Insolvency

Michael has been in practice for over forty years and having resisted the pressure to deal with only one aspect of the law, he has been determined to remain a multi-disciplinary practitioner and as a result is very experienced in matters relating to property, litigation, insolvency and company commercial work.

Working with developers on sites with a GDV of up to £100m and dealing in litigious and insolvency matters often involving tens of millions of pounds, he brings his sense of humour to all situations and ensures that he does not take an hour to do ten minutes worth of work.

He is the ideal lawyer for clients who want a sharp commercial view delivered in a very straight talking fashion to let them know their position and their options going forward.

Michael and his family live on their 34 acre equestrian centre in north London with two dogs, two cats (plus four cats on the farm), fifty horses and three donkeys

David Pritchard is head of our commercial litigation and dispute resolution department.

He deals with a broad portfolio of cases and his areas of practice include:

• contract/commercial;
• construction;
• property litigation;
• landlord & tenant;
• civil fraud;
• contentious/non-contentious insolvency matters (including bankruptcy/winding-up);
• ADR;
• enforcement.

David has over fifteen years’ experience bringing and defending claims on behalf of corporate clients, individuals and insolvency practitioners, ranging from small-claims County Court matters right through to complex multi-track High Court litigation and appeals. David has enjoyed many successes at Trial and is a pragmatic operator with a keen commercial approach where the situation demands, having a proven track-record of settling difficult claims which are often challenging and emotive. In the normally stressful process of litigation, David is a calming and reassuring influence who will work tirelessly to ensure his clients’ interests are protected.

Outside of the office, David enjoys rugby, squash and boxing (a fighter, even in his spare time). When he is not looking after his three young children, David is also a gigging-guitarist.

Notable Cases

• MVL Properties (2017) Limited v The Leadmill Limited [2025] EWHC 349 (Ch)
• Brooke Homes (Bicester Limited) v Portfolio Property Partners Limited (In Administration) & Ors [2025] EWHC 1305 (Ch)
• Dohia -v- Joyce [2023] https://tinyurl.com/recentcase
• Colliver -v- Papworth & Papworth [2021] EWHC 2465 (Ch)
• Jafari -v- Tareem Ltd [2019] LTL 29/10/2019; [2019] EWHC 3119 (Ch)
• London College of Business Ltd -v- Tareem Ltd & Anor [2018] EWHC 437 (Ch)
• Goldsmith -v- Chittell [2016] EWHC 630

Jane is an insolvency law specialist. She is an expert in personal and corporate recovery and insolvency, mainly acting for office holders, companies and individuals in difficulty. Her practice covers business rescue, business and asset disposals and acquisitions, insolvency and recovery litigation. She has expertise in asset-freezing and other injunctive relief in this jurisdiction and worldwide, international tracing and recovery of assets and is regularly instructed on fraud claims.

Jane also advises companies and individuals in respect of commercial litigation and regularly acts on shareholder dispute claims. Notable reported cases in the Commercial Court:

Brown & Others v. Innovatorone PLC & Others [2012] EWHC 1321 (Com) (18 May 2012)

Melodius Corporation [2015] EWH C265

Peter has run his own practice for many years and has now rejoined SBP Law as departmental head of enforcement.

He is an experienced and robust commercial  litigator who has acted on a number of high profile cases and represents the High Court Enforcement Officers Association, CIVEA and many enforcement companies and Local Authorities. He is actively involved in shaping and advising on future policy and process in the area of enforcement.

Outside of work Peter enjoys sailing and time spent with his large and growing family.

Tom is a partner in our dispute resolution department who has practiced in the West End and City of London throughout his career.  He is a dispute resolution specialist who advises on:

• dispute avoidance and de-escalation strategies;

• alternative dispute resolution procedures;

• the conduct of litigation in the High Court to include several of its specialist lists;

• obtaining urgent interlocutory reliefs;

• the conduct of proceedings in the appellate courts of England and Wales;

• civil recovery proceedings pursued under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in both the civil and criminal courts; and

• arbitration proceedings conducted on an ad hoc basis and subject to the rules and procedures of several arbitral institutions.

Tom has regularly acted individuals and businesses involved in disputes that cross borders, and he is adept at advising on issues relating jurisdiction and the conflict of laws.

Tom has had the privilege of advising on a broad range of disputes.  Some examples of his work include:

• acting for a digital currency exchange made subject of Account Freezing Orders made under section 303Z1 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and which is currently subject to a forfeiture application made pursuant to section 303Z14 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002;

• acting for an individual who was subject to an office holder claim alleging he was a de facto director of a company that was used as a vehicle for fraudulently obtaining funds from individuals seeking to invest in fine wine;

• Marex Financial Limited -v- Carlos Sevilleja Garcia [2020] UKSC 31 – where he was part of the team that acted for the Respondent from an initial jurisdiction challenge in the Commercial Court through to an appeal to the Supreme Court that (amongst other things) re-examined the rule against reflective loss;

• Sotheby’s -v- (1) Mark Weiss Limited (2) Fairlight Art Venture LLP and (3) Mark Adrian F. Weiss [2020] EWCA Civ 1570 – where he was part of the team that acted for the Second Defendant and Appellant firstly in the Commercial Court and then Court of Appeal in relation to the a dispute concerning a multi-million pound sale of a Dutch Old Master painting alleged to be a forgery;

• Millicom Tanzania N.V -v- (1) Golden Globe Financial Services Limited and (2) Yusuf Manji – where he was part of the team acting for the first defendant in proceedings before the High Court of the British Virgin Islands in an application to discharge a worldwide freezing injunction and to challenge the jurisdiction of the courts of the BVI on the underlying claim.

Grant is a leading insolvency solicitor and specialises in all aspects of insolvency and corporate recovery work including cross border restructuring, administrations, liquidations, receiverships, company voluntary arrangements, bankruptcy, individual voluntary arrangements and directors’ disqualification. He acts for Insolvency Practitioners, banks, companies, directors and other individuals.

Grant was the editor of the Insolvency Bulletin and regularly lectures to Insolvency Practitioners. His main cases include:-

• the administration of the second largest furniture retailer in Ireland;
• the sale of a chain of 22 bookmaking shops in administration;
• acting for the buyer of a chain of 160 women’s clothing retailers in administration;
• advising a prospective buyer of BHS;
• advising a director of Glasgow Rangers Football Club;
• advising the charge holder in the disputed administration of a major music publisher.

Grant is a Fellow member of the Association of Business Recovery Professionals.

Mark joined SBP Law in January 2019 and has over 20 years’ experience of insolvency related investigations and litigation.  Mark was formerly an examiner at the Insolvency Service and then worked for  a further 8 years at a large regional firm acting on behalf of  the Secretary of State with regard to directors disqualification investigations.

Prior to joining SBP Law, Mark worked for three years at a niche firm acting for insolvency practitioners in relation to recovery investigations and proceedings.  He therefore has a number of IPs as clients.

Given his experience, he is able to provide detailed advice to directors in respect of their duties and obligations, claims brought against them by IPs and also regulatory investigations commenced by the Insolvency Service (having had extensive experience of the public interest criteria the Insolvency Service takes into account when deciding whether to commence proceedings).

Lauren is a dual-qualified solicitor in Australia and England & Wales, bringing an international perspective and a depth of litigation experience to every matter. Having acted across a wide range of disputes — from commercial cases to employment and estate issues — she has developed a sharp instinct for identifying potential risks and opportunities early in a case.

Known for her outcome-focused approach, Lauren works closely with clients to find practical, strategic solutions that balance commercial realities with legal precision.

Outside the office, Lauren enjoys spending time with her young son exploring the outdoors.

Michael Hatchett is a Solicitor in the Dispute Resolution department.

Michael deals with all manner of civil claims and commercial disputes and has particular experience in the following areas of practice:

• civil fraud;
• contract/commercial;
• construction disputes;
• contentious insolvency matters (including bankruptcy and winding-up); and
• partnership disputes.
• Michael has recently had conduct of a matter worth in the region of GBP 1 million which involved both an out of court settlement and a streamlined trial of the remaining issues.

Michael adopts a flexible approach to high-value litigation with a view to minimising costs and maximising client success by considering the prospects of settlement at every stage of a dispute.

Michael is an attentive lawyer with an eye for detail and a dedicated approach to client care.

Out of the office, Michael enjoys trail-running having recently competed in an event in the Swiss Alps, he also enjoys squash and the gym.

Manpreet is an experienced litigation solicitor who qualified at a well-known legal 500 firm in London.

Manpreet’s early experience of working in the legal sector started at a boutique firm on Bedford Row as an immigration paralegal. She then moved to a larger city based firm where she undertook her training and discovered her passion for litigation, before qualifying as a litigation solicitor.

As a litigator, Manpreet has experience in advising clients with both commercial and non-commercial litigation matters ranging from insolvency and bankruptcy to party wall and boundary disputes. Manpreet has also advised clients with regards to residential possession under both s8 and s21 of the Housing Act 1988 and forfeiture of commercial leases.

Manpreet also deals with the recovery of service charge arrears. As a keen advocate, Manpreet has represented clients at the County Court and High Court with matters ranging from injunction applications to breach of lease matters.

In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors. She also enjoys travelling, baking and trying cuisines from all over the world. She is known to enjoy the odd spot of DIY and has recently built her own garden planter so she can start growing herbs and vegetables.