Steve Smith

Insolvency Partner

+44 (0)1727 869141

Steve heads up the Restructuring and Insolvency division for Mercer & Hole consisting of four separate teams at each of the London, St. Albans, Milton Keynes and Northampton offices. He specialises in corporate and business reorganisation strategies for owner managed businesses (OMBs), particularly focusing on Rescue and Recovery options and Turnaround. Steve deals with most insolvency processes including Section 110 Reorganisations, Administrations and Voluntary Arrangements as well as Administrative Receiverships, Receivership MBOs (management buy outs), and Creditors’ and Members’ Voluntary Liquidations.

Steve spent many years as a partner in Mercer & Hole advising on general practice matters as well as business recovery and insolvency. His general practice portfolio included motor retail dealerships, building and electrical contractors, property developers and IT service providers as well as independent schools, national gaming associations, travel agencies and numerous “not-for-profit” organisations. Consequently, Steve has considerable and varied experience in business development and operations. He has a keen eye on maximising tax planning opportunities and dealing with family and succession issues.

Steve’s experience enables him to understand and quickly recognise the respective interests of the various stakeholders where business failure looks possible and he endeavours to realign the diverging strategies created from the threat of business failure. Steve calls upon his accounting skills and experience to focus stakeholders on pursuing viable commercial alternatives, recognising and using his knowledge and expertise in insolvency legislation. Success for Steve is the creation of a viable business going forward which rescues employment, the personal livelihoods of those in the business and creates opportunities for all stakeholders to minimise their potential loss where a business fails.

The Enterprise Act has liberalised the processes in the UK for the workout of turnaround possibilities and this together with developments in tax legislation for companies has made planning a significant issue in maximising objectives. All of these are matters, Steve regularly considers and advises upon.