Drawing upon 'deep insolvency expertise' on both the contentious and non-contentious front, Blake Morgan LLP provides 'sound commercial advice' to creditors and officeholders, striking 'a good balance between empathy with the other side and achieving the desired outcomes'. Team head Paul Caldicott  is a 'very safe pair of hands' whose expertise on both formal insolvency matters and restructuring mandates is recognised both by IPs and banks as creditors. The team also includes Sophia Farmer, who as well as continuing to advise trustees in bankruptcy on personal insolvency matters, also continues to develop her corporate insolvency expertise, acting on a number of pre-pack administration sales.

The 'well-rounded' team at Darwin Gray LLP has 'lots of experience' in the insolvency field on both contentious and non-contentious matters. Key to the firm's success in the space can be attributed to the efforts of the 'very capable and well-connected' team head Mark Rostron , who is best-known for his work for officeholders, including IPs and trustees in bankruptcy. As well as his deep knowledge of the relevant law, Rostron is also noted for his ability to handle the advocacy in hearings by virtue of his higher rights of audience. Senior associate Kate Heaney  leverages her broader commercial litigation smarts to good effect on contentious insolvency matters, regularly assisting Rostron, as well as developing her own caseload for IPs.

JCP Solicitors handles a range of contentious and non-contentious insolvency work for a debtor/IP-focused client base. Much of this work takes place within the property sector, with Sophie Thomas having a particularly strong reputation advising fixed charge receivers seeking to realise value for banks on the mortgaged property. David Owen has a more varied practice that includes advice to SMEs and sole traders as debtors, as well as officeholders on contentious matters. The insolvency offering is housed within the broader commercial litigation team which is co-headed by both Thomas and Andrew Meech.

Acting on its own as well as often in a multidisciplinary fashion alongside other practices within the firm, Hugh James is particularly effective at advising on formal insolvency and restructuring matters for IPs and creditors. Team head Alex Pay advises officeholders, as well as regularly working with public sector clients as creditors.