Darren Toombs

Insolvency & Restructuring and the Debt Recovery

Darren heads up the Insolvency & Restructuring and the Debt Recovery teams within Carson McDowell. This also incorporates banking litigation. Darren is the main point of contact in the firm for restructuring and insolvency matters and for debt matters.

Darren was President of the Law Society of Northern Ireland for 2024.

Liquidators, trustees in bankruptcy and administrators, have instructed Darren on a range of insolvency, restructuring and recovery related matters. His particular specialty is in insolvency litigation but he and his team deal with all insolvency aspects from the appointment stage onwards. His team has also on occasion been instructed directly by the Official Receiver at the Insolvency Service.

The team regularly advises on all aspects of Insolvency and Restructuring and stand ready to navigate Directors through difficult times, ensuring full compliance with their duties and obligations at all times. Darren has a particular interest and specialism in advising Directors facing Disqualification Proceedings and has advised the majority of those “prosecuted” in Northern Ireland’s largest Disqualification case to date, one which involved 14 Director Respondents.

Darren has acted for the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) and for IBRC directly and acts on an ongoing basis for numerous lenders, public bodies and NDPBs. His team has a particular specialism in asset finance advice, acting on behalf of numerous major car and commercial vehicle brand finance companies trading in the UK and Northern Ireland.

Darren also advises in relation to private prosecutions on behalf of several public bodies and NDPBs. Darren’s experience in dealing with prosecution matters over the past 15 years allows him to work with corporate and private clients in defending regulatory prosecutions in the Magistrates’ and Crown Court.