The Legal 500 Highlights: Verisona Law – ‘Punching above its weight’

Insolvency

Verisona Law ‘has built one of the strongest insolvency teams on the South Coast, particularly in litigation where it is one of the go-to firms in the area‘, ‘punching above its weight with high-profile insolvency liquidation‘. The five-partner team’s main focus areas include personal insolvency, director disqualification, property, construction and fraud claims. Particular specialism exists in the legal, professional and sports sectors.

Recent highlights were the representation of Imogen Kent as trustee in a £6 million personal bankruptcy in the High Court, as well as the £2 million urgent freezing injunction and breach-of-duty claim that the team enforced for the director of a property company against his bankrupt co-director and shareholder.

The practice was further instructed by Investec Bank, RSM, CVR Global and Grant Thornton. Clients recommend ‘the wisest insolvency head in the business‘, David Oliver, who is ‘supportive and focused on results‘, ‘highly thought-of insolvency litigator‘ Neil Stewart and ‘specialist insolvency lawyer‘ Nick Oliver, who ‘never misses a trick‘ and ‘has tremendous technical knowledge‘. Senior associate Sarah Phillips joined from Gateley plc in London in April 2017.

Sport

Verisona Law ‘punches above its weight‘ when it comes to sports matters, with clients rating the practice for its ‘excellent service and extremely helpful industry knowledge‘. It is singled out for its expertise in footballing matters, and acts for clubs, players and other individuals on governance and regulatory matters, as well as employment and real estate issues. Key clients include Portsmouth Community Football Club, for which it continued to advise on the sale of the club, which completed in August 2017, as well as advising on the extension of the club’s occupation of its training ground.

The practice also acts as advisers to the Hampshire Professional Golfers Association, and assisted professional golfer Scott Gregory with drafting an agreement with Octagon, a sports and entertainment agency in sports marketing, sponsorship and athlete and talent representation, to represent him.

Michael Dyer heads the team and is noted for combining ‘experience and knowledge with a sensible, practical approach‘. The ‘excellent‘ Sue Ball is also recommended.

Shipping

The ‘excellent‘ shipping practice of Verisona Law ‘impresses with high-quality instructions and advice‘. It assists individuals, corporations and organisations with contracts, environmental planning, and the construction, acquisition, operation and disposal of ships, shoreside properties and businesses, with additional support from the firm’s insolvency and restructuring, employment and litigation departments. The latter acts specifically in yacht construction and technical, contractual and professional negligence disputes.

A recent highlight was the advice provided to caravan site operator St Hermans Estate Company on the impact of a planned coastal path in Hayling Island concerning public access to the client’s sites, and its potential routing across land.

‘Outstandingly knowledgeable‘ key partner Tim Reynolds is a trained engineer and boatbuilder; he is a ‘great negotiator‘ and ‘provides a superb service, interacts well with clients and fights their corner with determination‘.