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Year of Call: 2018E: georgiapurnell@enterprisechambers.comT: 0113 246 0391Clerk: Joanne CauntClerk: Ellen McInall

PRACTICE AREASInsolvency & RestructuringCommercialOffshore and International

Home Our People Georgia Purnell

Georgia Purnell

Company

Insolvency & Restructuring

Georgia has a particular interest in corporate and personal insolvency and hasdeveloped a strong practice in this area.

Georgia is regularly instructed to advise on and appear in matters relating to allaspects of contentious insolvency including:

Claims for breaches of directors’ duties and misfeasance;

TUVs;

Preferences;

Section 423 claims;

Applications for administration orders and administration extensions;

Injunctions to restrain presentation and advertisement of winding up petitions;

PROFILE

Georgia is developing a commercial and chancery practice with a strongemphasis on insolvency and restructuring. Georgia regularly appears in the HighCourt and County Court and her insolvency and restructuring expertise iscomplemented by her commercial dispute resolution and company law practicewhich frequently involve jurisdictional and international elements.

Prior to being called to the Bar Georgia read History at Brasenose College,Oxford before completing the GDL with a Distinction and achieving anOutstanding on the BPTC with the highest mark in the year in commercialdispute resolution.

Georgia is thorough, hardworking and reliable. She is able to exercisecommercial judgment and recognise each client’s priorities. She delivers highquality legal, practical and commercial advice, a professional service and isalways willing to undertake last minute, urgent instructions.

PRACTICE AREAS

Georgia’s recent experience includes:

The rescission of winding up orders or annulment of bankruptcy petitions;

Applications for permission to act as a director of a company known by aprohibited name, contraventions of s.216 and associated proceedings unders.217;

Applications for the delivery up of documents, private examinations andassociated committal proceedings for breach of orders;

Applications to set aside statutory demands;

Obtaining the permission of the Court to distribute dividends to unsecuredcreditors and to disapply the prescribed part; and

Applications to fix or challenge office holders’ remuneration.

Currently instructed as sole counsel in a misfeasance and transaction undervalue claim with a value in excess of £1million;

Obtaining a freezing order in the High Court relating to the incorrect distributionof assets by an IVA supervisor to a debtor who subsequently began dissipatingfunds;

Securing an order for pre-action disclosure on behalf of a company in liquidationrelating to a prospective claim against the company’s bank for breach of the“Quincecare” duty of care in relation to the misappropriation of funds exceeding£5million by the company’s directors;

Appearing on behalf of a liquidator in an application in the High Court for awarrant for the arrest of company directors domiciled in Northern Ireland and therelated seizure of documents for failure to attend a private examination andcomply with an order to deliver up documents;

Advising the liquidator of a company registered in the Republic of Ireland as tothe prospects and procedure for making a request for assistance to the Courts ofEngland and Wales to enforce an insolvency law judgment;

Currently instructed in a claim brought by the creditors of a liquidated companypursuant to s.217 against the company’s directors relating to their allegedpersonal liability for the company’s debts for allegedly acting in contravention ofs.216;

Successfully appearing in the High Court on instruction by a liquidator in apreference claim against the company’s director; and

Obtaining an order on behalf of joint liquidators in the High Court disapplying theprescribed part where the costs of distribution exceeded the value of theprescribed part.

Commercial

Georgia is developing an extensive commercial practice. She has completedadvocacy, advisory and drafting work on a wide range of matters, for example,contractual disputes, claims under guarantees and indemnities, debt recovery,misrepresentation, the sale and supply of goods, the construction of contracts, ROTand restitution. Georgia is regularly instructed to appear in the High Court andCounty Court on a full range of interim applications including injunctive relief,security for costs and summary judgment.

Georgia’s recent experience includes:

Obtaining a freezing order in the High Court in relation to a complexrestitutionary claim;

Representing the largest bank based in the United Arab Emirates in a breach ofcontract claim;

Advising a firm of actuaries as to its prospects of a claim against the trustees of apension scheme relating to unpaid fees, which included a detailed analysis of thetrustees’ alleged breach of duty to the pension scheme;

Successfully acting for a company in a fraudulent misrepresentation and breachof contract claim;

Advising and appearing on behalf of a company in a claim concerning complexissues of agency; and

Instructed to obtain an order for the enforcement of an adjudicator’s award in theTCC.

Offshore and International

Georgia continues to develop her international practice and has been instructed ona number of insolvency and commercial cases which have an offshore dimension orissues of jurisdiction.

Georgia’s recent experience includes:

Advising and appearing on behalf of the largest bank based in the United ArabEmirates in a multifaceted application to contest the jurisdiction of the Courts ofEngland and Wales in favour of the Courts of the UAE. The hearing involvedcomplex arguments relating to forum non conveniens, exclusive and non-exclusive jurisdiction clauses, the applicability of the Brussels Recast Regulationand the recent Supreme Court judgment in Vedanta Resources;

Advising and appearing on behalf of a liquidator in an application for a warrantfor the arrest of company directors domiciled in Northern Ireland;

Advising the liquidator of a company registered in the Republic of Ireland as tothe prospects and procedure for making a request for assistance to the Courts ofEngland and Wales in enforcing an insolvency law judgment;

Advising proposed claimants based in Hong Kong as to the prospects of acontractual claim against a prominent Japanese automotive company incircumstances where there was an exclusive jurisdiction clause in favour of theCourts of England and Wales; and

Advising a liquidator as to the disclaimer of a contract where the rights under thecontract appeared to have been assigned under Jersey law.

Company

Georgia has begun to develop a practice in all areas of company law whichcompliments her strong practice in insolvency, restructuring and commercial disputeresolution. Georgia’s recent company law experience includes breaches of directors’duties, unfair prejudice petitions and accessorial liability however Georgia is well-equipped to accept instructions in a full range of company law, LLP and partnershipmatters.

CAREER AND ASSOCIATIONS

Cholmeley Scholarship – Lincoln’s Inn

Lord Denning Scholarship– Lincoln’s Inn

Buchanan Prize- Lincoln’s Inn

Lord Haldane Scholarship – Lincoln’s Inn

Prize for achieving the highest mark in Commercial Dispute Resolution – BPP

Advocacy Scholarship – BPP

Bar Professional Training Course (Outstanding) – BPP (2017 – 2018)

LONDON

9 Old SquareLincoln’s InnLondonWC2A 3SR

T 020 7405 9471E london@enterprisechambers.com

BRISTOL

4-5 College GreenBristolBS1 5TF

T 0117 450 7920E bristol@enterprisechambers.com

LEEDS

43 Park SquareLeedsLS1 2NP

GDL (Distinction) – BPP (2016 – 2017)

BA History - Brasenose College, Oxford (2013 – 2016)

T 0113 246 0391E leeds@enterprisechambers.com

NEWCASTLE

65 QuaysideNewcastle upon TyneNE1 3DE

T 0191 222 3344E newcastle@enterprisechambers.com

Barristers regulated by the Bar Standards Board.

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