Bruce Bell

Bruce’s experience includes advising:

• SGB-SMIT, the power transformer manufacturing group, on the amendment and extension of its c. €630 million debt liabilities, including a significant equity injection from sponsor One Equity Partners, via the first UK restructuring plan conducted by a Germany-headquartered business
• Lowenplay, the German casino operator, on its debt for equity swap implemented via an English scheme of arrangement
• The ad hoc committee of bondholders on the recapitalization of Haya Real Estate, a Spanish real estate servicing business, implemented via an English scheme of arrangement
• The incumbent RCF lenders to Petrofac in relation to various financial consequences of Petrofac’s guilty plea to 'failure to prevent bribery' and its connected recapitalisation
• The ad hoc committee of 1st lien lenders on the restructuring of Mediapro, the Spanish movie and television business
• Intu Properties, the UK real estate investment trust, on its attempted restructuring and subsequent insolvency*
• Eddie Stobart Logistics on the debt-related aspects of the rescue of the Eddie Stobart Logistics business implemented by way of a sale of a majority stake in the business to funds advised by DBay*
• The “NAC 29” credit facility lenders on the 2020 ‘standstill’ restructuring of Nordic Aviation Capital involving the precedent-setting use of an Irish law scheme of arrangement*
• The secured lenders to Cell-C, the South African mobile telco, in relation to its second proposed restructuring and recapitalization*
• The business partners of both Card Protection Plan and Affinion on the ground-breaking consumer schemes of arrangement used to provide redress for alleged shortcomings in the sale of retail financial products*
• Home Retail Group plc on the restructuring of Homebase’s Irish business, implemented via an Irish examinership process*
• The largest creditor on the billion dollar collapse and restructuring of Agrokor d.d., the largest ever insolvency in the Western Balkan area, including contestation of recognition of the specially instituted Croatian ‘Lex Agrokor’ in the English courts*
• Towergate Insurance on its £1.1 billion debt restructuring implemented via multiple English schemes of arrangement including chapter 15 recognition*
• Eircom on its €4 billion debt restructuring, the largest ever Irish examinership case, a chapter 11-like process in Irish law enabling a company to restructure with the approval of the High Court*
• The ad hoc committee of noteholders on the US$1.4 billion debt restructuring of Codere, the Spanish gaming company*
• The lenders on the multi-billion pound debt restructuring of the UK M6 tollroad project*
• The committee of bondholders on the US$3 billion standstill and restructuring schemes of arrangement for Metinvest BV, the Ukrainian iron and steel group*
• The lenders on the £650m debt restructuring of Macquarie owned NCP, implemented by way of scheme of arrangement
• The lender co-ordinating committee on the US$3.4 billion debt restructuring of Zim Integrated Shipping Services*
• Shandong Iron and Steel Group, owner of a 25% interest in the Tonkolili iron ore project in Sierra Leone, on the acquisition of the 75% interest owned by African Minerals via an acquisition of the lenders’ interests in a pre-export finance facility and the subsequent enforcement of security over shares*
• Abengoa on its global financial restructuring, implemented by multiple processes including homologación judicial in Spain and a company voluntary arrangement in England*
• Biffa on the £1.1 billion restructuring via a scheme of arrangement in conjunction with other contractual mechanisms*
• Cortefiel on the modification and extension of terms in its financing through the first ever “amend and extend” scheme of arrangement in England*
• Norske Skog on the US$1 billion restructuring of its debt obligations under its secured and unsecured notes, ultimately consummated by way of a security enforcement and sale to a newco owned by Oceanwood Capital*
• The bank lenders to and the joint administrators of GAME Group and certain of its subsidiaries on the administration and subsequent sale of the business to OpCapita*
• The joint provisional liquidators of Northern Offshore Limited on the company’s US$340 million and NOK150 million debt restructuring*
• Bank of America in relation to the collapse of Parmalat, including in relation to the first European Court of Justice decision on the EU Insolvency Regulation, Eurofood IFSC*
• The borrowing base lenders to and administrators of various entities in the insolvency of Petroplus, the Swiss based oil refinery group*
• DX Group on its restructuring implemented by way of a scheme of arrangement*
• The senior lenders to McCarthy & Stone on its restructuring via a debt for equity swap, implemented by way of a scheme of arrangement and a connected sale of the McCarthy & Stone business to a senior lender owned ‘newco’*
• Petroleum Geo-Services ASA on its restructuring via a pre-negotiated chapter 11 process, being the first instance of a Norwegian company being restructured through the US bankruptcy process*

*Matter handled prior to joining Latham