Testimonials
Jeremy became an invaluable asset for the board, a pragmatic and commercial lawyer who helped us through a difficult and fluid period. At all times ensuring management were well briefed on their position thus giving them confidence and enabling effective decision making.
There is always a difficult balance to be struck in these situations and Jeremy dealt with problems firmly but with empathy and integrity. This ensured maximum stakeholder support through the process, even though they were potentially adversely affected.
Client
I worked with Jeremy on the restructuring and sale of Parabis Group. Parabis exit was to be through a break up and sale of the group but during this process it traded in a state of distress. The group was extremely complex and traded across 3 regulatory environments, in the UK and South Africa.
Client
Expertise
Jeremy’s experience spans the whole spectrum of the Restructuring & Insolvency business environment, across just about every business sector. He advises anyone who is an existing stakeholder or is thinking of investing in a distressed business – or is wondering what would happen if a business goes into administration. These skills also enable him to advise on rationalising the capital and debt structures of corporate groups, helping to save costs, or for pre- or post-acquisition purposes.
Jeremy’s mantra in all that he does is to help facilitate his client’s decision-making. He is able to assess the options available, design strategies and provide guidance to meet the client’s objectives in challenging situations.
He is at his best when winning the trust of business leaders, helping them to deal with the noise and complexities which accompany a crisis. His insight and intuition also serve to help those seeking to acquire interests and creditors looking to make the most of opportunities or difficult situations.
Jeremy acutely understands the business of insolvency practitioners. He has sold businesses for (and bought from) them on numerous occasions, equipping them to navigate sometimes difficult roads in the performance of their roles. He also pursues claims to recover assets for creditors’ benefit; and has considerable experience dealing with businesses transcending international boundaries.
Jeremy Advises
- Corporate investors, including private equity houses
- Private investors
- Management teams and business leaders
- Insolvency practitioners and turnaround professionals
- Banks and other lenders
Experience Highlights
- Business Loan Network – obtaining a Court order appointing and advising the administrators of this peer-to-peer loan platform, including the Court’s permission to use loan proceeds belonging to lenders to fund the recovery process.
- Radio Physics Solutions – advising the majority holder and security trustee of secured notes in relation to the facility, enforcement and credit bid.
- SeeWoo Foods (Glasgow) – advising the buyers by pre-pack acquisition of the business and assets of this cash and carry store.
- Iconic Labs Plc – following allegations of asset-stripping, advising a substantial creditor following the appointment of administrators by an assignee of secured debt, involving litigation for improper motive and unfair harm.
- Pizza Express – advising holders of equity throughout a complex restructuring involving both a CVA regarding approximately 500 sites and a Restructuring Plan regarding the financial creditors.
- Wasabi – advising the company with more than 50 restaurants in negotiating a restructuring with its owners, bank and landlords including a CVA
- Lendy Limited – advising a representative of a class of investors of this failed peer-to-peer lender in successful litigation establishing their rights to recoveries in the context of a complex contractual framework.
- Euro Media Group – advising this outside broadcasting group of companies concerning the risk of insolvency of a critical supplier.
- Aviation Capital Group – advising this aircraft lessor during the build up and aftermath of the failure of Thomas Cook.
- Grapevine Capital Limited – advising the holder of secured notes in relation to a super-senior facility and enforcement options regarding a UK borrower.
- Fifth Third Bank – assisting with new facility and opinion concerning Black Box group.
- Phoenix Labs – supervising due diligence and acting in the pre-packaged acquisition of the business and assets of D.D.D. Limited
- Maple Securities UK Limited – advising this investment bank and obtaining a (special regime) administration order, acting for the administrators to achieve distributions to clients, creditors and shareholders.
- Parabis Group LLP – advising management of this 2000-staff complexly–structured legal / claims handling business to preserve value and maximise the outcome over several challenging months leading to pre-packaged sales of its constituent parts.
- Connaught Income Fund, Series 1 LP/Tiuta International Limited/Tiuta Plc – advising the liquidators of both this £100m investment fund and the bridging loan companies to which the money was lent; involving implementation of a considered strategy, liaison with the FCA, FSCS and an All Party Parliamentary Group with a view to recovering investor losses.
- Hillarys Blinds – protecting European Capital’s £200m investment, designing a method which successfully resisted senior lenders exercising a loan-to-own strategy
- Dura Automotive Inc – Co-ordination of a US/pan-European team facilitating a refinancing via the operational restructuring of; transferring factories and simplifying group structures.
- Landesbanki – advising in relation to a EUR 300m exposure in the complex financial restructuring of Actavis, which had total debts of EUR 6bn, in tandem with restructuring its owner’s debts of EUR 600m.
- Comet Group – advising management facing a dilemma over structural and financial arrangements required by the parties to a change of ownership; and again several months later following the company’s insolvency and a public enquiry.
Publications
Jeremy has authored many articles, from time to time appearing in the Journal of International Banking Law, Insolvency Intelligence, Insolvency Law & Practice, Global Turnaround, The Deal, Recovery, Financier Worldwide and Global Restructuring Review. He has published a booklet “Insolvency & Commercial Property” (Chancery, 1992), has presented many seminars for R3, Euroforum, Butterworths, C5 and for specific clients, and appeared on BBC News 24 on 15 September 2003, to explain the likely effects of the coming into force (on that day) of the Enterprise Act 2002.
Career History
Previous Law Firms
- King & Wood Mallesons (formerly SJ Berwin)
- Baker & Mckenzie
- DLA
- Cameron Markby Hewitt
Education
- St. Catherines College, Oxford University (BA Jurisprudence)
- Southend High School