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James Hewer

James Hewer

Counsel

Counsel
James Hewer

James is a Counsel in our Global Financial Markets group in Australia, based in our Perth office.

James is a senior restructuring and insolvency lawyer, admitted in both New South Wales, and England and Wales, with substantial experience in a wide range of contentious and non-contentious special situations, restructuring and insolvency matters across Australia, the Asia Pacific and Europe.

James advises banks, financiers, funds and alternative capital providers across a variety of bilateral and syndicated lending exposures to distressed businesses. James acts for insolvency practitioners in relation to receiverships, liquidations, voluntary administrations and deeds of company arrangements, and advises corporate entities and directors in relation to restructurings and reorganisations, and their statutory duties in times of distress.

James sits on the Western Australia Division Committee of the Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Committee.

  • Webuild S.p.A in relation to the restructure and acquisition of the Australian engineering and construction business of the Clough Group out of insolvency, being the largest successful trade-on and turnaround of a construction group through voluntary administration in Australia to date.
  • The Kansai Electric Power Company in relation to its majority ownership stake in the Bluewaters Power Station in Collie, WA*.
  • The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, and subsequently the Litigation Trustee, of Speedcast International Limited in relation to the Australian law elements of Speedcast’s Chapter 11 restructuring*.
  • The Bank of New York Mellon on its role as bond trustee and security trustee in relation to the refinancing of AU$2.2 billion of senior and junior bonds issued by Reliance Rail, a Public Private Partnership established with the NSW government to finance, design, manufacture and maintain Sydney’s Waratah train fleet*.
  • KPMG (formerly Ferrier Hodgson), and subsequently Grant Thornton, as voluntary administrators and deed administrators of Wolf Minerals Limited on the recapitalisation and sale of the company’s ASX-listed shell*.
  • A major private gold mining and exploration company with assets across sub-Saharan Africa in relation to the redemption and unwinding of certain of its US$100 million debt facilities*.
  • BDO as liquidators of Max Brenner Australia, including in relation to an initial sale of the business and in relation to various voidable transaction claims*.
  • Standard Chartered Bank on the restructuring of its debt and equity exposures to Aeris Resources Limited, an ASX-listed mining and exploration company with copper, zinc, gold and silver assets across Australia*.
  • The Bank of New York Mellon in relation to its role as US$420 million bond trustee in relation to the voluntary administration and deed of company arrangement of Paladin Energy Limited*.
  • Mattel on its exposure to Toys “R” Us Australia following the appointment of voluntary administrators, including securing a significant recovery of Mattel’s trade debt pursuant to the Personal Property Securities Act 2009*.
  • Peninsula Energy Limited in relation to the restructuring and subsequent refinancing of a series of convertible loan note instruments*.
  • Wolf Minerals Limited, the owner of the Drakelands tungsten mine in Devon, UK, in relation to various amendments and restatements of its debt and equity facilities with Resource Capital Fund VI L.P, and its entry into standstill and restructure agreements with its senior lenders*.
  • A Malaysian-based fund in relation to its debt and equity exposure (under a series of shareholder loans and convertible loans) to, and eventual exit from, a retirement village group based with assets across Western Australia*.
  • Lloyds Bank in relation to the restructuring of the bank’s security package held over the Australian part of a global infrastructure and construction group as part of the refinancing of the overseas debt facilities*.
  • RSM Australia as liquidators of Colt International, a manufacturer of external louvres and smoke control products and sub-contractor to many large-scale construction projects across NSW and WA*.
  • A major privately owned gold mining and exploration company in relation to a shareholder dispute and UK-based arbitration concerning a key strategic asset*.
  • A major privately owned NSW property developer on the settlement of a shareholder dispute*.
  • Revelstoke Capital Partners and its investment, Career Step (a US-based online education provider) on financial distress issues attached to the provider of its education platform in Australia*.
  • Signal Brands on its distressed exposure and supply chain of Guess products, and its eventual acquisition and restructuring of the Australian distribution business*.
  • A European diamond wholesaler in relation to supply chain issues and debt and asset recovery from its insolvent Australian distributer, including securing a full recovery of pre-liquidation debt using the garnishee notice regime under the Personal Property Securities Act 2009*.
  • A WA-based mining company in relation to the restructuring and reacquisition of its key strategic asset out of receivership and voluntary administration*.
  • Subsequently advising the same company on its members’ scheme of arrangement to enable the acquisition of the entire issued share capital of the company by its majority shareholder*.
  • Andina Resources Limited on the deed of company arrangement, creditors’ trust and restructuring deed proposed for the restructuring of Minera Gold Ltd*.
  • Clydesdale Bank and PricewaterhouseCoopers in relation to the administration and pre-pack sale of a group of companies providing storage, car park and petrol station facilities across London and the south-east of England*.
  • Clydesdale Bank and Baker Tilly in relation to the restructuring and eventual sale of a boutique hotel and pub operator with assets across Norfolk and Suffolk*.
  • KPMG as the administrators of Lexi Holdings plc, a bridging finance provider, including on the recovery and realisation of a portfolio of more than 100 commercial and residential real estate properties across the UK and overseas*.
  • Clydesdale Bank and Allsop in relation to the fixed charge receivership of a portfolio of more than 50 residential investment properties across South London*.
  • Barclays Bank and Baker Tilly in relation to the administration of a residential property investment company with assets across London and the south of England*.
  • Bank of Scotland in relation to its GBP 250 million exposure to an offshore property investment and management limited partnership, including acting on a series of consensual asset sales and a full restructuring of the facilities and security*.
  • Barclays Bank in relation to the secondary debt trade of its facilities with an operator of a series of bars and clubs across London*.
  • Barclays Bank and DTZ Debenham Tie Leung in relation to the fixed charge receivership sale of a series of commercial investment properties in London*.
  • Clydesdale Bank in relation to a series of transactions relating to the restructuring and reorganisation of its distressed real estate book*
  • Lloyds Bank in relation to a series of portfolio loan sale transactions (undertaking during nine-month secondment to Lloyds Bank’s distressed real estate team)*.

News and client work

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Contact details

Career and qualifications

  • University of Nottingham (LLB Law)
  • Nottingham Law School (LPC)

Professional bodies

  • Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround
  • Association WA Division committee member

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