Connor Pierce

Connor is an experienced commercial disputes lawyer, with a particular focus on contentious insolvency.

He advises insolvency practitioners, creditors and directors on all aspects of insolvency disputes.

He regularly acts for liquidators, administrators, and trustees in bankruptcy on claims under the Insolvency Act 1986 and has particular expertise in matters relating to breaches of directors’ duties, misfeasance, fraudulent trading and antecedent transactions.

Connor advises creditors and lenders on recovery options, including, in particular, court applications to appoint administrators, security enforcement (including personal guarantees), statutory demands and winding up and bankruptcy petitions. He also advises directors on breach of duty/misfeasance actions.

Connor acts for a wide range of companies and individuals on general commercial litigation, including shareholder disputes and breaches of contract on both the claimant and the defendant side.

In addition to his contentious work, Connor has significant experience in non-contentious and transactional insolvency and has advised a number of insolvency practitioners on pre-pack administration sales and asset sale agreements. Connor regularly undertakes advisory work and has substantial experience of advising the directors of distressed businesses of their duties and on potential restructuring options.

• Successfully acting for the administrators of a property development company in an application to sell a property in Manchester free of security pursuant to paragraph 71 of Schedule B1 to the Insolvency Act 1986. Prospective “off-plan” purchasers of apartments claimed equitable purchasers’ liens over the property in respect of deposits paid under their sale contracts, which the administrators needed to sell free of.
• Successfully representing the liquidator of a company engaged in a Missing Trader Intra-Community (MTIC) fraud in a strike out/summary judgment application against its former director. The director’s defence was struck out on the basis that he should not be permitted to re-run arguments defending claims of fraudulent trading and breach of fiduciary duty at trial, which had already been determined before a competent court.
• Successfully representing a creditor and shareholder of a company engaged in the manufacture and sale of “hyper-scooters” in a court application to appoint administrators.
• Advising the administrators of a private lending company on recoveries against debtors and the former directors.
• Representing the shareholder/director of a company on a dispute with a former shareholder, which alleged claims of undue influence and breach of a shareholders’ agreement.
• Advising a property developer on a claim against a finance broker in respect of a dispute over commission owed on securing financing for a £50m London property development.
• Advising a trustee in bankruptcy on recovering multi-million pound fraudulent asset disposals from parties based in Dubai and the British Virgin Islands.
• Successfully advising a trustee in bankruptcy on claims for transactions at an undervalue, preference and transactions defrauding creditors.
• Successfully acting for the liquidators of a consultancy in claims against former directors relating to employee benefit trusts, which alleged misfeasance and unlawful dividends.
• Acting for the former director of a high-profile start-up company on enforcing a statutory demand based on a personal guarantee and successfully defending the subsequent application to set the demand aside