Handles cross-border financial restructurings and workouts.
Represents a broad range of institutional and distressed investors.
Recognized for restructuring and insolvency by Chambers UK, The Legal 500 UK and IFLR 1000.

Tom Bannister focuses his practice on cross-border financial restructurings and workouts. He represents a broad range of institutional and distressed investors.

Tom is consistently ranked in leading legal directories, including Chambers UK and The Legal 500 UK, in the latter of which clients laud him as “very cool and measured under pressure.”

Tom’s clients include:

Private placement noteholders
Senior secured noteholders
Syndicated lenders
Senior lenders
Mezzanine lenders
Ad hoc committees
Official committees of unsecured creditors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings.

Representative Work

Cineworld: Counsel to an ad hoc group of secured lenders in the chapter 11 cases of Cineworld and its affiliates, the world’s second-largest movie chain, involving $4 billion in liabilities.
VEON: Advising the VEON group, a multinational telecommunication services business, in relation to a scheme of arrangement to extend the maturity of certain USD bonds and other related matters.
Sungard: Counsel to Sungard Availability Services, L.P. and its affiliated North American entities on the English law aspects of a potential restructuring transaction.
Ozon: Counsel to the ad hoc group of convertible noteholders of the $750 million restructuring of Ozon Holdings PLC, Russia’s largest e-commerce platform.
Nordic Aviation Capital: Counsel to the private placement noteholders in relation to a waiver and deferral arrangement implemented through an Irish scheme of arrangement, and on a subsequent chapter 11 restructuring of the group’s more than $6 billion in debt.

ED&F Man: Counsel to various private placement noteholders on the refinancing of more than $1 billion in debt, including the grant of new security instruments in various jurisdictions, of ED&F Man Treasury Management, one of London’s oldest commodities brokers. Restructuring Deal of the Year (IFLR Europe Awards).
Interserve: Counsel to the private placement noteholders on the restructuring of Interserve plc, a U.K.-based support services and construction company.
Premier Oil: Counsel to the private placement noteholders on the amendment to financial covenants of Premier Oil, an independent British U.K. oil company with worldwide oil and gas interests.
Carillion: Counsel to the private placement noteholders of Carillion plc in amendment negotiations to address liquidity problems and in efforts to restructure the group’s balance sheet.
Fagron: Represented the private placement noteholders on the financial restructuring of Fagron NV, a Belgian pharmaceuticals manufacturer.
Tensator Group: Counsel to the private placement noteholders on the negotiation of administration sale of Tensator Group, a manufacturer of queueing barriers and systems.

"He understands the entire financial picture facing companies during a restructuring."

Chambers UK, 2023

Education
BVC, Inns of Court School of Law, 1993
PGDL, The College of Law, London, 1992
B.A., University of Oxford, 1989

Bar Admissions
Solicitor, England and Wales

Recognitions

Chambers UK, Restructuring/Insolvency, 2017-2025.
The Legal 500 UK, Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency.
IFLR 1000 UK, Restructuring and Insolvency.
Best Lawyers UK, Insolvency & Restructuring Law.
Expert Guides: Guide to the World’s Leading Insolvency and Restructuring Lawyers, Leading Expert in the UK.

Affiliations and Public Service