The recent decisions in Avonwick Holdings Ltd and others v Shlosberg and Leeds v Lemos have restricted the ability of trustees in bankruptcy to use privileged documents belonging to the bankrupt. What do these rulings mean for trustees?
The Trustee in Bankruptcy's purpose and powers
The Facts
This case is the first to really consider the practical impact of the recent Court of Appeal decision in Shlosberg v Avonwick [2016] EWCA Civ 1138, in which it was decided that legal professional privilege does not vest in a Trustee in Bankruptcy.
Following our previous article about farms facing insolvency as a limited company, we will now discuss the implications of insolvency on a sole trader or partnership.
Farmers running their business as a sole trader could face personal bankruptcy in the event the business faces financial difficulty.
There are various ways misconduct can be reported in respect of companies and individuals. Establishing which authority has the power to conduct investigations of wrongdoing depends to a certain extent on the status of the companies and individuals.
Alan Bennett and Crispin Jones successfully acted for Mr Dowling in his application to set aside a Statutory Demand served on him by Promontoria (Arrow) Limited ("Promontoria") in the sum of €6,338,675.93. The decision has wide reaching implications for creditors seeking to rely on guarantees.
A fundamental consideration when embarking on any litigation is whether the defendant will be able to pay. In most cases, this is really a question of whether the defendant is insured (although in some cases a defendant may be uninsured and yet still have the means to pay).
What happens if the defendant is insolvent?
When faced with bankruptcy proceedings, it is paramount that you act quickly in order to avoid unnecessary costs and stress.
The bankruptcy proceedings
Key Points
This article was first published in Insolvency Intelligence 2017 30(6) and is now available on Westlaw.
Unlike in personal insolvency, the estate is bankrupt when its liabilities are greater than assets. There is no need for an order declaring an estate bankrupt. Equally, there is, therefore, no specific, different Grant appointing those responsible for administering an insolvent estate. A bankrupt estate may be administered by its appointed executor or administrator (PR), applying insolvency rules in the administration process.