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 Restructuring & insolvency solicitors

Restructuring & insolvency solicitors

We deliver pragmatic, commercial advice, based on detailed understanding across industry sectors to enable our clients to achieve the best results. We also work closely with other professionals throughout the UK on significant cross-border matters.

Overview

Advising businesses, directors and lenders throughout Scotland

The Restructuring & Insolvency team at Harper Macleod combines technical excellence with service delivery of the highest standard to businesses, directors and lenders the length and breadth of Scotland. We also work closely with restructuring advisers elsewhere in the UK and internationally in relation to cross-border assignments.

We have a wealth of knowledge in banking and finance transactions, distressed property, debt and equity restructurings and insolvency processes.

Lenders seek our advice to help them with a wide range of impaired asset solutions, including equity restructuring, property participation, security enhancement and security realisation. While distressed businesses and their management come to us for our innovative and skilled approach in relation to corporate restructuring solutions.

Our approach is to work in partnership with our clients to develop and implement solutions through proactive discussion, innovative strategic analysis and robust, effective advice.

Where rescue, turnaround and restructuring is not possible, we advise on the duties and obligations of those engaged in insolvency processes including advice to Insolvency Practitioners in relation to administrations, liquidations, CVA’s and other statutory arrangements.

Creditors, whether secured or unsecured, require advice on securing and maximising their recovery from customers facing insolvency. Insolvency practitioners need advice geared towards maximising the return to creditors while complying with their statutory and regulatory duties.

Our services

We are experienced in advising in the following areas:

  • Administrations
  • Company Voluntary Arrangements (CVA)
  • Debt recovery processes
  • Debt rescheduling and refinancing
  • Directors’ duties
  • Distressed debt trading and non performing loans
  • Distressed M&A
  • Distressed real estate lending and impaired asset solutions
  • Equity and property participation
  • Equity and property restructuring
  • Formal insolvency processes and office holders conduct
  • Insolvency litigation
  • Insolvent assets and business sales and purchases
  • Lender exit strategies
  • Liquidations
  • Pre packaged solutions and disposals
  • Receiverships
  • Security enhancement and realisation

Work

Examples of our work

Acting for administrators

Overview

Acting for KPMG as administrators of Pelamis Wave Power Limited, a major wave power developer, in the sale of its assets including intellectual property connected to its sea-snake wave energy device, to Wave Energy Scotland Limited, a body set up by Highlands and Islands Enterprise to support Scotland’s wave-energy sector.

Property restructuring and refinance

Overview

Acted for The Keiller Group on a restructure and refinance of a £65 million property portfolio alongside a £40 million senior debt refinance.

Corporate restructuring

Overview

Acting in the successful restructuring of a national ophthalmic business through the administration of a trading subsidiary and the transfer of certain of its retail units to a group company preserving the employment of the workforce and ensuring the continuity of patient care.

Restructuring associated with refinancing

Overview

Acting in the successful restructuring of a national ophthalmic business through the administration of a trading subsidiary and the transfer of certain of its retail units to a group company preserving the employment of the workforce and ensuring the continuity of patient care.

Restructuring associated with refinancing

Overview

We advised on the restructuring of a care home group in conjunction with a major refinancing exercise with the group’s lenders. Our joint restructuring, banking and corporate teams combined to ensure a complex transaction went smoothly, meeting the aims of both the borrower and lender.

Advising administrators of e-commerce business

Overview

We advised on the complex legal issues arising from the administration of a leading sales, e-commerce and online solutions business. Our knowledge of IT and IP issues, as well as e-commerce combined with our insolvency experience to make us ideally placed to deal with such a highly specialised business.

Members’ voluntary liquidation

Overview

Acting in the members’ voluntary liquidation of Glasgow 2014 Limited, the company responsible for the successful Glasgow Commonwealth Games, for which Harper Macleod were sole legal advisers.

Testimonials

“Harper Macleod is a very good law firm. It provides good advice and has a strong breadth of skills and experience in its team.”

– Chambers UK 2025

“Harper Macleod has a team of strong performers who are available to respond quickly and deal with issues in a way that makes matters straightforward.”

– Chambers UK 2025

“The team at Harper Macleod are highly responsive and provide good value. They are knowledgeable and have lots of specialists that can assist.”

– Chambers UK 2025

“Harper Macleod is an excellent law firm in terms of its breadth and depth of knowledge.”

– Chambers UK 2025

“Vastly experienced partner-led team, with broad cross-sector experience in both corporate restructuring and corporate/personal insolvency.”

– The Legal 500 2025

“A very capable and commercial team who are quick to respond, get to grips with complex issues quickly and offer sound advice based on many years of experience in the insolvency and restructuring sector. Partner availability is never an issue but equally more junior members of the team show an excellent level of knowledge and ability.”

– The Legal 500 2025

“Harper Macleod is liberal with the partner time it has on offer, they are readily available as necessary.”

– Chambers UK 2024

“The team is responsive, hardworking, provides clear advice, and is pleasant to work with.”

– The Legal 500 2024

“Harper Macleod offers real expertise and experience.”

– Chambers UK 2024

“Unique insights to the public sector and a good geographical coverage.”

– The Legal 500 2024

“Very good access to senior members of the team who have a very strong in-depth knowledge and great deal of experience of restructuring and insolvency scenarios.”

– The Legal 500 2024

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CONTACT US

Glasgow Edinburgh Inverness Elgin Thurso Shetland
Get in touch

Call us for free on 0330 159 5555 or complete our online form below to submit your enquiry or arrange a call back.

Speak to us today on 0330 159 5555

Get in touch

CONTACT US

Get in touch

Call us for free on 0330 159 5555 or complete our online form below to submit your enquiry or arrange a call back.