Eversheds Sutherland strengthens its restructuring offering with lateral partner hire

Eversheds Sutherland has strengthened its restructuring capabilities with the hire of Barney Smedley.

Barney, who joins the global law firm from DLA Piper, has a wealth of restructuring experience and is recognised for advising financial institutions, investors, insolvency practitioners and boards of directors on high value and high stakes restructuring and insolvency assignments. 

He has played a leading role in a number of restructurings in the retail and consumer goods sectors including the insolvencies of the Beales department store group, and various phases of the Mamas & Papas turnaround. Barney also advises across various other sectors including real estate, manufacturing and financial services.

Barney is ranked as a ‘Leading Individual’ in the latest edition of legal industry directory, Legal 500 and is noted for his “…invaluable advice and insight regarding high-value, often cross-border insolvency and restructuring mandates”.

Nick Swiss, Head of Finance Group, Eversheds Sutherland, commented:

“Barney’s appointment reinforces our ability to successfully advise our clients on their increasingly complex issues, and to consistently deliver the tailored, high quality legal advice and commercial insights they require. Barney’s cross-border experience and invaluable restructuring expertise, honed within a variety of sectors, make him a perfect fit for our wide-ranging client base. I’m thrilled to welcome him to the team and very much look forward to working with him.”

Andrew Jordan, Head of UK Restructuring, Eversheds Sutherland, commented:

“Barney is a welcome addition to our restructuring practice and will enhance our restructuring capabilities particularly in the retail and consumer sector space, keeping us at the forefront of this increasingly diverse and highly competitive market. He brings with him extensive cross-border restructuring experience which will prove invaluable to the varying needs of our clients.”

Barney Smedley, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland, commented:

“I am really excited to join Eversheds Sutherland in order to build on its first class restructuring offering. The team already boasts an enviable client base, a fantastic global platform and an excellent national team of restructuring lawyers. I’m looking forward to drawing on my experience gained from nearly 20 years at DLA Piper and working with my new colleagues to deliver market-leading restructuring solutions both locally and globally.”

Barney’s arrival follows a number of other recent senior company commercial appointments made by the global law firm including: Partners Tim Fosh, Kiran Arora, Walid Salib, Ben Davis and Silke Gantzckow.