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Portrait of Rachel Brown

Profile

Rachel is a specialist insolvency lawyer in the commercial dispute resolution team. She has extensive experience advising on a wide range of personal and corporate insolvency matters across a range of sectors. 

She is a managing associate in the London office, but works nationally with colleagues across the UK. Rachel also frequently advises on cross-border matters and works closely with colleagues in the firm's international offices, as well as external counsel. She acts for a broad range of clients, including insolvency practitioners, financial institutions, directors, shareholders, creditors and other key stakeholders in financially distressed businesses. Rachel regularly advises on formal insolvency appointments, company voluntary arrangements, supply chain risks, retention of title issues, the validity and enforcement of security, guarantees, debt recovery claims and the appointment of receivers. 

Her work also includes advising insolvency practitioners on all elements arising from their appointments, including preparing insolvency applications, regulatory issues and advising on antecedent transactions (including transactions at an undervalue, preferences, extortionate credit transactions and transactions defrauding creditors). Additionally, Rachel regularly advises boards of directors on their duties in times of financial distress. She also has extensive insolvency litigation experience, including in handling complex, multi-jurisdictional matters, shareholder disputes, partnership disputes, joint venture disputes and fraud-related claims. She is a regular contributor to various legal and industry publications, such as the Lexis Nexis Corporate Rescue and Insolvency Journal and the Thought Leaders Disputes magazine. Rachel is recognised in The Legal 500 for her 'strong technical insolvency knowledge'. 

Recent work highlights

  • Acting for the administrators of the parent company of a large property development group, including advice on parent company liability, intercompany positions and the appointment of receivers over certain properties.
  • Acting for an electronic money institution subject to a series of claims following an investment scam perpetrated by a former customer, including advice on requests for information.
  • Advising various secured lenders on methods of enforcement, including the appointment of receivers, the appointment of administrators, selling secured assets and taking possession of secured assets.
  • Representing an individual defending a US$1 billion fraud claim brought by the joint liquidators of a number of English companies, including applications to challenge jurisdiction and $1 billion worldwide freezing order.
  • Advising the liquidators of the parent company of a large commodity trading group, including guidance on a potential claim pursuant to section 423 of the Insolvency Act 1986.
  • Acting for various clients in bringing and defending claims in relation to directors' duties, breach of duty, breach of trust, misfeasance, wrongful trading, unfair prejudice, dishonest assistance and knowing receipt.

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC311575 and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under number 419867.

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP