Ian Johnson

Slaughter and May

Promoted to the Slaughters’ partnership in 2011, Ian Johnson wasted no time in making a name for himself, taking up the reins of the firm’s restructuring and insolvency group just a few years later.

2019 was his year, raking in a score of high-profile mandates on some of the UK’s most publicised drop-outs. These included advising the board of Thomas Cook, as it became clear that its directors needed support to navigate a proposed recapitalisation plan and potential sale to Fosun. This was then followed by the company’s ultimate collapse, as well as the subsequent parliamentary grilling of company bosses, who sought counsel from Johnson during months of unprecedented pressure.

A key selling point of Slaughters’ restructuring group is its ability to take on highly-complex financial services deals akin to those completed post-financial crash. However, it’s the big-name corporate transactions that took up most of Johnson’s time last year as he also led the way for Interserve on its re-organisation; a complex deal that required him to negotiate a pre-pack administration within the nick of time, against warring shareholders and financial challenges. Also winning the advisory role for Grant Thornton on the administration of QuickQuid, Johnson is the person to call for companies entering troubling times.