Cathryn Williams is a partner in Crowell & Moring’s Corporate Group in the firm’s London office. She has spent many years in the restructuring space, with particular experience in the asset-based lending sector. Cathryn acts for various clients in the financial sector, including banks, financiers, insolvency practitioners, officeholders, corporations, and distressed lenders in all aspects of non-contentious and contentious insolvency, restructuring, fraud, and asset recovery.
She has deep experience in all aspects of restructuring, formal insolvencies, insolvent business sales and purchases, and insolvency litigation. Cathryn has worked with businesses in a wide variety of industries, including retail, manufacturing, technology, construction, food and beverage, film and television production, and smart card production. Over the span of her career, Cathryn has worked on a number of high-profile matters including BCCI, ENRON, and a number of well-known high street retailers. Cathryn is also recommended in The Legal 500 UK in the area of asset-based lending.
Representative Matters
- Acting in the administration and sale of an iconic high street clothing manufacturer and retailer.
- Acting in the highly contested administration applications in a care home group of over 40 companies; acting for the administrators and liquidators of those companies in realizing 25 properties.
- Acting for lender in significant and lengthy restructuring of an international waste-to-energy and clean hydrogen-producing group.
- Acted for the financier of a national transport and logistics group, including advising on the licensing issues and applying for administration orders in relation to each group company.
- Acted for the purchaser of legal services from the administrator of a legal services provider.
- Acted in the administration and sale of a variety of high street retailers operating throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malaysia, and Eastern Europe.
- Acted for the lender in the sale of debt and underlying security of a large international retailer to a distressed investor.
- Advising the boards of private companies and public limited companies on insolvency and restructuring issues.
- Dealing with preference, undervalue, misfeasance, wrongful, and fraudulent trading actions on behalf of officeholders.
Publications
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"Foreign Debtors and Chapter 11 – Seeking Relief from Turbulent Skies," Crowell & Moring’s Restructuring Matters
(February 15, 2022).
Authors: Frederick (Rick) Hyman, Gregory Gennady Plotko, Paul Muscutt and Cathryn Williams.
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"Energy Crisis Looms for Business," Crowell & Moring’s Restructuring Matters
(October 14, 2021).
Authors: Cathryn Williams, Paul Muscutt, Robin Baillie and Stefanie Atchinson.
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"The Return of Crown Preference – Another blow for Floating Charge Holders," Crowell & Moring’s Restructuring Matters
(September 21, 2020).
Authors: Cathryn Williams and Paul Muscutt.
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"Scam Investment Schemes: All That Glitters Should Not Be Sold," ThoughtLeaders4 FIRE Magazine, Issue 2
(August 2020).
Authors: Paul Muscutt and Cathryn Williams.
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"All change – wide-ranging reforms to UK Insolvency Law," Crowell & Moring’s Restructuring Matters
(July 13, 2020).
Authors: Cathryn Williams, Paul Muscutt and Beth Bradley.
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"The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act: The Moratorium and just how “super” is Super Priority?" Crowell & Moring’s Restructuring Matters
(July 13, 2020).
Authors: Cathryn Williams, Paul Muscutt, Andrew J. Knight and Beth Bradley.
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"Restructuring Capabilities to Combat the Impact of COVID-19," Crowell & Moring’s Restructuring Matters
(April 2, 2020).
Authors: Cathryn Williams, Paul Muscutt, Mark S. Lichtenstein and Monique D. Almy.
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"COVID-19 Considerations For UK Asset-Based Lenders," Law360
(March 30, 2020).
Authors: Robert Weekes, Andrew J. Knight, Laurence Winston, Cathryn Williams, Paul Muscutt, and Nicola Phillips.
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"Breathing space for individuals facing debt issues," Crowell & Moring's Restructuring Matters
(June 24, 2019).
Author: Cathryn Williams.
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"Steel yourselves – troubles ahead?" Crowell & Moring's Restructuring Matters
(May 22, 2019).
Author: Cathryn Williams.
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"E-filing of administration appointments – don’t get your wires crossed," Crowell & Moring's Restructuring Matters
(April 16, 2019).
Author: Cathryn Williams.
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"Call for Views on the Quality and Effectiveness of Audit," Crowell & Moring's Restructuring Matters
(April 15, 2019).
Author: Cathryn Williams.
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"UK Court of Appeal considers what amounts to a genuine and serious cross-claim," Crowell & Moring's Restructuring Matters
(April 1, 2019).
Author: Cathryn Williams.
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"Will Britain be open for business post-Brexit?" Crowell & Moring's Restructuring Matters
(March 21, 2019).
Author: Cathryn Williams.
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"When can a payment of a dividend be a transaction defrauding creditors?" Crowell & Moring's Restructuring Matters
(March 21, 2019).
Author: Cathryn Williams.
Client Alerts & Newsletters
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"Spring into Distress with Restructuring Matters by Crowell & Moring,"
Financial Services Alert
(April 8, 2022).
Contacts: Frederick "Rick" Hyman, Monique D. Almy, Scott Lessne, Randall L. Hagen, Cathryn Williams, Paul Muscutt
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"Restructuring Measures to Combat the Effects of COVID-19,"
Corporate Alert
(April 20, 2020).
Contacts: Cathryn Williams, Paul Muscutt, Andrew J. Knight, Simon Evers, Mark Meyer, Beth Bradley, Amanda Kwagala
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"Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme – Key Points,"
Corporate Alert
(March 26, 2020).
Contacts: Andrew J. Knight, Paul Muscutt, Robert Weekes, Cathryn Williams, Seye Olufunwa, Beth Bradley, Mark Forster
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"U.K. Government Faces Urgent Pressure to Reform Insolvency Law,"
Corporate Alert
(March 26, 2020).
Contacts: Cathryn Williams, Paul Muscutt, Andrew J. Knight, Beth Bradley, Mark Forster, Seye Olufunwa
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"Coronavirus – Issues for Asset-Based Lenders,"
(March 16, 2020).
Contacts: Andrew J. Knight, Paul Muscutt, Nicola Phillips, Robert Weekes, Cathryn Williams, Laurence Winston
Press Coverage
Firm News & Announcements