Alan is a highly experienced restructuring and insolvency lawyer whose practice is focused on advising debtors, creditors, restructuring professionals and intermediaries as well as shareholders, buyers and other stakeholders in the restructuring process. He has acted on a number of market-leading matters (in particular, cross-border mandates), providing advice on English insolvency law, schemes of arrangement, and standstill agreements, as well as the acquisition and enforcement of debt and reorganisations. Alan has particular expertise in advising debtors, creditors and advisory clients on restructuring mandates in Africa in the energy, mining and commodities industries. He also has special expertise in solvent restructuring and capital returns, particularly in relation to fund dissolution and redemption.
Expertise
- Appointment of directors and restructuring officers
- Asset tracing
- Administration
- Company restructuring and refinancing
- Company voluntary arrangements (CVAs)
- Creditor rights
- Civil litigation
- Directors’ duties
- Directors’ disqualification
- Fund redemption and dissolution
- Insolvency Practitioner duties
- Liquidations
- Purchase/sale and enforcement of debt
- Receivership
- Recovery claims
- Restructuring
- Retention of title clauses and other forms of security
- Schemes of Arrangement
- Standstill Agreements
Experience
Africa
- Acted for a West African commodities group on its standstill, refinancing and restructuring negotiations in West Africa, the UK and Switzerland.
- Acted for a significant Chinese shareholder, bondholder and trade creditor on the insolvency of African Minerals Limited.
Banking
- Acted for the agent of a syndicate of banks on the refinancing and restructuring of an international airline group.
- Acted for a banking syndicate on the restructuring of SAS Airlines.
- Advised a leading commercial bank on the Cortefiel scheme of arrangement.
- Advised a leading Bank on the restructuring of a European group and the amendment of its synthetic securitisation.
Cross-border
- Advised a US fund on the acquisition of distressed debt and its enforcement in Europe and Asia as part of a global scheme (loan to own).
- Acted for CIS bondholder clients on the breach and repayment of their bonds through an offshore holding structure in Bermuda.
- Acted for US trade purchaser of a European packaging business out of a Spanish insolvency process.
- Acted for CIS clients on the enforcement of bond debt and the (Bermudan) provisional winding up of an investment and retail bank holdco structure.
Energy & Commodities
- Acted creditor-side on the winding up and restructuring of a UK listed holdco on the restructuring of its mining assets/interests across the globe.
- Advised a private equity sponsor on the restructuring of its gas-to-liquids investment.
Other
- Acted for a prominent retail group (with over 400 stores) on its financial difficulties, including its proposed company voluntary arrangement.
- Acted for a leading provider of student accommodation in the UK on its restructuring of £1.2bn of debt including its standstill with lenders and the appointed administrators.
- Acted for a fund on the Vinashin scheme of arrangement.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
“Alan Gar is singled out … he is top quality, organised and gives superb advice.” Chambers 2014, Restructuring & Insolvency
Alan is also praised for his ability to “… eliminate lengthy mediation by utilising his commercial negotiation skills … ” Legal 500 2015
Career
Alan qualified as a solicitor in 2003. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2018, he worked at the following firms:
- McDermott Will & Emery
- Simmons & Simmons
- Taylor Wessing