Richard Curtin

Richard Curtin

Areas: Insolvency & Restructuring,
Litigation & Dispute Resolution

“People instruct me because they trust me,” explains Richard. “The thing you have to do with clients is manage expectations in terms of costs and timescales. How long will it take? How much will it cost? The way to deal with that is to be upfront.”

Richard applies that upfront approach to a broad portfolio of English and cross- border cases, covering all aspects of contentious and non-contentious insolvency and restructuring (“there aren’t many scenarios I encounter that I haven’t seen before”).

Well connected

“I have a wide-ranging network of clients, specialist and experts,” Richard adds. “Most of my work comes from insolvency practitioners so I’m quite well connected with numerous firms of accountants, from Deloitte and PwC to silver circle; boutique firms to sole practitioners.

“I try make insolvency practitioners’ lives easier,” he continues. “They know 95% of what a solicitor will know in their field but a solicitor is insured to make judgements and they are not.”

Allied to his straightforward manner (“Most of my clients are professional people and sophisticated users of legal services. They don’t appreciate waffle – or Latin – so I don’t do verbosity”), there’s a reason why Richard’s clients return to him again and again.

“I do the long hours,” he says. “I won’t let them down. I may not work with a client for three or four years but they will come back because they trust me.”

Saving businesses

35 years into his career, why does Richard still do it? “I like being busy. I like getting a new case. I like winning,” he says, simply. “We did a corporate voluntary arrangement last year for an upmarket restaurant chain that helped save the business and gave the client a layer of security and immunity. That gave me a real buzz. Saving any business is a good buzz.”

Outside of GSC, Richard is a veteran member of the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), the City of London’s Army Reserve. He appreciates the way his military background has helped develop his capabilities. “You learn good discipline and good man management skills,” he observes. “You can’t simply bawl out 30 soldiers who are all management professionals – you have to use your head.”

Qualifications & Experience

Richard qualified as a solicitor in 1986: “I’ve been around for a while,” he smiles. Beginning his career as a general litigator (“nobody starts out with the intention of getting involved in insolvency”) his insolvency career began when a winding up petition, he advertised in the London Gazette was spotted by an insolvency practitioner, who sent him work as a result.

“I’ve been doing it ever since,” he says.

Richard joined GSC in 2018. He is a fellow of R3 and The Institute of Credit Management.