Neil Riley

Partner
About

Neil has been advising on special situations and restructuring for nearly 20 years. He specialises in financial restructuring, distressed M&A and insolvency processes. He represents private equity, corporates and boards of directors as well as banks, debt funds and investment banks. He also regularly advises insolvency practitioners.

Neil has restructured businesses across a wide range of sectors and geographies. High complexity and high profile are recurring themes in the matters he has advised on over the years.

He has advised various stakeholders on numerous unitranche and SSRCF/FOLO restructurings and has presented to lenders on the documentation and associated trends in stakeholder behaviours.

In 2007 Neil spent nine months on secondment with the Restructuring Team within Business Support at Barclays Bank PLC.

Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

EXPERIENCE

  • Advising John Menzies plc in relation to its discussions and implementation of new financing arrangements with its lender syndicate.
  • Acting for a syndicate of lenders in relation to the financial restructuring of a large UK oil refinery business owned by Essar Oil.
  • Advising a bank in relation to their loan facilities to a Zambian mining corporation and its parent.
  • Advising Staffline plc in relation to its discussions and implementation of new financing arrangements with its lender syndicate.
  • Acting for the largest creditor in relation to the financial restructuring of BMI Healthcare.
  • Acting for Homebase in relation to its acquisition of Bathstore.com from administrators.
  • Advising the sponsor, the board and ultimately the administrators in relation to a pre-pack administration sale of Synseal, a leading UK glass, window and door manufacturing business.
  • Acting for a club of lenders to a waste and energy group and subsequently its administrators, in relation to the restructuring of its balance sheet and capital structure, achieved via a pre-pack administration.
  • Acting for a syndicate of banks in relation to a global travel company.
  • Acting for the secured lenders and subsequently the administrators in relation to the financial restructuring, trading administration and then business sale of Albemarle & Bond Holdings PLC, a listed company which operated one of the UK's largest pawn broking businesses.
Education
  • York University, English Literature, BA, Hons
  • College of Law, York, CPE and LPC

Awards

  • "Neil Riley provides ‘sensible and commercial advice on complex restructuring matters’", Legal 500, 2017

    Seminars

    • ABL Forum, 2 April 2019

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