Ashtons appoints new Insolvency and Restructuring Partner

Ashtons Legal is delighted to announce the appointment of Fiona Stuart as a partner in the firm taking the total number of partners to 35.

She is joined by a further 340 staff across East Anglia and Leeds. It is the firm’s third partner appointment in seven months – Andrew Skuse joined the residential property team last August and Sheila Small the commercial property team in November.

Fiona will be leading the Insolvency and Restructuring team and will work closely with Tom Bailey, Ashtons’ Head of Dispute Resolution. Fiona is able to assist with both contentious and non-contentious insolvency and restructuring matters, acting on behalf of all categories of stakeholders including Licensed Insolvency Practitioners, creditors, directors and employees, helping individuals and businesses alike to navigate complex situations under, particularly difficult circumstances.

Fiona graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2008 and after attending law school and undertaking her training contract, qualified as a solicitor in 2011. In the 10 years since Fiona has worked for specialist insolvency firm Isadore Goldman and in the latter years in full-service law firms in the Norwich area. Fiona is dual-qualified as an insolvency practitioner (non-appointment taking) having passed the Joint Insolvency Examination Board (JIEB) exams in 2017.

Fiona is a committee member for the Eastern Region of R3, the Association for Business Recovery Professionals and a Trustee of YMCA Norfolk.

Fiona says: “I am really pleased to have joined Ashtons’ in Norwich, although I will work across the Eastern region and beyond. My focus on providing clients with practical, and sensible, advice will hopefully help them to find the light at the end of the insolvency tunnel!”

Tom Bailey adds: “Fiona’s appointment enables us to strengthen further our dispute resolution service to clients and in particular the niche insolvency and restructuring arena where, although corporate insolvencies are at an all-time low, we expect to see an increase in work once the Government’s support packages for businesses and bans on creditor enforcement actions are wound down”.

Ed O’Rourke, CEO at Ashtons says: “I am delighted to welcome Fiona to Ashtons and thrilled that in these tough times we are stable and strong and able to attract new talent to the firm”.