Tom advises across the full spectrum of restructuring and insolvency matters, including complex corporate restructurings and contentious and non-contentious insolvency matters. In the financial services space, his experience includes bank resolution, restructuring and insolvency work for firms, governments, central banks and insolvency practitioners.
Tom is ranked in Chambers UK, 2025, which notes that he “knows a lot about a lot, he is incredibly calm and he's hard-working. He is a charming person who can calmly deal with the most complex situations” and that he is a “strong operator”. Chambers UK, 2022, said that he "is incredibly commercial and is at the forefront of thinking innovatively - he can think outside of the box when solving thorny legal issues" and that "He's a great technician, really nice to deal with and very collaborative", whilst Chambers 2021 said that “He is exceptionally bright, very measured in his approach and at the same time very tough – he is respected in the market”. He is listed as a “Leading Individual” in the Legal 500, 2025 and is a “Highly Regarded” practitioner in the IFLR 1000, 2025.
Corporate restructuring highlights include advising:
- Cineworld Group plc in connection with the Chapter 11 cases for its UK, US and Jersey businesses, and AlixPartners in relation to the pre-pack administration which implemented the restructuring.
- Alvarez & Marsal in connection with the pre-pack administration of Valaris plc, which implemented the Chapter 11 restructuring of Valaris’ $7.1bn of debt.
- Premier Oil plc on the restructuring plans used to implement Premier’s merger (and related debt restructuring) with Chrysaor in 2021, the litigation arising from and ultimately the successful sanction of its contested schemes of arrangement in 2020, and the 2017 restructuring of its $3.8 billion of debt facilities implemented by schemes of arrangement.
- Virgin Group on the successful restructuring of Virgin Active. This case was an important landmark in the development of the restructuring plan and, in particular, its usefulness as a tool to address operational liabilities.
- Hema, the Dutch retailer, on its multi-jurisdictional financial restructuring designed to deleverage its capital structure, including a debt-for-equity swap and new money raise, and which was implemented by means of a scheme of arrangement and a security enforcement sale.
- The Restaurant Group plc, Revolution Bars Group plc and Mothercare plc in relation to CVAs implementing restructurings of their leasehold estates, and an informal steering committee of landlords in relation to the CVAs proposed by the Arcadia Group.
- AlixPartners on contingency planning for the compulsory liquidation of Thomas Cook plc
- EY in connection with the pre-pack administration of Interserve plc which implemented the Group’s deleveraging plan.
- Carillion plc on its restructuring negotiations and its subsequent entry into compulsory liquidation, and the Official Receiver and Special Managers in relation to various matters arising in the liquidation.
Financial Services restructuring highlights include advising:
- HM Treasury on the UK implications of the crisis of confidence in Credit Suisse Group, and on the resolutions of Northern Rock, Bradford & Bingley and the UK subsidiaries of the Icelandic banks Kaupthing and Landsbanki.
- Silicon Valley Bank UK Limited on the consequences for its own position following its parent, Silicon Valley Bank, being placed into receivership by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and its acquisition by HSBC UK Bank plc, which involved the exercise by the Bank of England of its resolution powers under the Banking Act 2009.
- The Non-Standard Finance group on its financial restructuring, which involved the sanction of a scheme of arrangement to compromise historic redress liabilities, and the transfer of its business to its secured lenders.
- Grant Thornton as administrators of the high cost lenders CashEuroNet, UK LLC, S.D. Taylor Limited and Wonga Group.
- The Foreign and Commonwealth Office on contingency planning in relation to the banking crisis in the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla.
- The Central Bank of Cyprus on the resolutions of Bank of Cyprus and Laiki Bank.
- The SIPA Trustee for the liquidation of MF Global Inc. in relation to its claims in the special administration of MF Global UK Limited, including advising on the litigation arising out of those claims and the negotiation of a settlement.
- The Icelandic bank Glitnir on its winding-up proceedings and composition.