Four months on from our inaugural newsletter – and where do we start??

Theresa out, Boris in; champagne super overs at Lords; hottest bank holiday on record; largest ever peacetime repatriation (of holidaymakers); Parliament unlawfully prorogued; Brexit on hold (again); and a general election two weeks before Christmas. It’s been anything but dull.

The team have been equally as active in the same period, having seen a significant influx of new work. Amongst the main highlights were:

Foreword Head of Real Estate Disputes Mathew Ditchburn considers what 2020 may have "in store". Five minutes with: Hebe Morgan We chat to real estate associate Hebe Morgan who is currently on secondment at M&G Real Estate.

CVA Special: Mathew Ditchburn reports

In this week’s update: The court finds that selfdealing by a director and a share buyback were void, the PERG report on compliance with the Walker Guidelines, the BVCA and EY review private equity portfolio company performance, the QCA reports on AIM company corporate governance and a few other items. 

Court confirms self-dealing by director was void

There are a range of potential outcomes to the current Brexit negotiations. What would the impact on corporate recovery and insolvency be of a no-deal Brexit? It is important for all stakeholders, including businesses, lenders and investors to be aware of the difficulties that will arise in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Key points if no-deal Brexit happens

Case: Lehman Brothers International (Europe) (in administration) [2018] EWHC 1980 (Ch), Hildyard J (27 July 2018)

Less than an hour after an oxygen tank exploded on Apollo 13, mission control told the crew to isolate a small tank, containing 3.9 pounds of oxygen.^[1] Days later, that tank provided the oxygen to keep the crew alive while landing back on Earth.

If they had left that tank for even another hour the oxygen in it would have been almost gone.

There are 3 developments on pre-packs to note – 2 domestic and 1 further afield:

There has been an influx of company voluntary arrangements (“CVAs”) in recent times, as retailers fight to rescue their UK high street stores. Retail CVAs accounts for the highest proportion of CVAs at 19%. As more and more CVAs are approved, we consider some of the recent trends seen in the retail sector which showcase the flexibility of a CVA and reflect the demands of landlords whose support is vital to the continuing viability of a business.

What is a CVA?

The EU Directive on restructuring and insolvency was published in the OJEU on Wednesday. Members states have until 17 July 2020 to implement it, and this includes the UK as it stands: the UK has much – but not all – of it already. The UK Government has its own plans for reforming insolvency law of course, including to re-introduce Crown Preference. It is mostly about creating a rescue framework.

Background