Willie specialises in corporate recovery/restructuring and insolvency, both formal and informal.

Willie has been involved in most of the high profile restructurings and insolvencies in Ireland for over 30 years.  He advises insolvency practitioners, creditor groups, debtor companies, banks and other stakeholders on their rights and options both in formal proceedings and restructuring projects. Willie’s practice also involves advising directors of companies suffering financial difficulty on their restructuring options, duties and potential liabilities.  Willie also regularly provides specialist insolvency advice to Examiners, Receivers and Liquidators, as well as other affected parties.

Relevant Experience

• Advising the Liquidator of two Irish SPVs in the restructuring of €1.1bn plus loan note debt of Indah Kiat and PT Lontar Papyrus Pulp Paper Industry through a Scheme of Arrangement under the Irish Companies Acts
• Advising the largest loan note creditor on the Irish Companies Acts Scheme of Arrangement of Ballantyne Reinsurance Company Limited restructuring €1.65bn in debt
• Representing an informal committee of the senior bondholders of Weatherford International plc (the Irish registered parent of a US trading Group) in relation to a debt for equity transaction implemented through co-ordinated and complimentary examinership proceedings in Ireland, Chapter 11 proceedings in the US and a scheme of arrangement in The Bahamas
• Advising the Provisional and Official Liquidators of Openhydro Group Limited with a deficit of circa €300 million
• Advising the Arcadia Group in relation to Irish restructuring options and the leasing arrangements in the context of group entities being the subject of a company voluntary arrangement in the UK
• Advising a number of significant creditors in relation to the Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA examinership
• Advising New Look Retailers Ireland in relation to its restructuring
• Advising eircom on its restructuring through Examinership
• Advising a secured creditor, over €6 million, in relation to successfully petitioning the High Court for placing Maximum Media Network Limited operating under various media brands including JOE.ie into examinership
• Advising the Bank of America as petitioner in the winding up of Eurofood IFSC Limited (the Irish treasury company in the Parmalat Group) before the Irish courts and the Court of Justice