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Sarah Duignan

Partner

Sarah is a partner in the Eversheds Sutherland Finance team. 

She is highly experienced in a range of finance transactions with particular specialisms in Restructuring and Insolvency, distressed sales and acquisitions, directors’ duties, new lending and Loan Portfolio Transactions. Sarah is ranked in both the Legal 500 as a “Rising Star” and as an “Associate to Watch” in Chambers and Partners in Restructuring and Insolvency.

Sarah has extensive experience advising clients on a broad range of national and cross-border restructuring, insolvency and finance transactions, including:

  • advising financial institutions and insolvency practitioners on lending and enforcement strategy, restructuring and turnaround transactions, and formal insolvencies;
  • advising corporates and their directors on directors’ duties, distressed sales and acquisitions, stakeholder management, solvent and insolvent restructurings, and refinancing transactions;
  • advising challenger banks and alternative lenders on securing their own warehouse facilities and forward funding lines, and on customer enforcement and work out strategy;
  • advising pension trustees and sponsoring employers on pensions restructuring and covenant advisory issues; and
  • advising life insurers, high net worth individuals, clearing banks and institutional funds on loan portfolio transactions, debt funding and forward funding arrangements.

In particular, Sarah has significant experience in the retail, energy, travel, professional services and financial institution sectors.

  • Advising insolvency practitioners on their appointment as administrators of an energy supplier.
  • Advising an online retail business on a high profile distressed acquisition of assets out of insolvency.
  • Advising directors of a plc on their directors' duties in anticipation of the formal insolvency of the group. Subsequently advising insolvency practitioners on their appointment as administrators.
  • Advising corporates and their directors on the restructuring of a distressed corporate group and subsequent turnaround and refinancing strategy.
  • Advising pension trustees and sponsoring employers on all aspects of pension restructuring transactions and covenant advisory matters. 
  • Advising international investment firm on their UK loan acquisition transactions, including forward flow and table funding arrangements for bridging, buy to let, development, and regulated loan portfolios.
  • Advising a UK clearing bank on a series of loan portfolio sales, including performing and non-performing commercial debt, and CCA regulated consumer debt.

 

 

Sarah is ranked in both the Legal 500 as a “Rising Star”, and as an “Associate to Watch” in Chambers and Partners in Restructuring and Insolvency.

Sarah is a member of the R3 North West Women’s Group and regularly delivers training and seminars at various public and client conferences and events.

  • Legal Practice Course - The University of Law: 2006-2007
  • Graduate Diploma in Law - The University of Law: 2005-2006
  • LLB (Hons) English - The University of Liverpool: 2002-2005
Sarah Duignan

Partner

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