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.
Tom is ranked in Chambers UK, 2022, which notes that he "is incredibly commercial and is at the forefront of thinking innovatively - he can think outside of the box when solving thorny legal issues" and that "He's a great technician, really nice to deal with and very collaborative." Chambers 2021 said that "He is exceptionally bright, very measured in his approach and at the same time very tough - he is respected in the market", whilst Chambers 2020 noted that “He has deep technical knowledge and is responsive, client-focused and able to innovate around the subject matter”. He is listed as a “Leading Individual” in the Legal 500, 2022 and is a “Highly Regarded” practitioner in the IFLR 1000, 2022.
Corporate Highlights:
- Premier Oil plc on the Part 26A restructuring plans used to implement Premier’s merger (and related debt restructuring) with Chrysaor in 2021, the litigation arising from and ultimately the successful sanction of its contested schemes of arrangement in 2020, and the 2017 restructuring of its $3.8 billion of debt facilities implemented by schemes of arrangement
- Alvarez & Marsal in connection with the pre-pack administration of Valaris plc, which implemented the Chapter 11 restructuring of Valaris’ $7.1bn of debt
- Virgin Group on the successful restructuring of Virgin Active. This case is an important landmark in the development of the restructuring plan and, in particular, its usefulness as a tool to address operational liabilities
- Hema, the Dutch retailer, on its multi-jurisdictional financial restructuring designed to deleverage its capital structure, including a debt-for-equity swap and new money raise, and which was implemented by means of a scheme of arrangement and a security enforcement sale
- AlixPartners on contingency planning for the failure of Thomas Cook plc
- The Restaurant Group plc, Revolution Bars Group plc and Mothercare plc in relation to CVAs implementing restructurings of their leasehold estates, and an informal steering committee of landlords in relation to the CVAs proposed by the Arcadia Group
- EY in connection with the pre-pack administration of Interserve plc which implemented the Group’s deleveraging plan
- Carillion plc on its restructuring negotiations and its subsequent entry into compulsory liquidation, and the Official Receiver and Special Managers in relation to various matters arising in the liquidation
- hibu on the 2016 reorganisation of its capital structure, implemented through schemes of arrangement
Financial Services Highlights:
- EY as “competent person” in relation to Satabank, the Maltese bank, following the discovery of shortcomings in relation to its anti-money laundering procedures, which ultimately led to the withdrawal of its banking licence
- Grant Thornton as administrators of the payday lenders CashEuroNet, UK LLC and Wonga Group
- The Foreign and Commonwealth Office on contingency planning in relation to the banking crisis in the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla
- The Central Bank of Cyprus on the resolutions of Bank of Cyprus and Laiki Bank
- The SIPA Trustee for the liquidation of MF Global Inc. in relation to its claims in the special administration of MF Global UK Limited, including advising on the litigation arising out of those claims and the negotiation of a settlement
- The Icelandic bank Glitnir on its winding-up proceedings and composition
- HM Treasury on the resolutions of Northern Rock, Bradford & Bingley and the UK subsidiaries of the Icelandic banks Kaupthing and Landsbanki