Locke Lord

David Grant is a member of the Firm's Executive Committee, Managing Partner of the London office of Locke Lord LLP and Regional Practice Group Leader for Europe and Asia. He has an insolvency and restructuring practice, with an emphasis on contentious insolvency and recovery actions, including cross-border asset tracing and asset and security recoveries. David also has extensive experience of fraud and forensic investigations by UK and overseas regulators and law enforcement agencies which complements his core insolvency practice. He has been recognised by The Legal 500 and commended by Chambers UK for being commercial, a great negotiator and a welcome sight on a case.

David advises and represents insolvency practitioners, banks, company directors, asset based lenders, trade financiers, distressed debt investors and private equity concerns. He is dual qualified and has practised in both England and New South Wales, Australia.

Representative Experience

• Representing Minneapolis-based Regis Corporation, the largest hair salon chain in the world and owner of brands such as Supercuts, MasterCuts and Regis Salons, in selling the business to new operators, thereby preserving the brands in the UK and saving approximately 1,000 jobs
• Represented international commodities trading company H&CS Holdings Pte Ltd undergoing a restructuring in Singapore by way of a Scheme of Arrangement Section 211B(1) of the Singapore Companies Act
• Representing Hai Jiang (as a special purpose vehicle of International Chinese Banking Corporation) as a major secured and unsecured lender to the Singaporean shipping operator, Ezra Holdings which – together with multiple Asian operating affiliates and subsidiaries (the most well-known being EMAS Chiyoda) – filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the Courts of New York and Texas
• Acted for a key supplier in Taiwan and the Netherlands, from whom the liquidators of Changtel Solutions UK Limited were seeking to clawback certain payments as void dispositions under Section 127 of the Insolvency Act 1986
• Represented Giorgio Armani SPA - in two separate matters - as a critical creditor and supplier with substantial retention-of-title claims to debtors 1) House of Fraser and 2) Debenhams
• Represented Viewpoint Inc, a US company and critical supplier of construction accounting and management software used in the construction industry. This matter relates to the collapse of Carillion, one of the UK government’s biggest contractors, which at the time, reported almost £7 billion in debts
• Represented FTI Singapore, the liquidators of international oil company, Una Oil Limited, a globally traded company, hence its collapse raised important and interesting issues of comity and cross-border enforcement of reciprocal obligations
• Representing and advising the former management in relation to claims arising out of the collapse of Afren plc.
• Acting for a Russian-owned BVI company in a multi-million dollar shareholder dispute conducted under the LCIA Rules
• Advising the UK Administrators in the insolvency of the international home movie and video rental company, Blockbuster
• Acting for the liquidators of a Cayman Islands fund in pursuing claims against counterparties under global bonds not converted to definitive bonds
• Advising various hedge funds on distressed investments and acquisitions of non performing loans
• Restructuring the London Broncos rugby league football club
• Representing liquidators in the Cayman Islands and Singapore of various hedge funds challenging counterparties under ISDA agreements involving alleged fraudulent activities
• Acting for corporate creditor groups in investigating and pursuing multi-jurisdiction fraud and tracing claims arising out of the collapse of Lehman Brothers International (Europe) Limited
• Representing AIG as bondholder in the contractual subordination claim at first instance and in the Court of Appeal in the reported SAVE Service Stations Case
• Advising the Administrators of various UK subsidiaries of Enron in connection with cross-netting agreements entered into pre-administration
• Representing the liquidators and various creditor groups in the collapse of BCCI
• Advising the directors and shareholders of the UK subsidiary of a major German automotive supplier
• Advising a major UK clearing bank on recovery actions in the UK, Channel Islands and Central America
• Securing the recognition of English insolvency office-holders in the USA under Chapter 15 of the United States Bankruptcy Code
• Solvent and insolvent restructuring of professional practices including representing the partners in the collapse of an international accountancy practice
• Advising directors on fraudulent and wrongful trading claims brought against them
• Representing directors in proceedings under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986

Professional History

• Admitted as a Solicitor in New South Wales, Australia (1987)
• Admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales (1986)

Professional Affiliations and Recognitions

• Recognised in the 2019 edition of the Global Restructuring Review 100
• Recognised Practitioner, Restructuring/Insolvency, Chambers UK
• Recognised by The Legal 500 for Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation
• Member of the Association of Business Recovery Professionals
• Member of INSOL Europe and INSOL International
• Member of the Insolvency Lawyers Association
• Member of the Confederation of British Industry Insolvency Panel