John is a restructuring lawyer based in our London office.
John is an experienced restructuring and insolvency lawyer. He has advised on the full range of English law processes – including a number of the leading cases on Part 26A restructuring plans, Part 26 schemes of arrangement and company voluntary arrangements. John also regularly advises leading insolvency practitioners in the market on complex, cross-border administrations and liquidations.
He has developed particular experience over the years in certain sectors, including energy, real estate, oil and gas and mining.
Industry recognition includes:
- Chambers UK Guide 2025: "John is calm, technical and sees the commercial drivers very quickly” and "John is a very strong restructuring and insolvency lawyer."
- IFLR 1000: Rising Star in Corporate Restructuring: UK
- Legal 500: Key Lawyer in Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency: UK
- TMA's young turnaround professional of the year in 2017 following his roles on the Nortel insolvency and EnQuest financial restructuring
Experience & expertise
Selected matters
- Reaction Engines Limited on its proposed capital raise and the subsequent PwC administrators in connection with the trading administration
- the Interpath administrators of Toucan Energy in connection with the administration of the UK solar farm operator and 2024 sale of the business Global RTI Awards: Corporate Rescue of the Year (Large)
- Sumitomo on the successful Part 26A restructuring plan in relation to the Ambatovy mine [2024] EWHC 2598 (Ch), [2024] 10 WLUK 402 and [2025] EWHC 279 (Ch)
- Link Group on the successful settlement with the FCA and Part 26 scheme of arrangement of Link Fund Solutions Limited [2023] EWHC 2641 (Ch) [2024] EWHC 250 (Ch)
- a number of confidential real estate workouts for a leading international financial institution
- Made.com on its distressed sale process and the subsequent PwC administrators on the pre-packaged sale of the business to Next. This also included the first recognition of an English insolvency process in France post-Brexit Tribunal judiciaire of Paris, 1 March 2023, No. 23/00990
- Three Hills Capital Partners on the 2020 restructuring and 2023 exit by way of a pre-packaged administration sale of Hunter Boots and the various restructurings of Byron Burgers
- an existing investor in Mediapro on the acquisition of majority control in the 2022 recapitalisation, implemented consensually following successful negotiations with the ad hoc committee of first lien lenders and an investor group initially pursuing a loan to own strategy and approved by a Spanish homologation
- the mezzanine lenders on the gategroup Part 26A restructuring plan which set the market in 2021 on the cross-border effectiveness of this English restructuring process [2021] EWHC 304 (Ch) and [2021] EWHC 775 (Ch)
- British Land, who formed part of an ad hoc group of landlords that opposed the restructuring plans of Virgin Active to rationalise its leasehold portfolio, in which the Court imposed one of the first cross-class cram downs [2021] EWHC 814 (Ch), [2021] EWHC 911 (Ch), and [2021] EWHC 1246 (Ch)
- a significant shareholder of Thomas Cook on the proposed recapitalisation and ultimate acquisition of the InTourist and Bucher, Reisen and Oger businesses following the businesses collapse
- the PwC provisional liquidators and subsequent scheme administrators in connection with the Part 26 scheme of arrangement of Independent Insurance Company Limited
- the EY Nortel administrators on the trading administrations that included 19 trading administrations across Europe (including 18 COMI administrations), a French secondary proceeding, the global litigation and subsequent settlement, and the distribution mechanisms. The Court decisions as part of this engagement include the leading Supreme Court decision on provable claims and administration expenses, the European Court of Justice decision on the application of certain provisions of the EU Insolvency Regulation on the French main and secondary proceedings, and the decisions of Snowden J (as he then was) approving the global settlement, a novel administration bar date, and the proposal of 16 CVAs Bloom v The Pensions Regulator [2013] UKSC 52, Case C-649/13, [2015] EWHC 2506 (Ch), [2016] EWHC 2769 (Ch), and [2017] EWHC 1429 (Ch)
- the co-ordinating committee of senior lenders to EnQuest on the 2016 restructuring following a sustained fall in the oil price implemented by way of a scheme of arrangement [2016] EWHC 3734 (Ch) and [2016] EWHC 3322 (Ch)
- the co-ordinating committee of lenders to First Oil on issues arising from the fall in the oil price and the subsequent sale of certain of the assets of the group by way of a pre-packaged administration in February 2016
- hibu on its complex 2014 financial restructuring implemented by way of a cross-border scheme of arrangement [2014] EWHC 370 (Ch) and [2014] EWHC 1047 (Ch)
- CPP on its 2014 scheme of arrangement to compromise historic mis-selling liabilities for seven million customers [2013] EWHC 3288 (Ch) and [2014] EWHC 114 (Ch)
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