Joanne leads the contentious insolvency team in Scotland and advises both insolvency practitioners and corporates on all aspects of distressed debt and recoveries.

Joanne's experience

  • Acting for major banks, in defending substantial portfolios of county court claims seeking redress under the Consumer Credit Act arising from payment protection insurance sales. We have been instructed on more than 3,000 claims. Although individual claim values are modest, the cumulative volume creates complex challenges.

  • We act for BDO LLP as the liquidators of an English company used to commit VAT fraud. We were instructed to recover the amounts fraudulently paid and obtained a freezing injunction against a number of companies and individuals. We obtained a further 'without notice' freezing injunction against other entities who have received dissipated funds. The team advised on complex cross border issues, in relation to the jurisdiction in which to commence proceedings. The team successfully applied to the court to limit the cross undertaking in damages to the net insolvent estate, which is usually not possible, showing a forward thinking and cutting edge approach.

  • Advised a UK clearing bank on PPI claims against the bank, defending claims and advising on policy and strategy. This has included detailed and strategic advice in relation to set-off in insolvency cases.

  • Acted for Clydesdale Bank in a complex action concerning competing interests asserted over a fund due to a company in liquidation; in particular whether the bank had priority because the trust was created by the invoice factoring arrangements.

  • Successfully acted for a UK clearing bank defending an action for payment said to be due under the terms of a guarantee provided by the bank to a customer. The case was dismissed and is now being appealed.

  • Acted for BDO LLP, liquidators of a payroll company which had been used to perpetrate a significant and complex VAT fraud. Successfully took action against the director/shareholder and obtained a decree for payment of over £8m and freezing injunctions against the accounts of several recipients of the company's money.

  • Acted for Bill Cleghorn (Aver Chartered Accountants) in a case on whether a significant asset of a bankrupt's estate was a 'family home' for the purposes of the bankruptcy legislation.

  • Acting for a major clearing bank on a dispute over debts due to the bank, lodging a counter claim for payment of the debt, which has in turn been defended amidst allegations of misconduct and LIBOR manipulation.

  • Acted for a UK clearing bank in a test case concerning whether the bank is entitled to 'set-off' a payment protection insurance (PPI) redress payment owed to the customer against debts owed by the customer to the bank at the date of insolvency.

  • Acted for PWC in its role as administrators for a group of companies to recover assets, including defending a favourable judgment in an appeal to the Supreme Court. The issues involved a complex interpretation of insolvency legislation, the impact of cross-guarantees on insolvent companies and representations to the companies' bank in 2009.

Credentials

  • 2002
    Qualified – England and Wales
  • 2001
    Qualified - Scotland
  • 1999
    Glasgow University – Dip LP
  • 1999
    Joined Pinsent Masons
  • 1998
    Glasgow University – LLB Hons
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Out-Law / Insight by Joanne Gillies

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