‘Combining “Magic Circle” expertise and a depth of service on a national level’, Addleshaw Goddard‘s practice continues to act on a variety of high-profile insolvency and corporate recovery mandates, and possesses one of the pre-eminent restructuring offerings in the market. Group lead Jamie McIntosh ‘delivers first-class service’ across insolvencies and restructurings and retains close connections to an enviable roster of financial institutions and insolvency practitioners. Tim Cooper ‘has excellent knowledge in the areas where insolvency and environmental legislation overlaps’ and is routinely instructed on both contentious and non-contentious matters, while Addi Spiers is highly reputed for her work in the distressed real estate space. Emma Widdowson provides further corporate restructuring capabilities, especially in regard to UK clearing banks, and Courtney Clelland is singled out by clients as a key name to note.

The ‘multi-faceted team‘ at Brodies LLP  is ‘vastly experienced in larger and more complex restructuring and insolvency assignments, both locally in the Scottish market and cross-border’. The firm is acting on varied restructurings across all levels, and has witnessed an increased stream of complex personal insolvency mandates from a swathe of high-net-worth individuals. Team lead Lucy McCann is lauded as ‘one of the best insolvency lawyers in Scotland’ and is well equipped to act on both corporate and personal insolvency matters, as well as contentious proceedings. Fellow team lead Peter Kelly chiefly focuses on restructurings and works with a national portfolio of entities, while Elaine Petterson is recognised for her work in the real estate space, often overseeing the acquisition and disposal of non-performing loan portfolios. Shirley Li-Ting excels at cross-border restructurings, and Louise Laing handles corporate recovery matters, while Jamie Nellany is active in the aviation, insurance, and energy sectors. Jennifer Guy is also recommended, and Nicky-Ray Watson, who joined from Harper Macleod LLP in November 2023, acts for high net-worth clients.

Burness Paull LLP has a ‘market leading team that is a force to be reckoned with in the Scottish restructuring and insolvency market’, possessing a vast contentious and non-contentious offering. The widely lauded Michael Thomson spearheads the team and has overseen a number of high-profile restructurings across a vast array of sectors, including the real estate, infrastructure, food and drink, financial services, and retail industries. The ‘highly respected’ Allana Sweeney’s far reaching practice is largely concentrated on non-contentious issues, while Gary Moffat is the first port-of-call for clients seeking litigation expertise, often working closely with Sophia Harrison. Fiona Carlin, Claire McKellar, and Riccardo Alonzi are also key names that contribute to the practice.

The restructuring and insolvency team at Morton Fraser MacRoberts regularly handles the transactional and contentious side of complex, multi-faceted mandates, with notable expertise in property, pensions, and IP and IT issues. The firm acts for a wide client base, and often receives instructions that require national and international expertise. Alan Meek and Nicola Ross co-lead the practice; the former is noted for his expertise working with distressed companies, particularly in the financial services sector, and the latter has ‘great insolvency experience which can be applied across many sectors’. Leon Breakey has established strength in insolvency disputes, recently handling issues of gratuitous alienations, wrongful trading, and misfeasance. Ian Young is praised as an ‘industry stalwart of the corporate and insolvency arena’ and has an extensive cross-border practice, while Jennifer Andrew is active on contentious mandates.

Shepherd and Wedderburn possesses a team of ‘highly skilled professionals who are the top of their game’ and the group ‘provides excellent advice in distressed situations’. The firm demonstrates expertise across the full array of restructuring and insolvency issues and is well geared to act for a range of clearing banks and financial institutions, insolvency practitioners, directors and distressed companies. Spearheading the team is Fiona McKerrell who is equally skilled acting for both administrators and company directors in sensitive, often multi-jurisdictional insolvencies, while Gillian Carty takes the reins on contentious mandates. Suzanne Knowles ‘is an experienced and trusted adviser’ who is well versed across a range of sectors including the real estate, retail and charity spaces, and Laura McMillan‘s ‘attention to detail and efficient turnaround of work makes her the director of choice’ in relation to contentious instructions. Serena Weir also comes recommended.

‘An experienced team with great technical knowledge’, TLT has further strengthened its insolvency and corporate recovery offering through the acquisition of Keith Anderson from Gilson Gray in September 2023, who complements the team's contentious work. The firm has an active lender advisory practice, advising across the whole range of issues, from pre-insolvency proceedings to distress work, as well as extensive experience overseeing the transactional and contentious aspects of insolvencies and restructurings. Team lead Ainslie Benzie, who was promoted to partner in April 2024, is hailed by clients as ‘one of the very best specialist corporate restructuring and insolvency solicitors in Scotland’ and is a foremost point of contact for lenders, corporates, and insolvency practitioners, as well as being the key contact for transactional restructuring matters. Peter McGladrigan handles contentious insolvency work, and Emma Gascoyne-Day supports across the whole gamut of matters.

The insolvency and litigation team at Anderson Strathern is ‘approachable, knowledgeable and professional‘, and well positioned to act on a host of insolvency and corporate recovery matters for financial institutions, key government agencies, and corporates. The firm also continues to be a key port-of-call for personal insolvency issues, and is regularly instructed by insolvency practitioners and financial institutions. Katrina Lumsdaine leads the group and is recognised for her contentious expertise; she has recently represented a number of accountants in bankruptcy proceedings. Gillian Murray is a ‘standout’ adviser who deals with a ‘number of complex matters with a very commercial and practical approach’. Seonaid Sandham is a key name for personal insolvency work, while Eilidh MacEwan, who joined from Gilson Gray in March 2023, focuses on contentious insolvency instructions.

BBM Solicitors is ‘well recognised within Scotland as being a ‘go-to’ practice when faced with any insolvency issues’. The firm has an active portfolio of work that features cross-border elements; recently, the team has been noticeably active in high-profile fraud cases, complex contentious proceedings, and a growing body of work in the energy and professional services sectors. As a standout lawyer and ‘a genuine insolvency law expert’, Eric Baijal helms the practice and is the chief lead on a wide variety of mandates, particularly contentious work. Jennifer Simpson, operating from Wick, handles many of the non-contentious matters and is strong in corporate and property disposals.

Fielding a team that is ‘both knowledgeable of the law and aware of the commercial issues in the case at hand’, Dentons leverages its deep bench of multi-disciplinary practitioners across the UK to advise on high-profile insolvency transactions, with established strength in the real estate, construction, public and financial services sectors. The firm also has an active contentious offering, and is often engaged on issues relating to liquidation and administration proceedings. Philip Knight joined the team from Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP in October 2023 and now leads the practice. Eoghann Green concentrates on insolvency matters, while Jack Mullen is active on contentious instructions.

As a ‘very capable and commercial team’ that ‘gets to grips with complex issues quickly‘, Harper Macleod LLP receives a wide array of instructions from major industry players, administrators and bankruptcy trustees, and has recently been active on a number of high-profile restructurings and insolvencies across a wealth of sectors. ‘Stand out’ partner Gordon Hollerin helms the practice and is a key name for banks and financial institutions, administrators and liquidators, and directors. Co-head James Lloyd is a go-to for bankruptcy and personal insolvency work, while Limor Wolfe has a property background which she leverages in the real estate and retail spaces. Fiona Strang‘s corporate know-how is leveraged on a range of insolvency mandates.

Shoosmiths LLP utilises ‘intellectual prowess’ to effectively navigate ‘complex legal challenges’, and act for trustees, administrators, corporates, and high-net-worth individuals on a variety of issues in the insolvency and restructurings space. The firm has seen a noticeable uptick in litigation instructions, and team lead Stuart Clubb, who is lauded by clients as ‘one of best insolvency lawyers working in Scotland today’ with a ‘brilliant technical mind’, has established himself as a key litigation lawyer for insolvency practitioners. Andrew Foyle, another esteemed litigator, is active on a broad range of mandates including conducting examinations, assessing the validity of administrator appointments, and initiating court action of the behalf of trustees and company directors.

Aberdein Considine ‘has an impressive team that attracts a high quality of work’ from a roster of UK-wide banks and financial institutions, insolvency practitioners, and corporates, handling both contentious and non-contentious pre and post-appointment insolvency mandates. The firm also regularly undertakes complex restructurings, which is a key feature of practice head Ross Webb‘s far-reaching remit. Webb is noted for his ‘thorough’ and ‘commercially minded approach’ to lender advisory, transactional and litigation work, and often works closely with Karen Little, who acts on complex property issues and property disposal matters.

Blackadders LLP bolstered its practice with the 2023 arrival of Fiona Muirs from Balfour+Manson LLP, who serves as head of the firm's dispute resolution practice. The firm acts for a varied client base across corporate and personal insolvency cases, with a notable focus on post insolvency and contentious issues. Ryan McKay is well-regarded for his property litigation and insolvency acumen, and is regularly instructed by insolvency practitioners, directors, and administrators and liquidators, while Susan Currie‘s practice spans personal and corporate insolvency mandates. Stephanie Carr left the team to join Thorntons Law LLP in May 2023.

Possessing ‘significant experience in insolvency and company law matters – particularly contentious matters’, BTO Solicitors LLP has strengthened its full-service offering through the hire of dispute resolution specialist Tim Edwards from MBM Commercial in November 2023, making the firm well-equipped to act for a range of insolvency practitioners, commercial lenders, and landlords. Angus Wood co-leads the group and is widely lauded as a ‘stand-out partner’ who is ‘unbelievably intelligent’ and ‘displays real commercial acumen’. Wood’s contentious practice is complimented by co-head Alastair Dunn‘s corporate restructuring offering, while Grant Hunter is largely focused on secured and unsecured recovery work. Kirsteen Maclean is also recommended for her litigation expertise.

Thorntons Law LLP ‘provides expertise covering the full spectrum of business recovery and insolvency’, recently strengthening its offering further through the hire of Stephanie Carr from Blackadders LLP in June 2023, who handles personal and corporate insolvency cases. The team is well geared to act for a broad range of administrators, liquidators, trustees and directors on both contentious and non-contentious issues as well as having a solid transactional and advisory practice. The ‘outstanding’ Pamela Muir helms the team and is widely lauded as an ‘extremely experienced insolvency and restructuring solicitor’, possessing strong litigation skills. Anne Miller is another key litigator in the group and focuses on corporate insolvencies, with an impressive track record acting for insolvency practitioners.

Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP recently recruited team co-head Alan Munro from TLT in May 2023, an insolvency law specialist who leverages over two decades of experience. His team is sought out by directors, liquidators, and lenders for contentious and non-contentious matters, with a particular emphasis on litigation guided by insolvency practitioners. Co-head Graham Bell has deep experience advising lenders and has recently been active on business transfers and lease assignations. Steven Docherty focuses on contentious issues and acts in claims for a range of clients.