forms of receivership and liquidation; Insolvency Act claims; trading claims and fraud; directors' duties; solvent and insolvent restructurings.

A unique opportunity has arisen for an ambitious individual with some prior insolvency experience to join the team. You will ideally have gained at least 6 months experience assisting on a range of insolvency related issues (contentious or non-contentious) which may include any of the below:

• Familiarity with the Insolvency Act 1986 and Insolvency Rules 2016  You may have some experience in dealing with administration appointments, security reviews, sales of businesses, winding up petitions, bankruptcy petitions, matrimonial home proceedings, transactions at undervalue, preferences and directors' loan accounts.
• Previous experience with restructuring of solvent / insolvent companies
• Pre-formal insolvency advice and planning
• Advice on directors’ duties and liabilities in relation to distressed or insolvent companies Formal insolvencies, including administrations, liquidations and bankruptcies Security reviews on existing or proposed loans
• Strategic acquisitions of insolvent businesses and assets from insolvency practitioners Advising on distressed situations such as difficult trading conditions (include directors' advice), winding-up orders and confiscating property or assets;
• Formulating effective exit strategies for owners and investors; preparing securities documentation; undertaking fraud investigations and pursuing and/or defending actions against directors;
• Handling complex and challenging Pension Regulation when insolvency looms;

Members of the Insolvency & Restructuring team have also worked in-house at the Pensions Regulator. 

An attractive financial package is on offer + excellent benefits + hybrid working + career progression framework.

To apply, please submit your CV via the link - below.