Departed Hall Chadwick – David Ross. You know a referral relationship must be tight when an insolvency firm’s lawyer announces the resignation of a senior partner by posting the orders listing the exads the partner’s retiring from on social media. That’s at least what we thought when we saw a post by DSS Law’s Ben Skinner recently declaring that he had “had the pleasure of…
DW Advisory’s Paul Weston. Worrells partner Simon Cathro. DW Advisory’s Paul Weston is demonstrating an optimistic streak of generous width, putting his hand up to replace the man who replaced him little more six months ago. Weston, who did not respond to inquiries prior to iNO’s deadline, has been given the chance to takeover as liquidator of South Pelagic Holdings Pty Ltd. That opportunity has…
Minter Ellison’s Michael Hughes. Told the court he had been advised the deed of assignment with the Deputy Commissioner of Taxation was a first. Firsts are generally worth a mention and Sydney liquidator Steve Nicols has reportedly chalked up such a milestone by entering into a deed of assignment that transfers a cause of action in the winding up of Anatax Pty Ltd to the…
Romanis Cant’s Tony Cant. If there’s one term likely to irritate liquidators more than “corporate undertaker” it’d have to be “friendly liquidator”, a phrase that impugns the profession’s almost collective commitment to independence with unerring efficiency. We say almost because on occasion allegations may be aired by a court suggesting a liquidator has strayed, and in the case of Romanis Cant’s Tony Cant the damning…
SV Partners managing director Terry van der Velde. Where would the legal profession be without property development and the limitless labyrinth of opportunity for dispute that bricks and mortar afford? That’s the question that comes to mind on reading the judgement of Federal Court judge Kathleen Farrell in Campbell v van der Velde as trustee of the bankrupt estate of Marilyn Anne Rowan, in the matter…
Cor Cordis Melbourne partner Bruno Secatore. The 28 plus year long liquidation of Last Lap Pty Ltd makes one wonder just how many insolvency practitioners will get to take a lap around this seemingly eternal liquidation, but for the moment we’ll focus on the incumbent, Bruno Secatore. Last week the Federal Court handed down its decision in Secatore, in the matter of Last Lap Pty…
dVT’s David Solomons dVT’s Riad Tayeh Stat demands, divorcees and former business partners now rivals in the Northern Territory’s child care sector? The question here is what could possibly go right. Sydney liquidators David Solomons and Riad Tayeh might well be wondering the same, after a Judge of the Queensland Supreme Court found that liquidators don’t have to have acted unreasonably before they can be…
Deloitte’s Sal Algeri. Images published this week of Virgin planes barricaded behind vehicles at Perth Airport are a reminder that the arrival of insolvency practitioners at the table doesn’t mean every player will surrender their chips. As iNO has been learning, huge, hard-to-house shaped planes are a pain to possess. When it comes to ransoming aviation assets, the jet engines routinely removed for maintenance and…
Deloitte’s Sal Algeri. It was lessors gone feral in correspondence between legal representatives of aircraft owners and Virgin’s voluntary administrators (VAs) last week as the owners of the (mostly) grounded fleet sought to extract agreements and undertakings in exchange for refraining from challenging the VA’s application to extend their exemption from personal liability for aircraft lease payments to May 26. The lessors are owed around…
ARITA President Scott Atkins. AIIP President Stephen Hathway. ARITA president Scott Atkins wants businesses seeking safe harbour protection to be exempted from compliance with their tax and employee obligations as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to decimate Australian SMEs. Atkins, who is Head of Risk Advisory at Norton Rose Fullbright, said to prevent mass insolvencies the federal government should freeze laws around insolvent trading and safe…