Barney Smedley has wide ranging experience in financial and corporate restructuring and insolvency matters. His clients include clearing banks, building societies, pension funds, insolvency practitioners and receivers.
Barney advises in relation to a wide range of restructuring tools and processes including administrations, receiverships, standstill agreements, debt sales, facility amendments, compromise agreements, corporate re-organisations, company voluntary arrangements, intercreditor agreements and innovative security arrangements.
Barney has extensive knowledge in the field of distressed property and has acted on a number of complex and high value portfolio loan and asset sales.
The Opal Property Group administrations that Barney worked on in 2013 and 2014 led to DLA Piper winning the Insolvency Law Firm of the Year at the 2014 Insolvency and Rescue Awards, and being nominated for the Legal Business Restructuring Team of the Year 2015 award.
Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales
EXPERIENCE
Opal Property Group
Advising for administrators selling a portfolio of 8 student accommodation businesses to Australian operator Campus Living Villages for £249 million.
The high profile deal, which was completed in February 2014, saw CLV more than double its student accommodation business in the UK.
Mamas & Papas
Advising in relation to the restructuring of the Mamas & Papas group.
Included a complex financial restructuring pursuant to which private equity firm BlueGem Capital Partners acquired a majority share in the Group, followed by an operational restructuring in which the retail division of the Group entered a company voluntary arrangement ("CVA").
The CVA was supported by the Group's landlords and other creditors to safeguard the group's landlords to safeguard the Group's future and allow a turnaround plan to be successfully implemented.
Education
University of Leeds, History, 1st class BA (Honours), 2000
Nottingham Law School, Post-graduate diploma in law, 2002
Nottingham Law School, Legal Practice Course, 2004
