Lewis Jack Cymbal

LEWIS CYMBAL specialises in high-value, high-profile and complex cross-border and domestic restructurings, insolvencies and special situations. Lewis represents debtors, creditors and other key stakeholders in large and complicated domestic and cross-border restructurings, with experience across a number of areas including company, creditor- or sponsor-side representation, liability management exercises, technical insolvency, distressed M&A, restructuring plans, and schemes of arrangements.

Prior to joining Sidley, Lewis completed a secondment at a leading global investment firm and was named a “key lawyer” in Legal 500 UK 2025, for Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency.

Recent examples of Lewis’s work include advising:

• Senior creditors in relation to ongoing high-profile English law litigation with respect to a recent European large-cap restructuring/LME process.
• A material creditor in respect of the TalkTalk restructuring and M&A process.
• The Super Senior RCF lenders to the Lowell GFKL Group in respect of its financial restructurings.
• Buy-side in respect of the strategic acquisition of Harland & Wolff, via a pre-packaged administration asset sale.
• Senior creditors in respect of the contested Guernsey administration and asset recovery process associated with the collapse of a high-profile international investment platform.
• Prosafe on its multi-jurisdictional consensual restructuring.
• Private credit lenders to the EnerMech Group (multinational oil and gas services) in relation to the restructuring of its financial debt.
• The directors of Sizewell C in relation to the government support package and financing arrangements in respect of the 3GW UK nuclear power plant.
• Certain key senior lenders to Vroon, a Dutch shipping group, in relation to the group’s cross-border restructuring process, including via a Dutch WHOA and English scheme.
• Chrysoar/Harbour Energy in relation to its reverse takeover and associated restructuring of Premier Oil plc, utilizing a part 26A restructuring plan.
• A prominent European hedge fund in relation to the US$1 billion court-based UAE restructuring of JBF RAK, a multinational plastics manufacturer.
• Fosun, Thomas Cook Group plc’s largest shareholder, on its attempted recapitalization and restructuring of Thomas Cook.
• The senior lenders to a major Southern African non-food retailer in relation to its financial restructurings.
• The secured senior lenders in relation to the emergency financing and subsequent sale of a major UK restaurant group through a pre-packaged administration.
• The lenders to a global technology and business services provider in relation to its restructuring through a debt-for-equity swap and subsequent sale.
• The senior lenders in relation to the restructuring of a Dutch educational services provider, involving a sale of the business by share pledge enforcement.
• A UK waste management company, in relation to its financial restructuring and pre-pack sale of its business to lenders.
• Certain creditors in relation to claims against the estate of a major global financial services institution.

The above matters were handled prior to joining Sidley.

• Member of The Insolvency Lawyers Association.
• Committee member of the Insolvency Lawyers’ Association Associates’ Network.