Simon Baskerville

Prior to joining Willkie in 2023, Simon was a partner at Latham & Watkins in London. 

• Chambers UK (2024), Chambers Europe (2024), Chambers Global (2024) and The Legal 500 UK (2024) rank Simon as a leading practitioner in the area of Restructuring/Insolvency.
• Named to the Hall of Fame – Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency in The Legal 500 UK (2024). 
• Listed in the 40 Under 40 list of the world’s leading restructuring specialists in the Global Restructuring Review 2016.
  
   

Simon’s representative transactions include advising:

• The senior secured lenders to the Lifeways Group, the UK’s largest supported living provider, in respect of its holistic balance sheet restructuring and recapitalization; this included the first successful restructuring plan by a regulated UK healthcare business and involved use of the English Court’s cross-class cramdown powers
• The ad hoc group of senior lenders to Vue Cinemas in relation to its c. €1 billion debt and equity restructuring
• Tullow Oil plc, the largest UK listed independent energy company, on its refinancing planning and discussions with lenders and bondholders which led to a US$2.4 billion refinancing of its reserved based lending facility and certain of its bonds
• The senior creditors committee in relation to the Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) and the subsequent c. £740 million debt and equity restructuring via the new UK ‘restructuring plan regime’, of PizzaExpress, the UK and international casual dining group
• The senior creditors committee in relation to the €1.9 billion debt and equity restructuring of Selecta, a Swiss-headquartered pan-European coffee and vending machine business
• The private equity sponsor on the debt restructuring and sale of CarTrawler, a global travel technology solution provider
• Addison Lee, the world’s largest managed group transportation service provider, on its recapitalization and sale of the UK business to a consortium of investors, and sale of the US business to a strategic investor
• The ad hoc committee of lenders to Steinhoff Europe AG in respect of the €8 billion financial restructuring of the Steinhoff group, one of the largest global restructurings in recent years
• Young's Seafood group on its sale to Karro Food Group, owned by CapVest Partners‎, and the related restructuring negotiations with its bondholders
• The ad hoc committee of bondholders in respect of the financial restructuring of the Johnston Press group         
• The committee of lenders on the restructuring of the Prezzo group
• Savannah Petroleum plc in respect of its investment in, and acquisition of, the Seven Energy group
• Various funds on special situation financings across the globe, including a financing secured on multiple vessels operating off of the coast of Africa and a financing secured on a large hotel complex in Italy
• The senior lender committee on the restructuring and refinancing of Promotora de Informaciones, S.A. (PRISA)
• The lenders and fixed charge receivers in respect of restructuring negotiations with the borrower and servicers in the REC-VI/Alburn CMBS and subsequent enforcement and receivership appointment over multiple commercial properties across the UK
• The secured lender and the fixed charge receivers on the enforcement and sale by the receivers of over 60 commercial properties as a single portfolio, which was the first transaction of its type in the market
• The ad hoc bondholder committee on the restructuring of the Cattles group, the UK's largest sub-prime lender
• The ad hoc bondholder committee on the restructuring of the Taylor Wimpey group, one of the UK's largest house-builders
• A leading global investment management fund on its acquisition, and merger, of the Countryside Properties and Millgate Homes housebuilder groups
• The junior lenders on the restructuring of the debt secured on the Adelphi building in London, and subsequent sale to a private equity sponsor
• A sovereign wealth fund on its acquisition from receivership of the European headquarters of a global investment bank and related restructuring through a cross-border scheme of arrangement and financing
• The Punch Taverns securitization groups on the demerger of the Spirit pub group and their subsequent bond restructuring
• The ad-hoc committee of bondholders on the restructuring of Petropavlovsk, a UK listed Russian gold mining company
• A leading global investment fund on its joint bid and acquisition of the restructured debt and equity of the PHS group, a leading provider of workplace services
• The senior lenders on the restructuring of Ascometal, the French based specialist steel manufacturer
• A committee of bondholders on the Belize sovereign debt restructuring, which included negotiations with the monoline insurer which wrapped the bonds
• Acting for an ad-hoc committee of Co-op Group bondholders on the Co-op Bank restructuring
• A leading global investment management fund on the debt refinancing of the Alliance Medical group and subsequent acquisition of the group’s restructured debt and equity
• The lead bank on the secondary debt investment into, and subsequent joint-venture acquisition of, the Crest Nicholson group, a UK housebuilder, by means of a debt-for-equity restructuring

_{*Simon advised on some of these matters prior to joining Willkie.}