Simon Thomas

Simon Thomas is a partner in Goodwin’s Financial Restructuring practice. In March 2019, Simon Thomas launched the Goodwin UK Restructuring practice which is now ranked in L500, Chambers, IFLR1000, and GRR100.

Simon is recognised as a leader in his field and is ranked in L500, Chambers, Super Lawyers and GRR100. He has been praised by L500 for his “good judgement and empathetic style” and described as “very likeable and approachable... well-connected and respected,” as well as having a “vast amount of credibility among Fund and Insolvency Practitioner clients.”

Simon acts for all stakeholders in situations of corporate distress, including debtors, creditors, investors, directors and acquirers. He has advised on a multitude of cross-border matters and has deep experience spanning an array of industries, including aviation, cryptoassets, energy, healthcare, infrastructure, leisure, life sciences, manufacturing, real estate, retail, shipping, technology, telecommunications, and travel.

Arcadia Group
Acting for Teneo as administrators of various Top Shop entities in relation to US tax matters.

Flexenable Limited 
Acting for FRP as administrators of a leading flexible Organic Liquid Crystal Display and Liquid Crystal optics technologies business, including a sale of the business and assets to a third party acquirer.

Starleaf Limited
Acting for Kroll as administrators of a video conference and cloud storage software provider, including a sale of various assets of the business to Zoom.

Aurora Lighting 
Acting for the acquirer, by way of a pre-packaged administration, of the UK business and assets of a global trade lighting business from Alvarez & Marsal.

Import.io Limited
Acting for FRP as administrators in the pre-pack sale of the Delaware shares in an SaaS provider.

Electroflight Ltd
Acting for Evolito in the pre-pack acquisition of the business and assets of Electroflight Ltd, a battery developer for the electrification of the aerospace industry.

Project Gold 
Acting for an office and event space provider in respect of its successful rescue, with a pre-pack administration sale being prepared in tandem as a contingency.

Eastnine Studios Limited
Acting for Kroll as administrators in selling an iOS smartphone and Apple watch digital training application and all related object and source code to Pure Gym in August 2021.

Bardsley Horticulture Limited
Acting for the boards of the Bardsley Group as part of the solvent reorganization and sale of shares to Camellia Plc in Summer 2021.

T0day Group
Acting for Interpath as administrators appointed over the English companies in the T0day Group in selling various intellectual property assets in relation to the group’s retail strategy business via a pre-pack sale to Ocado Group Plc in March 2022.

Circle Birmingham Hospital
Acting for Medical Properties Trust in respect of the insolvency of the principal contractor, Simons Construction Limited, and arranging for the completion of the hospital development by the in-coming developer Imtech.

Project Mercatus
Acting for a bidder of a distressed shopping center loan portfolio, with a total debt of over £400 million, secured against 15 shopping centers, by providing diligence on the loan and security documentation (and co-ordinating foreign counsel advice with respect to the same), helping to prepare the bid and considering and amending the form of purchase documentation.

Project Now
Acting for the board of a rapid delivery service application prior to the sale of the company to a trade buyer.

Moderna
Advising Moderna in respect of its supply agreement for the COVID-19 vaccine with the UK Government.

Project Stay
Acting for the mezzanine lender in an enforcement of its share and receivables security in order to take control of a hotel asset, where the combined secured debt value is was over £100 million.

Arena Television Limited
Leading a cross border team, working with our New York partners, to recover aviation assets in the administration in the largest ever UK asset based lending fraud (which is believed to be in the region of £280 million).

Project Stretch
Acting for an award winning electronics platform which has raised over $400 million of funding throughout the company’s research period. Our role involved providing on-going trading advice and support during the repeated fundraising rounds.

Project Beans
Acting for a mezzanine lender by providing advice on the terms and effect of a proposed Company Voluntary Arrangement of a hospitality business with over 800 outlets worldwide.

Project Reflection
Acting for a US private equity client by providing in-depth crisis management advice following the discovery of a fraud committed by a director, which involved implementing urgent remedial measures including the appointment of a Chief Restructuring Officer, the investigation of the fraud and restoring the stability of the business.

Med24 Limited
Acting for Interpath as administrators in selling the business and assets of a private healthcare provider via a pre-pack to trade buyer in April 2022.

Project Rose
Acting for an investor in a group which holds stakes in tech start-ups.

Clarks Shoes
Subject to conditions including a challenge-fee CVA, advising LionRock Capital on the proposed acquisition of a majority stake in Clarks, a UK-based, international shoe manufacturer and retailer including a £100 million investment in the business. 

Cote Brasseries
Acting for Partners Group as purchaser of 94 French-brasserie-style restaurants through a pre-packaged administration led by FTI.

Cellnovo
Acting for Insulet Corporation, a large US listed client, in relation to the successful purchase of intellectual property assets from English administrators.

BMI Healthcare Portfolio
Acting for Medical Properties Trust in relation to the £1.5 billion acquisition of 30 private hospitals in the largest UK real estate transaction of 2019. The portfolio’s financing had been arranged prior to the 2008 financial crisis and required a significant pre-acquisition debt restructuring.

Cambridge Broadband Networks Limited
Acting for CBNL and its administrators, BDO, in relation to advice to a global leader in millimetre wave fixed wireless access and backhaul solutions with operations in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.

Project Atlas
Advice to a client in relation to the potential acquisition of a portfolio of non-performing loans with a book value of €700 million.

Abbey Retail Park, Belfast
Acting for Slate Asset Management in relation to its acquisition of the Abbey Retail Park in February 2020.

Imtech Group*
Advice to this 2,000 employee group of infrastructure, engineering, and construction companies, and PwC as its administrator, in respect of ongoing trading advice and strategies for preserving the businesses.

LifeStyle Care Group*
Acting for Deloitte as administrator in respect of the successful turnaround of a portfolio of 22 care homes with 1,600 beds and debt of over £150 million.

PA Resources*
Working with FTI in respect of advice to an upstream oil and gas group with 16 companies in nine jurisdictions and significant liabilities, including negotiations with bondholders.

Puma Hotels*
Acting for the administrators in respect of the successful restructuring of a £350 million portfolio of 21 hotels.

Asset Trust*
Acting for PwC as administrator of a 19 company real estate investment portfolio and subsequent £100 million disposal.

Euromix*
Advice to PwC as the administrator of this prominent cement business and the pre-pack sale to Lafarge Tarmac.

Broadcrown*
Acting for the administrators of a power generator manufacturer in respect of a pre-pack sale to JCB.

Project Hamburg*
Acting for the secured creditors in respect of an £85 million settlement involving seven loans to 20 plus counterparties, including a debt for equity swap.

Climate Energy*
In conjunction with FTI, acting for the Climate Energy Group in relation to advice following the withdrawal of government subsidies in respect of solar panel installation.

Emprise Group PLC*
Acting for the secured creditor in relation to a solvent restructuring of a significant contract cleaning business, including a debt for equity swap.

Project Canal*
Advising a shipping group and its administrators with $350 million of debt secured against five vessels, including an in-court COMI administration application and pre-pack sale.

Prestbury Group*
Acting for KPMG as liquidator of a leisure group that previously held assets of over £350 million.

Project Jewel*
Acting for the senior secured creditor in relation to a superprime London residential asset.

Marlow Hotel*
Advice in respect of a solvent restructuring of a £30 million hotel asset, including a debt for equity swap and solvent share acquisition.

Project Sythe*
In conjunction with EY, acting for the secured creditor in relation to a solvent restructure and sale of an equity interest.

Loan sales and acquisitions*
Acting for various acquirers and sellers of debt and security, including providing contingency planning advice.

* Denotes experience prior to joining Goodwin.

Simon is a member of the Insolvency Lawyers’ Association, INSOL, the Turnaround Management Association, and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He is also a member of the City of London Law Society Insolvency Committee.

Prior to joining Goodwin in March 2019, Simon had been a partner at Addleshaw Goddard LLP since 2013. Before this, Simon was a senior associate at Berwin Leighton Paisner for seven years.

Simon is recognized in Chambers and Partners UK for his Restructuring and Insolvency expertise, in particular for his notable credentials in the tech, retail and real estate sectors. He is also ranked as a Leading Individual in The Legal 500 for Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency.

Client testimonials from the Directories include: 

• “Mr. Thomas has made a transformational difference to Goodwin's nascent London restructuring practice. The innovative... responsive and commercial Team head Mr. Thomas is appreciated for his ‘good judgement and empathetic style’. The team at Goodwin was very informed and responsive. I have always found the individuals very personable and enjoyable to work with.”
• “very likeable and approachable... well-connected and respected.”
• “Simon Thomas displays a great mix of technical skill and a commercial approach”
• “Mr. Thomas has a vast amount of credibility among Fund and Insolvency Practitioner clients”
• "He provides strong advice that balances the legal position with commercial considerations."
• "Simon can get into the details, but always thinks of the commercial outcome and how we get there."

He has also been named a Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters.

The London restructuring team have been ranked as a leading practice by Chambers UK, Legal 500, IFLR1000, and GRR100.

Simon is a frequent speaker on restructuring, insolvency and cross-border topics. He was recently invited by the American Bankruptcy Institute to provide a cross-border perspective at their Winter Leadership Conference. Simon was also featured recently, alongside New York Financial Restructuring Partner Howard Steel, on the Reorg Europe Podcast providing a trans-Atlantic perspective on restaurant restructurings.

Simon’s recent publications include:

• Co-Author, "Restructuring and insolvency in the life sciences sector: Q&A," Practical Law Sector Notes, thomsonreuters.com, July 2022
• Co-Author, “Keeping the lights on: acquiring a distressed asset in the hotel sector, Corporate Rescue and Insolvency Journal,” Volume 15 Issue 3, June 2022
• Co-Author, “Distress in the Hotel Sector,” Hospitality & Leisure Trend Watch, February 2022
• Co-Author, “Hydrodec Group — Reconsidering COMI?,” Global Restructuring Review, October 2021
• Co-Author, “Pension Schemes Act 2021: The Impact of New Criminal Liability of Restructuring and Corporate Transactions," Goodwin Insight, February 2021
• “EMEA Core Credit: Restaurant Restructurings with Goodwin,” Reorg Podcast, November 2020
• Co-Author, “Strategies for restaurants to address financial distress in the UK and US,” Restaurant Dive, November 2020
• “Dealwatch: Strategic Acquisitions, Disposals and Restructuring Moves Dominate As Firms Continue Advice on COVID-19 Fallout,” Legal Business, November 2020
• “Brown Rudnick, DLA Piper and Goodwin Act on Shoemaker’s PE Deal,” Global Restructuring Review, November 2020
• Quoted, “Primer: The UK Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act (CIGA),” IFLR, November 2020
• Quoted, “UK Braces For a Wave of Restructurings,” IFLR, October 2020
• Co-Author, “UK Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill Proposes Significant Changes to Law,” Goodwin Alert, September 2020
• Interviewee, “COVID-19 Calls: Goodwin Procter Partner Simon Thomas in London,” Global Restructuring Review, September 2020
• Quoted, “Backers Have Been Tied in Knots by Intu’s Tangled Debts,” The Times, June 2020
• Quoted, “Shopping Centre Owner Intu Braces for Administration,” The Telegraph, June 2020
• Co-Author, “Dealing With Crypto-Assets In A Downturn – Lessons From London And Other Jurisdictions,” Corporate Rescue and Insolvency Journal, June 2020
• “Cryptoassets – How Are They Treated in an English Insolvent Estate?,” Global Restructuring Review, April 2020
• Co-Author, “Rights of Landlords & Tenants – Unpicking the Effect of the UK Corona Virus Act,” Goodwin Alert, March 2020
• Quoted, “Intu Properties Seeks Help from Lenders as It Fears Having to Shut Up Shop," The Times, March 2020
• Co-Author, “US-Based Syncreon Chooses English Scheme of Arrangement over Chapter 11 for Financial and Corporate Restructure,” Global Restructuring Review, September 2019
• Co-Author, “UK Restructuring Proceedings May Attract More Foreign Cos.” Law360, December 2019
• Co-Author, “Real Estate Peer to Peer Platform Lendy’s Demise and the Future of P2P Lending,” Goodwin Alert, December 2019