The celebration continues as Lester Aldridge’s Restructuring and Insolvency team hold their strong Band 2/Tier 2 positions in the Chambers and Partners, and the Legal 500 UK 2020 rankings.

The team, led by Nick Keitley and Melia Hirst (who have been with the firm for a combined 8 years), have a wealth of experience and knowledge within this field.

Chambers & Partners ranks Nick in Band 1 for Restructuring & Insolvency in The South and the team as Band 2 within the same region. It states, Nicholas Keitley is head of the Restructuring and Insolvency group and regularly advises significant accounting firms in their role as administrators. Interviewees praise his “pragmatic legal advice and vast wealth of experience,” as well as his “excellent insolvency knowledge.” Melia Hirst focuses her practice on corporate restructuring and advises insolvent debtors. A client notes her “excellent knowledge of all insolvency matters,” adding that she is “very approachable and commercial.”

The team is known for being a “Dedicated South Coast insolvency team known for its expertise in non-contentious matters. Assists insolvency practitioners with a full range of matters including administrations and liquidations. Also known for its work on restructurings and turnarounds for lenders and corporate groups. Able to draw on the strengths of its corporate, property and healthcare teams.” Sources note: “Commerciality is the overarching objective behind everything they do.” One interviewee says this is an “excellent” firm and that the “service is always fantastic.”

One client describes the firm as “a very well-respected South Coast legal practice.”

This is what Legal 500 UK had to say: ‘With ‘a good mix of technical knowledge and practical application’, the Insolvency and Corporate Recovery team at Lester Aldridge LLP’s Southampton office joins tier 2 this year. Led by the ‘first class’ Nick Keitley, the practice is best known for its non-contentious work, acting mainly for insolvency practitioners. The practice has a particular focus in advising and assisting on the appointment of administrators acting on trading administrations and insolvency transactional work. With 13 years’ of experience advising exclusively on corporate restructuring and insolvency matters, Melia Hirst is another key name to note.’

The firm’s full rankings can be viewed here: Chambers and Partners, Legal 500