Quote mark icon

Lovely to work with, gets good work/clients and knows what she is talking about/doing.

Legal 500 UK 2024
About

Rachel Brown is an experienced commercial litigator specialising in insolvency litigation and disputes involving distressed businesses.

Rachel is a pragmatic solicitor who enjoys building strong client relationships. She is committed to achieving the best outcome for her clients.

She regularly advises officeholders, directors, creditors (secured or unsecured) and banks on formal insolvency procedures. She also regularly advises lenders on enforcement procedures including the appointment of LPA receivers and the appointment of administrators.

Rachel provides strategic advice to individuals and businesses in times of financial distress. She is able to assist with domestic and international insolvency issues, including complex cross-border cases, and regularly deals with cross-border recoveries (including cases involving offshore jurisdictions).

Rachel also regularly advises on issues relating to directors' duties and liabilities (including claims assigned to third parties), including claims for misfeasance, wrongful trading and fraudulent trading under the Insolvency Act, for breach of duty under the Companies Act and director disqualification claims and claims for repayment of overdrawn loan accounts.

She can also assist with any issues relating to the service of a statutory demand, a bankruptcy petition or a winding up petition.

Recent work
  • Advising an overseas subsidiary of a global trust and corporate services firm on successfully defending a multi-million pound tort claim on one of its BVI trust company clients. The claim related to investments made through an SPV to develop a large commercial property in central London and included insolvency issues across several jurisdictions.
  • Advising the directors of an insolvent retail business on claims against them for breach of duty, which had been assigned by the officeholder to a third party.
  • Acting as conflict lawyer for a Top 10 accountancy firm in a high profile insolvency case where an application was made to remove and replace the administrators. The case involved complaints about the sale of the business in a pre-pack administration and the supporting SIP 16 statement.
  • Advising an LPA receiver on a challenge to their appointment, including an application for an injunction.
  • Advising the director of an insolvent travel company on defending claims for misfeasance, wrongful trading and a preference payment with a financial value in excess of £8m. The claim involved an insurance claim under a D&O policy and criminal allegations of fraud.
  • Advising the officeholders of an insolvent investment wine business on various matters, including trust claims and an application for a Berkeley Applegate Order.
  • Advising a company director on defending a claim for breach of duty in relation to the activities of an English plc with coal mining interests in Indonesia.
Accolades
  • "I found [Rachel] to be very efficient and dedicated to her client’s cause. She was easy to work with and showed levels of maturity and skill one would expect from a partner." Legal 500 2021
  • "Rachel Brown – hard working, determined, commercially aware and sensitive. The sort of commercial litigation solicitor that every client would want to instruct." Legal 500 2021
  • "Rachel Brown is superb – tough but fair." Legal 500 2021
  • "Rachel Brown – identifies the issue quickly and looks for the best possible solution. Very comfortable with insolvency and restructuring issues." Legal 500 2021
Did you know
Rachel enjoys an active lifestyle and can often be found running around London, cycling out into the surrounding countryside or swimming at her local Lido.
Spiral staircase.

We won "Insolvency Law Firm of the Year (Up to Three Insolvency Partners)" at the TRI Awards 2022

This is the third year in a row we have won this award and the fourth year the firm has been shortlisted. This is great recognition for our Restructuring & Insolvency group's hard work over what has been an incredibly challenging period for the industry.

FIND OUT MORE

Network surrounding the earth.

Navigating Risk Horizons 2024

Navigating Risk Horizons 2024

2023 posed many challenges for businesses so what will 2024 bring? Our Dispute Resolution team identify key risks threatening business resilience this year, practical steps that leaders can take to manage them and maximise opportunities to strengthen their business.

Read here

Latest

Our lawyers are experts in their fields. Through commentary and analysis, we give you insights into the pressures impacting business today.

VIEW ALL