UK Guide 2026 : Thames Valley
Ranked Individuals
Provided by Chambers
Debenhams Ottaway in St Albans is well known for its work in insolvency litigation. The team acts for lenders of all kinds and insolvency practitioners as well as individuals.
Provided by Chambers
Debenhams Ottaway acted for Bai Cham as the trustee in the bankruptcy of Wesley Brown, the ex-England and Manchester United footballer.
Provided by Chambers
They are one of the firms I will always work with. Everything is very prepared, deadlines are always met - everything is spot on.
They are an excellent firm for clients who want City-quality lawyers without paying the full London price. They have a lovely set of devoted clients.
Very approachable and professional, they work with the insolvency practitioner to ensure the best possible outcome for all parties. Highly communicative and very pragmatic in their approach to cases.
They are very well known, and they are frequently involved in quite big cases. They hold their own against the magic circle firms.
Their service is excellent, absolutely excellent. They have a really good team there now on top of Alexander Neale.
Provided by Chambers
Alexander Neale offers broad expertise encompassing both contentious and non-contentious insolvency mandates.
I would say on the insolvency side, he is one of the most pragmatic, understated and diligent partners ever.
Alex is brilliant and very easy to work with.
He is pragmatic and has a very commercial approach.
We select Alex as he has great professional expertise knowledge and good ethics, and we get on with him.
A real all-rounder, Alex is very calm and considered. He is a great strategist, knowing how to see the big picture. Clients love him and he knows how to deal with opponents.
Juliet Schalker is recommended for her handling of contentious insolvency situations, typically acting for lenders and insolvency practitioners.
Juliet Schalker is an excellent lawyer. She is very committed, motivated and gets good results. Very attentive and always available.
She is just a force of nature, one of those people who have so much time for everything. She is incredible and a really inspirational female solicitor, and she knows insolvency inside out as well.
Juliet is wonderful. What I like about her is that she always promotes the people she works with; she really pushes people forward.
She is a great litigator. She is extremely skilled, well-spoken and great at dealing with clients. The quality of her service is amazing; she is very client-focused and client-centric.
Robyn Adams regularly advises on contentious insolvency, having experience in specialist insolvency litigation and property litigation.
She is certainly a rising star. She is very much the right-hand person to the key partners and is very responsive. She is knowledgeable beyond her years.
Robyn is really supportive, really caring and understanding. She always checks in, nudges me and is happy to come on calls. I found her really approachable and supportive.
Robyn and the team are incredibly intelligent and run their case with commercial acumen. She is relatively junior but I would definitely look out for her as a rising star.
Restructuring/Insolvency
Restructuring/Insolvency
Restructuring/Insolvency
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