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Restructuring & Insolvency

Our market leading Restructuring & Insolvency group provides expert advice on all aspects of complex domestic and international restructuring and insolvency mandates and other special situations.

Our team have been lead advisors in the most high profile and complex international restructurings and insolvency mandates in Ireland in recent years including GTLK Europe, Nordic Aviation Capital, Norwegian Air Group, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Weatherford International, Skillsoft Group, Ballantyne Re and Endo Pharmaceuticals. We are consistently ranked as a top tier practice for Restructuring and Insolvency in all the major legal directories including Chambers, Legal 500, IFLR and the Global Restructuring Review.

We advise the leading Irish and international insolvency practitioners, financial institutions, sponsors, private equity, bondholders, secured and unsecured creditors, creditor committees (including ad hoc committees), directors, shareholders and other stakeholders in all aspects of distressed business situations.

We also regularly collaborate with other specialist teams and sector experts at William Fry to deliver comprehensive commercial and innovative solutions to our clients across a wide variety of sectors.

Fergus Doorly

Partner

Ruairi Rynn

Partner

Craig Sowman

Partner

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Experience

Our team has been involved in some of Ireland’s most significant and high profile insolvencies and restructurings. Our recent experience includes:

GTLK Europe: Advised an ad hoc group of note holders, led by Attestor Capital, on the contested application to the Irish High Court to liquidate the GTLK Europe group and all related matters.
Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC): Advised the Irish headquartered NAC Group on all aspects of its highly complex, multi-jurisdictional restructuring of its $6.8bn of debt through Chapter 11 proceedings.
Norwegian Air Group: Acting for Kieran Wallace as examiner of Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA and associated group companies on the restructuring of the Norwegian Air Group through an Irish law examinership and parallel Norwegian law reconstruction process that led to the reduction of the group’s debt by approximately NOK 63 – 65bn (approx. US$7.5bn), terminated aircraft orders of approximately NOK 85 billion (approx. US$10bn) and raised up to NOK 6 billion (approx. US$720m) in new capital. Further details on this case are available here.
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals: Advised various US States and governmental entities comprising the Governmental Plaintiff Ad Hoc Committee on their claims relating to the sale and distribution of certain opium products against Mallinckrodt through an Irish examinership and US Chapter 11
Skillsoft Group: Advising the Skillsoft Group and its Irish incorporated parent company on Irish law aspects of its successful restructuring through a US Chapter 11.
Weatherford International: Advising Michael McAteer of Grant Thornton as examiner of Weatherford International Public Limited Company in relation to its $8.35bn restructuring on a cross-border basis in Ireland and the US.
M&G Investments / Ronan Group Real Estate: Advised M&G Investments and its appointed receivers, Michael McAteer and Nicholas O’Dwyer of Grant Thornton, on the enforcement of a comprehensive security package over a portfolio of commercial property assets owned by Ronan Group Real Estate with a market value in excess of €250m.
Montrose Global: Advised a secured lender to the Montrose Global group on the enforcement of its secured debt by the appointment of a share receiver to the Irish parent of the Montrose Global aircraft leasing group, and subsequently advised the new boards of the group across multiple jurisdictions on duties and contentious matters.
Ballantyne Re: Advising Ballantyne Re on its landmark restructuring through contested Irish law scheme of arrangement. For further details of the case please see here.
Nortel Networks: Acted for the joint administrators of Nortel Networks (Ireland) Limited in the major restructuring of over $2bn of debt of the Nortel group.

Retailers

In addition to have experience across a broad number of sectors, the William Fry team has particular experience and expertise in the retail sector and as acted in the restricting and/or insolvency of multiple businesses in the retail sector including the examinerships of Mothercare Ireland, Debenhams Ireland, B&Q Ireland and New Look and the liquidations of Oasis Fashion, Warehouse Fashion, Karen Millen and Debenhams Ireland.

Areas of Expertise