Expertise
Contentious insolvency and restructuring
Domestic and cross-border disputes arising from corporate and personal insolvency, asset recovery and restructuring.
Experience and approach
Alexander acts for office-holders, creditors, debtors, companies and directors across the life of an insolvency dispute. His experience spans petitions and urgent applications, office-holder recovery claims, antecedent transactions, misfeasance, asset tracing and questions arising when insolvency proceedings, assets or stakeholders cross borders. He also advises on director-disqualification investigations, proceedings, undertakings and applications for permission to act under section 17 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986.
Issues that may require specialist counsel
When this expertise may be relevant.
- A creditor is considering, presenting or responding to an insolvency petition
- An office-holder is investigating recovery claims or antecedent transactions
- Directors or shareholders face claims arising from financial distress
- Assets, proceedings or stakeholders span more than one jurisdiction
Selected work
- 01Validation orders
- 02Contested winding-up petitions
- 03Applications to restrain presentation or advertisement of petitions
- 04Bankruptcy petitions and applications
- 05Office-holder claims
- 06Transactions at an undervalue and preferences
- 07Misfeasance and antecedent transactions
- 08Involuntary liquidation
- 09Recognition and cross-border coordination
- 010Director disqualification and section 17 applications
Insolvency instructions by perspective
Different stakeholders require different strategic routes.
Winding-up petition work
Recurring areas of contentious insolvency practice.
These are selected illustrations only. Alexander has acted in many other validation-order, contested-petition and restraint matters, including unreported proceedings which are not appropriate or necessary to identify individually.
Validation orders
Applications concerning dispositions after presentation of a winding-up petition, including urgent permission for banking, trading, payroll, asset and transaction-specific payments. Alexander acts for companies, creditors and other affected parties where the evidence must demonstrate why validation is consistent with the interests of creditors generally.
Contested petitions and restraint applications
Contested winding-up petitions and applications to restrain presentation or advertisement, including disputes about standing, genuinely disputed debts, cross-claims, abuse of process, late evidence and procedural fairness. Alexander acts for petitioning creditors and companies, from urgent interim applications through substantive petition hearings and appeals.
Illustrative case: BDI Properties Ltd v Murkz Concrete Products Ltd →Representative matters
Selected experience in contentious insolvency and restructuring.
Biscoe v Milner
[2021] EWHC 763 (Ch)
Counsel with Annie Townley for Belmonte Ltd and Richard Arnison, instructed by Hemingways Solicitors
Judge: Mr Justice Meade
Alexander represented the sixth and seventh respondents in a ten-day High Court trial concerning liquidator claims exceeding £3 million, including fraudulent trading, dishonest assistance and transactions at an undervalue. He successfully defended all claims advanced against his clients. The judgment demonstrates substantial trial, cross-examination and evidential experience in office-holder litigation involving serious fraud allegations and significant personal exposure.
Read the case and Alexander's role →Servis-Terminal LLC v Drelle (No. 2)
[2025] EWCA Civ 698
Sole counsel for trustees Robert Starkins and Nicholas Nicholson, instructed by Latham & Watkins
Judge: Lord Justice Newey, Lord Justice Popplewell and Lord Justice Snowden (now Lord Snowden, Justice of the Supreme Court)
Alexander represented the Grant Thornton trustees in Court of Appeal consequential proceedings after the relevant bankruptcy order had been set aside. His submissions concerned removal, remuneration, expenses, re-vesting of the estate and protective arrangements while permission to appeal was pursued. The matter demonstrates recent appellate experience involving foreign judgments, English bankruptcy and office-holder protection. Alexander did not appear in the substantive appeal or subsequent Supreme Court proceedings.
Read the case and Alexander's role →Three Arrows Capital — BVI cross-border insolvency proceedings
BVI Commercial Court proceedings (2024)
Junior counsel instructed by Ogier in the BVI and Latham & Watkins in New York
Alexander was instructed as junior counsel by Ogier in the BVI and Latham & Watkins in New York in substantial cross-border insolvency proceedings arising from the collapse of Three Arrows Capital. The engagement concerned preference claims valued in the hundreds of millions of US dollars and required expert consideration of BVI insolvency law alongside Chapter 15 proceedings in New York and New Jersey.
Read the matter summary →FCI Markets Inc (in liquidation)
BVI and DIFC proceedings
Sole counsel for the provisional liquidator and subsequently the liquidator
Alexander acted as sole counsel for the provisional liquidator and subsequently the liquidator in proceedings concerning an alleged US$300 million Ponzi scheme operated from Dubai. The work involved recovery efforts for victims, BVI provisional-liquidation and liquidation proceedings, and recognition of the BVI liquidation by the DIFC Court, demonstrating cross-border office-holder representation and fraud-recovery experience.
Read the matter summary →Palmer and Powell as liquidators of Challis Ltd v Challis and others
High Court proceedings (2024)
Sole counsel for the directors, instructed by Nelsons
Alexander represented three directors facing claims brought by the liquidators of Challis Ltd exceeding £5 million. The proceedings involved alleged misfeasance, historic company records and contested disclosure. Following case-management and disclosure orders obtained against the liquidators, the dispute was resolved before trial. No settlement terms or unpublished material are disclosed.
Read the matter summary →Cornerstone practical guide
Contentious insolvency claims and office-holder remedies.
A structured guide to investigation, director liability, antecedent transactions, asset recovery, urgent relief, disputed petitions, evidence, funding and cross-border recovery.
Read the practical guideConnected specialist capability
Cryptoassets and digital-asset disputes.
Alexander's related experience includes substantial cross-border insolvency work arising from the collapse of Three Arrows Capital.
Explore digital-asset disputesRelated legal research
Authority in contentious insolvency and restructuring.
Authorities concerning bankruptcy and winding up, office-holders, creditor remedies, restructuring procedure and insolvency-related recovery.