Birketts’ insolvency team supports high-net-worth individuals and their families in dealing with the threat of bankruptcy, considering an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA), or needing clarity on how your spouse or partner’s financial position may affect your assets.

We provide discreet, strategic, and commercially focused advice to individuals and their spouses or partners who need expert guidance in navigating the UK’s personal insolvency regime.

Bankruptcy advice and strategic protection

Bankruptcy can have significant implications for business interests, property ownership and long-term wealth. We work proactively to help you:

understand how bankruptcy proceedings may affect your home, investments and joint assets
protect your beneficial interest in a property
respond to trustee investigations and claims
assess alternatives to bankruptcy, including viable restructuring options
manage reputational considerations with minimal disruption to your professional life.

Our team acts swiftly to prevent avoidable losses and to safeguard your financial position.

Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs)

IVAs are often an effective way for high-net-worth individuals to manage personal liabilities without filing for bankruptcy. Working alongside you, we will discuss the suitability of an IVA for your personal situation and how they interact with jointly owned assets and marital property. The team can also support negotiations with creditors, maintain income streams, support directorships and professional status, and make changes to existing IVAs if your circumstances have changed.

Support for spouses and partners

When one partner faces personal insolvency, the other may be exposed to claims or investigations. The team provides advice on protecting personal assets and inheritances, beneficial interest claims on joint property, and financial disclosure obligations and limits.

The team can also respond to trustee enquiries, negotiate with insolvency practitioners and help you understand your rights.

High net worth and complex asset structures

Our experience includes advising clients with:

multiple property holdings
family investment companies (FICs)
trusts and inherited wealth
business partnerships and directorships
overseas assets
secured and unsecured lending arrangements.

We collaborate with specialists across Birketts to deliver a fully integrated approach, including tax, corporate, real estate and family wealth planning expertise.