Biography
Melissa is a partner in our Restructuring & Insolvency team.
Melissa has over 20 years' experience advising financial stakeholders in circumstances of both corporate and personal financial distress. She works with insolvency practitioners, directors, creditors and individuals on a range of issues from assisting a board when trading in the face of financial pressure, to strategic planning with a view to seeking a viable solvent solution or advising on the implementation and impact of formal insolvency processes and the within formal insolvency processes. Such issues include the sale and purchase of business and assets, advice around security and its enforcement, as well as insolvency litigation (whether that be claims against directors/third parties) in breach of duty, or for the return/recovery of assets.
Prior to joining Ashfords, Melissa was a partner at a national law firm where she was responsible for leading the distressed restructuring and turnaround practice, assisting stakeholders of entities facing financial distress with a view to seeking a managed exit, whether that be through a restructure, leading to a solvent solution, or a managed exit via a insolvency planned process.
Relevant experience
- Advice to the purchaser of a business operating in the brokerage space on the acquisition of a business and assets from Administrators in circumstances where whilst the purchaser was not connected with the distressed business, key personnel would be transferred to senior roles (requiring the purchaser to obtain the opinion of an “Evaluator”.)
- Advice to the directors of a promotions company operating via digital media on trading in the face of financial distress, and to an associated company on the arm’s length purchase of assets from a liquidating including the transfer licences, contracts.
- Advice to the board if an architectural firm on its options in the face of financial distress, in seeking to restructure its activities with a view to achieving a solvent solution.
- Advising Administrators of the sale of various convenience stores, on a going concern basis, in circumstances where the Administrators secured a full return to creditors including all statutory interest.
- Advising the supervisors of a Partnership Voluntary Arrangement on the implementation of proposals in circumstances where Receivers had been appointed over certain parcels of land, a former partner was deceased and his insolvent estate was being administered under the Insolvent estate (Deceased Persons) Order.
