Paul Wright

• Acting for the joint trustees in bankruptcy in a complex bankruptcy to oppose an application to set aside the OR/Secretary of State’s decisions to appoint the joint trustees, and to remove them from office.
• Acting for the petitioner in a substantial unfair prejudice petition in respect of a claims management company, led by Peter Shaw KC.
• Despins v Ho Wan Kwok [2023] EWHC 74 (Ch). Acting for the foreign representative in an application to seek recognition of US Chapter 11 proceedings, and to obtain disclosure of a litigation file held by the bankrupt’s former solicitors in the UK.
• P G D Ltd, Re [2022] EWHC 1801 (Ch). Acting on an appeal of a decision to limit relief granted in insolvency litigation to the amount required to pay the liquidation debts, costs and expenses where the claim, led by Joseph Curl KC.
• Acting for the joint trustees in bankruptcy in respect of various aspects of a highly complex bankruptcy. In particular, in respect of (i) the trustees’ application for an order for possession and sale of the bankrupt’s home and (ii) the bankrupt’s numerous applications to stay various proceedings in her bankruptcy. Led by Peter Shaw KC.
• Acting for liquidators of a law firm to seek directions as to whether the SSHD could set off her liabilities in respect of costs orders (granted in favour of various clients of the law firm in liquidation) against her claim against that law firm.
• Advising liquidators in respect of claims to challenge various transactions whereby the director of the company in liquidation had paid themselves bonuses using employee benefit trusts.
• Acting for the wife of a bankrupt in relation to an application to set aside an order for possession and sale of the matrimonial home in circumstances in which she had not been present in court and there was a real issue to be determined as to the beneficial ownership of the property.

• Advising the landlord in relation to an application to oppose the grant of a new lease of commercial premises on the basis of an intention to redevelop the land pursuant to section 30(1)(f) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.
• Acting for tenants on claims to exercise the right to collective enfranchisement under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 in circumstances in which only one of the freehold owners could be traced for the purpose of serving notices and entering into contract.

• Acting for defendant beneficiaries in opposition to a claim for proprietary estoppel in relation to a substantial farm worth over £10 million brought by eldest son of the deceased, including on an application for injunctive relief.
• Advising the beneficiaries under a will in relation to an Inheritance Act Claim brought on behalf of an infant child of the deceased.

• Acting for the applicant seeking strike out/summary judgment in respect of parts of a claim, including that a director had procured a company’s breach of contract.
• Acting for the claimants in relation to a multi-million-pound fraud, involving the forgery of documents used to obtained secured loans and other forms of financing.
• Acting for a bank in connection with a number of actions to enforce breaches of loan agreements, including applications to seek summary judgment, to strike out defences, and to obtain and enforce charging orders.

• Contributing editor, Insolvency Legislation: Annotations & Commentary (Professor Andrew Keay, Louis Doyle KC & Joseph Curl KC (eds)) LexisNexis 11th Edition (ISBN 9781784735043)
• Member of the Restructuring and Insolvency Q&A panel for LexisPSL
• Court considers officeholder’s right to inspect documents subject to privilege held jointly with third-parties (Despins v Kwok), LexisPSL [Link] £
• Insolvency litigation and funding—can the court limit relief to the amount required to place the company ‘on the cusp’ of solvency? (Re P G D Ltd) LexisPSL [Link] £
• High Court doubts the established practice for issuing claims arising out of insolvency (Manolete v Hayward and Barrett Holdings) LexisPSL [Link] £
• Chapelgate Credit Opportunity Master Fund v Money [2020] EWCA Civ 246 (2021) 18(2) International Corporate Rescue
• Derivative Claims and Insolvent Companies: Getting to the Core of the Issue (2020) 17(1) International Corporate Rescue 67 [view PDF]
• Court of Appeal revisits principles governing restoration of formerly liquidated companies (Fakhry v Pagden) LexisPSL [Link] £
• Court finds EBT schemes amounted to an unlawful return of capital and breach of directors’ duties (Toone and others v Ross and another) LexisPSL [Link] £
• Extra-territorial Effect of Orders under Section 366 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (2019) 16(5) International Corporate Rescue 305 [view PDF]
• Clarification of the law and practice of fraudulent trading claims (2019) 4 Corporate Rescue and Insolvency 129 [view PDF]
• Turning a blind-eye fails to protect director from fraudulent trading claim (Re Pantiles Investments Ltd (in liquidation)), Lexis PSL (Link) (£)
• Validation of an order for restoration without a notice to former liquidators (Re Core VCT plc (in liquidation)), Lexis PSL (Link) (£)
• Under what circumstances can a freezing injunction be granted to a company that has been dissolved? (Yuzu Hair & Beauty Ltd (dissolved) v Selvathiraviam), Lexis PSL (Link) (£)
• Transactions Defrauding Creditors: A New Approach to the Prohibited Purpose Requirement under section 423 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (2019) 16(2) International Corporate Rescue 91

• Effective Cross-Examination in Fraud Trials

BPTC (Very Competent) – University of Law (London, Bloomsbury) – 2014
Law (LLB) (2:1) – University of Warwick – 2012

Paul Wright is an independent self-employed barrister registered with the Bar Standards Board of England; whose practice is governed by the Code of Conduct of the Bar of England and Wales which code can be found at www.barstandardsboard.org.uk; has full professional liability insurance provided by the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund Limited (ref BM 2930/077) (details of the world-wide cover are provided at www.barmutual.co.uk); is registered for VAT (reg. no. 304922032); and can be contacted during chambers opening hours by telephone at 02074045055 or by e-mail at clerks@9stonebuildings.com.