Mark is an experienced litigator and restructuring solicitor, acting in these fields for over 30 years. He held an insolvency practitioner’s licence for over 20 years. Mark’s clients include banks, corporates and accountant insolvency practitioners. He acts in advisory, contentious, restructuring and non-contentious situations.
Mark frequently advises purchasers of assets from insolvent estates, often with technology-based assets. He has acted on numerous sales of assets for and by insolvency practitioners, in both trading and accelerated asset realisation situations. He helps consider the commercial effectiveness of possible solutions and prepares appropriate contracts, resolutions, charges and releases.
Mark specialises in domestic turnaround and cross-border recovery matters such as civil enforcement, fraud, misfeasance and asset tracing claims. He has assisted with major Serious Fraud Office and offshore fraud matters and has successfully represented parties subject to tax investigations and prosecutions.
Mark was appointed to the Pre-Pack Pool (an independent body evaluating pre-pack sales) as an evaluator in April 2021.
I instructed Mark on a complex matter, involving regulatory, contentious and transactional issues – and included the sale of the husk of a WW2 fighter aircraft. I was impressed by his commercial approach, his clear and decisive method and ability to work constructively with all parties and get the job done.
Adam Stephens
Leading Financial Services FirmI worked with Mark on a contentious corporate restructure, which involved complex joint venture arrangements, hedging finance and significant breakage obligations. The opposing parties were often intransigent and seemingly unmovable. Mark was impressive in his direction of and contribution to meetings, drafting, correspondence and negotiations. The matter was ongoing over a prolonged period and when the specialisms of the various team members were dissipating, Mark kept a firm grasp of the detail, progress and cost. He choreographed matters in a calm and effective manner when feelings were running high and negotiations disjointed. I do not hesitate to highly recommend him.
Group Director
£500m+ national infrastructure company
Expertise
- Civil enforcement
- Fraud (including offshore)
- Misfeasance
- Cross-border recoveries
- Asset sales
- Debt restructuring
Experience
Charity & Education
- Provided legal advice to private individuals and training of undergraduate students at the Anglia Ruskin University Law Clinic.
- Advised Microloan Foundation, a charity in sub-Saharan Africa helping women, children and families, in its restructuring.
- Analysis of Wide Horizons Outdoor Education Trust, its constitution and governance and return on specific purpose donations to certain donors.
- Governor on Crosshall Academy’s Board.
Construction & Property
- Advised a £500m+ national infrastructure company on a contentious corporate restructure involving complex joint venture arrangements, hedging finance and significant breakage obligations.
- Advised in a complex wind-down of arrangements with a landlord (the local authority), requiring careful analysis of the derivation and purposes of various charitable donations, amongst other issues.
Financial Services
- Advised on a major international bank litigation.
- Advised a City-based financial services firm on a complex matter involving regulatory, contentious and transactional issues, including the sale of the husk of a WW2 fighter aircraft.
Energy
- Advised on the restructuring of a major energy company and electronics group.
- First solicitor advocate to succeed against Queen’s Counsel at trial (on a preliminary issue) in the High Court (Foster Wheeler Wood Group v Chevron, December 1996).
Other
- Advised on the administration and liquidation of CrissCross Communications.
- Advised on the restructuring and reorganisation of Eurotunnel.
- Many appearances before various courts as advocate, often on urgent matters, during the last 30 years, including in the Court of Appeal.
- Appearances pro bono for individuals as applicants and respondents in tribunals and at hearings, usually regarding social welfare bankruptcy and family matters where representation was otherwise likely to be unavailable.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Career
Mark qualified as a solicitor in 1992. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2019, he worked at the following firms:
- McGrigors
- Reed Smith
- Clifford Chance