Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is a leading international restructuring and insolvency firm.

We have over 100 lawyers with expertise in business rescue and insolvency work across all major financial centres including the UK, Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain and Asia.

We have played leading roles in all of the most significant recent European restructurings. Our experience on which we have had major roles include:

  • AEA Technology - lenders
  • AGIV Real Estate - lenders
  • Alstom - lenders
  • Eurotunnel - company
  • Euro Disney - company
  • GAL - company
  • Ihr Platz - lenders
  • KarstadtQuelle - lenders
  • Le Meridien - lenders
  • MFI - company
  • MG Rover Group - insolvency administrators
  • Parmalat - lenders
  • Polestar - lenders
  • PrimaCom AG - lenders
  • Schefenacker - lenders
  • Swissair - Crossair AG - acquiring company
  • Telewest - company
  • TMD Friction - lenders
  • QMH - company
  • Uniq Plc - lenders
  • Walter Bau - acquiring company

We have also acted on a number of less high profile or confidential transactions for a variety of debtor and creditor clients. These have included both cross-border and domestic restructurings and refinancings.
Our experience also covers out of court refinancings, distressed acquisitions/sales, contingency planning for distressed companies, US Chapter 11 reorganisations and s363 sales as well as formal insolvency assignments across the insolvency spectrum.

A key development in recent years has been the different types of institutions active in the restructuring and insolvency market. We have developed our relationships with these institutions to include all the major players in our market - central banks, corporates, corporate advisers and turnaround specialists, commercial and investment banks, private equity houses, strategic investors, insolvency practitioners and government institutions.

We have grown our specialist industry expertise and construction, energy, insurance, leisure, retail, TMT and transport & logistics are our particular strengths. We also work closely with our specialist pensions team on assignments in this area.

In June 2006 and January 2007 the Freshfields team won, respectively, the 'Lawyer Awards 2006 Banking and Restructuring Team of the Year' and the 'Acquisitions Monthly 2007 Restructuring Deal of the Year', for advising Lehman Brothers on the £1billion refinancing of the international hotel group Le Meridien, which we were described as being as 'one of the foremost restructuring practices in the City'.

In March 2007 the firm's restructuring and insolvency team won both the Deal of the Year award 2007 (for its role on Eurotunnel) and the prestigious Restructuring Team of the Year award at the International Financial Law Review awards. More recently, we were presented with "Banking & Restructuring Team of the Year" at The Legal Business Awards 2008.

For more information please contact Nick Sims, business development and communications manager, at nick.sims@freshfields.com.

News

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Financial services counsel joins Freshfields’ Paris office View

Briefings

Financial assistance  View

The new French securitisation regime:Creating the ultimate vehicle  View

Awards

Debt and equity-linked team of the year - IFLR European Awards (2008)

Pro-bono award - IFLR European Awards (2008)

View all awards