South Coast: Verisona Law expands insolvency team with key appointment

The award-winning insolvency and business turnaround team at Verisona Law has appointed insolvency litigation specialist Neil Stewart as associate director to provide expertise to its corporate and private clients.

With 17 years’ experience in commercial dispute resolution and contentious insolvency, Stewart began his career in law after serving as an officer in the Royal Navy and then the Police Service. He trained and qualified in London before moving to the South Coast to join the commercial litigation department at Blake Lapthorn (now Blake Morgan) in 1998.

"From the moment I decided to enter the legal profession, I knew litigation was for me,” said Stewart.

In 2003, he joined Lamport Bassitt in Southampton where he became a partner at the firm before its merger with Pitmans LLP last year.

He is a committee member of the Southern Region of the Association of Business Recovery Professionals (R3), an accredited mediator and an experienced lecturer with the Open University, the Insolvency Service and Central Law Training. He has particular expertise in dealing with property and construction issues in insolvency situations.

"I have followed the success of Verisona Law having worked with the firm’s former head of insolvency, David Oliver, in the early days of my legal career and with the current head, Nick Oliver, through R3. I have been continually impressed by the firm’s originality, innovation and ambition” he explained.

"The insolvency team has had impressive results in high-profile and complex cases such as Portsmouth Football Club, and has won national awards including Business Rescue of the Year at the last Insolvency & Rescue Awards, so when I learned of an opportunity to join the team, I was very excited."

Neil joins the team with newly-appointed litigation assistant Chloe Hicks, who was offered the position after her impressive work since starting at Verisona Law at the start of the year. Previously Hicks spent three years with global professional services firm EY.

"Neil and Chloe have brought an energy, enthusiasm and capacity to the team," said Oliver. "I am particularly delighted that Neil has joined us given his previous experience, and he will significantly add to the team’s capacity to deal with insolvency disputes and litigation.”