Restructuring & Insolvency Solicitors
Worried your business is heading towards insolvency? Speak to our corporate insolvency solicitors now on 0345 872 6666 for urgent, practical legal advice.
If you're under pressure from creditors, struggling with cash flow, or facing the threat of a winding-up petition, immediate action is essential. Delays can lead to personal liability, asset loss, or court proceedings - but early intervention can preserve value and limit risk.
We act for company directors, lenders, investors and insolvency practitioners across the UK. Whether you're looking to avoid insolvency, restructure, or manage a formal liquidation, the corporate insolvency solicitors at JMW provide clear, strategic advice at every stage of the process.
If you need help to protect your position, repay creditors, or take control of a difficult financial situation, we are ready to assist.
Call 0345 872 6666 now, or request a free initial consultation using our online contact form.
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How JMW Can Help
When insolvency is a risk, there’s no time to lose. Our corporate insolvency solicitors provide clear, strategic advice to protect your position and reduce exposure - whether you're dealing with early financial distress, an urgent restructuring, or post-insolvency recovery.
We work with company directors, insolvency practitioners, lenders, investors and buyers across the UK. From informal advice to formal appointments, we help you assess your options, take control, and act decisively.
Advisory - planning ahead to avoid insolvency
If you’re facing mounting creditor pressure, falling cash flow or the risk of personal guarantees being called in, early legal advice is critical. We help you understand your legal duties and take action before matters escalate.
We advise on:
- Debt restructuring and short-term cash flow concerns
- Directors’ duties under the Insolvency Act
- Personal liability and disqualification risks
- Protecting company assets and prioritising repayments
Get in touch now to avoid formal proceedings and explore your full range of options.
Transactional - acting during the insolvency process
In time-sensitive scenarios, we act quickly and with precision. Our team supports directors, insolvency practitioners and purchasers throughout the insolvency process, including:
- Company voluntary arrangements (CVAs)
- Creditors voluntary liquidation and compulsory liquidation
- Administration and business sales
- Asset transfers and restructuring transactions
- Managing antecedent transactions and statutory demands
We guide clients through the legal process and help to close deals under pressure.
Recovery – pursuing or defending claims post-insolvency
Once a company enters liquidation or administration, recovering value becomes the focus. We help clients bring or defend claims, recover assets, manage personal exposure and avoid unnecessary financial challenges.
This includes:
- Misfeasance and wrongful trading allegations
- Fraudulent trading and director misconduct
- Asset recovery and third-party claims
- Bankruptcy petitions and creditor enforcement
- Director disqualification proceedings
If you’ve been accused of wrongdoing, or need to take legal action to recover value, call our team today.
Find out more about our services:
- Applying for a Moratorium
- Company Administrations
- Company Insolvencies
- Company Voluntary Arrangements
- Legal Advice for Company Directors
- Pre-Pack Administrations
Why Choose JMW?
Insolvency can be highly distressing - particularly for company directors, lenders and other stakeholders with personal or professional exposure. The legal and financial risks are considerable, and there is limited room for error. In these situations, clients need clear, confident advice from corporate insolvency solicitors who understand the pressure and the wider context.
At JMW, we provide specialist legal advice on all aspects of restructuring and insolvency. Our dedicated team regularly advises on complex matters involving corporate insolvency, insolvency litigation, and director liability. We are one of the few mid-sized firms with a distinct, experienced team of corporate insolvency solicitors, and we act for clients throughout the UK.
Our solicitors work closely with cross-departmental colleagues, allowing us to provide a fully integrated service. Where a matter involves multiple departments - for example, the disposal of a property during liquidation, or a dispute concerning employment liabilities - we are able to deliver cohesive advice without delay or duplication.
Clients benefit from a consistent approach across the team. Each of our corporate insolvency solicitors shares the same high standards, commercial focus and practical mindset. The team is accessible, highly responsive, and used to handling urgent matters under pressure.
We understand the tactical considerations that often arise in insolvency and restructuring matters. We are also experienced in dealing with the underlying legal complexities - whether that involves antecedent transactions, wrongful trading claims, or the practical implications of a winding up petition.
When the risks are this high, it is essential to instruct a legal team with the right experience. JMW’s restructuring and insolvency solicitors offer the specialist knowledge and professional judgment needed to help clients take decisive, informed steps with confidence.
Meet Our Team of Restructuring & Insolvency Experts
Who Do We Work With?
Our specialist insolvency solicitors support a wide range of clients, each facing different pressures and priorities. Whether you're dealing with financial distress, protecting your assets, or looking to recover debts, we offer expert legal advice that’s tailored to your position, and focused on getting results.
Businesses in financial difficulty
We work with businesses of all sizes facing cash flow issues, mounting debts, or pressure from creditors. From debt restructuring and corporate recovery to company voluntary arrangements and formal insolvency procedures, we help you take control before liabilities exceed your assets.
If your business is at risk of a winding up petition or formal liquidation, our team can provide restructuring advice and represent you throughout the insolvency process – always with the aim of achieving the best possible outcome for the company, its directors and stakeholders.
Company directors and individuals
Directors facing personal liability or disqualification risks turn to us for direct, clear advice. If you're worried about wrongful trading, antecedent transactions or being held personally liable, we help you understand your duties and protect your position.
We also advise private individuals on bankruptcy petitions, personal insolvency matters and individual voluntary arrangements. Whether you're a sole trader or a shareholder, we offer strategic and cost-effective support to work through financial distress with confidence.
Private investors and stakeholders
Investors in insolvent companies or distressed assets rely on our expertise to protect their investments and recover value. We advise on deal structuring, enforce rights under shareholder agreements, and provide insight into complex insolvency issues.
When the legal position becomes uncertain, we step in to provide clarity - especially when fraudulent trading or director misconduct may be involved.
Institutional lenders and financial institutions
Banks, alternative lenders and other funding bodies use JMW to manage insolvency events across their portfolios. We advise on enforcement action, recover assets, and help restructure borrower obligations to maximise returns.
Our services include security reviews, defending court proceedings, negotiating voluntary arrangements and dealing with statutory demands or bankruptcy processes. If a borrower enters liquidation or administration, we act fast to protect your legal and financial position.
Insolvency practitioners and restructuring professionals
We work alongside insolvency practitioners throughout formal procedures, from appointment to conclusion. JMW provides support with all aspects of the insolvency procedure, including creditors voluntary liquidation, company administration, and recovery of company assets.
Our insolvency lawyers also support with litigation involving wrongful trading, fraudulent trading, misfeasance claims, and disqualification proceedings. We work closely with restructuring professionals to deliver efficient, commercial outcomes at every stage.
Restructuring and Insolvency FAQs
- What options are available for distressed businesses?
If your company is under pressure from creditors, struggling with cash flow, or facing formal action like a winding-up petition, it’s vital to take professional advice early. The options available will depend on the business’s financial situation, level of debt, and long-term viability.
Our corporate insolvency solicitors work with businesses of all sizes to assess their position and provide clear, practical advice on the right next steps. Here are the most common routes through financial distress:
- Debt restructuring: Restructuring your company’s debts can ease pressure and improve cash flow. This may involve extending repayment terms, reducing interest, or negotiating new conditions with lenders. Debt restructuring is often a first step to avoid insolvency and regain financial stability.
- Company voluntary arrangements: A CVA is a formal agreement with creditors to repay a portion of your company’s debts over time while continuing to trade. Overseen by an insolvency practitioner, this option can offer breathing room and protect the business from more aggressive recovery action.
- Administration: This insolvency procedure places the company into the control of an insolvency practitioner who takes steps to rescue the business, sell assets, or achieve a better outcome for creditors than liquidation. Administration can also provide short-term protection from creditor action.
- Pre-pack administration: This involves arranging the sale of a business or its assets before entering administration, with the transaction completing immediately afterwards. It’s often used to preserve business value, protect jobs, and avoid reputational damage, while complying with insolvency law.
- Liquidation: If rescue is no longer viable, a company may be wound up. In a creditors voluntary liquidation, directors choose to place the company into liquidation and appoint an insolvency practitioner. In a compulsory liquidation, the process is triggered by a creditor through the courts. Both involve selling the company’s assets to repay creditors.
- Negotiating with creditors: In some cases, informal negotiation can provide relief. Our insolvency lawyers help businesses seek revised terms, repayment plans, or discounts - potentially avoiding formal insolvency procedures altogether.
- Moratorium: A statutory moratorium offers short-term protection from creditor enforcement while a company explores restructuring options. This can be a valuable tool to pause legal action and assess the company’s recovery potential with the support of restructuring professionals.
- Informal business turnaround: For some businesses, operational change - not legal process - is the answer. We support clients through business turnaround planning, helping to cut costs, shift focus, and improve profitability before insolvency becomes inevitable.
Every business in financial distress faces unique legal and commercial risks. Whether you're looking to avoid insolvency, enter a voluntary arrangement, or protect yourself as a company director, our insolvency solicitors will help you work through the legal complexities and secure the best available outcome.
- What are the key legal considerations involved with business restructuring?
Business restructuring involves a wide range of legal issues, many of which carry serious consequences if overlooked. The approach required will depend on the company’s structure and financial situation, and the objectives behind the restructuring.
Below are some of the core legal areas that should be considered before taking any steps.
- Compliance with corporate law: Restructuring must comply with statutory and constitutional requirements. This includes observing the company’s articles of association, shareholder agreements, and all relevant obligations under the Companies Act. Any failure to meet these requirements could lead to challenges from shareholders or other interested parties.
- Dealing with creditors: Creditors are directly affected by any restructuring and should be factored into the process at an early stage. This includes both secured and unsecured creditors, as well as creditors with contractual protections or priority claims. Failing to manage creditor relationships properly can result in disputes, court proceedings, or the issue of a winding-up petition.
- Employment law: Changes to a business often have consequences for its employees. This might involve making redundancies, restructuring departments, or transferring staff under TUPE regulations. Employers must meet consultation requirements, observe notice periods, and comply with all redundancy and employment protections, or face legal action.
- Directors’ duties and liability: Company directors must be aware of their legal duties at all times, especially when the business is in financial difficulty. Directors who allow a company to continue trading while insolvent may face claims for wrongful or fraudulent trading and could be held personally liable. Disqualification proceedings may also follow.
- Contractual obligations: Commercial contracts may contain provisions that are triggered by restructuring activity - such as change of control clauses, automatic termination rights, or covenants linked to financial performance. These contracts should be reviewed in full before any structural change is made, to avoid unintended breaches or losses.
- Insolvency law: Where the company is already insolvent or at risk of becoming insolvent, specific legal rules apply. This could involve the appointment of an insolvency practitioner, entry into administration, or liquidation. Directors and stakeholders must understand their rights and responsibilities under the Insolvency Act and other relevant legislation.
- Tax implications: Restructuring can affect the company’s tax position, including exposure to Corporation Tax, VAT, and Capital Gains Tax. Tax liabilities may also arise from asset disposals, debt write-offs, or group reorganisations.
- Intellectual property rights: If the business owns or relies on intellectual property, it’s important to protect these rights throughout the restructuring process. This includes registering transfers, maintaining licensing agreements, and ensuring continued use or control of key IP assets.
- Data protection and privacy: Any restructuring involving the transfer of personal data must comply with data protection laws. This is especially relevant during business sales or group reorganisations, where data held on customers, staff, or suppliers may need to be shared or transferred.
- Financing arrangements: Where new funding is introduced or existing loans are refinanced, the legal structure must support the business’s future plans. Security agreements, repayment terms, and compliance with lending covenants must all be reviewed to reduce the risk of future enforcement.
- Regulatory approvals: In certain sectors, restructuring may require regulatory consent. This could include competition authorities, industry regulators, or licensing bodies. Failure to obtain the correct approvals may delay or invalidate part of the restructuring.
The experienced restructuring and insolvency solicitors at JMW can provide expert advice on all aspects of this process, helping those involved to comply with all legal requirements and navigate the restructuring process successfully.
Talk to Us
Contact JMW for insolvency legal advice from our qualified team of specialists. Call our corporate insolvency solicitors on 0345 872 6666 and take the first step towards getting your and your business’s finances and future back on track. Alternatively, fill in our online enquiry form and we will get back to you.