About McTear Williams & Wood
We are leading UK independent business rescue and insolvency experts with over twenty years of experience, bringing businesses back to profitability.
We act for all types and sizes of companies including established small businesses, medium enterprises and large corporates across the UK with cash flow problems. Whatever the issues you face, we are here to help.
About the firm
As one of the leading specialist insolvency and business rescue firms working across the UK we are committed to providing clients with the best possible advice.
We give clients all the facts and options and support them through to the optimal solution for their company. From business rescue through to the full range of insolvency options our qualified professionals will ensure the best outcome for your company.
We were founded in 2000 working alongside professional advisers, mainly accountants and solicitors, and their referrals still shape the firm today. Our work now ranges from established small businesses and medium enterprises to large regional and national groups, including complex, multi-stakeholder and contentious cases. If you are considering the future of your company you need to be able to weigh up all the options. We think outside the box to find that there are more routes back to recovery when directors engage our services at an early stage.
As licensed insolvency practitioners we are equipped to tackle any challenge for businesses that are in distress. However, we are also Chartered Accountants with vast experience throughout the firm for almost any financial forecasting requirement. We don’t just skim through the numbers and jump straight into insolvency options. Some would have you believe that insolvency pretty much means the end of the business road, but we don’t see that as automatically following.
This video provides an introduction to the role of our licensed insolvency practitioners, their legal authority, and how they support directors through complex financial challenges.
Licensed insolvency practitioners are regulated professionals, and only a licensed practitioner can act as liquidator, administrator or supervisor of a voluntary arrangement. This short answer explains their role and what to look for in one.
Answered by Andrew McTear, Director and licensed insolvency practitioner. Watch on YouTube.
Read the transcript
Licensed Insolvency Practitioners play a central role in managing business distress in the UK. They're authorised professionals regulated by bodies such as the ICAEW and the IPA, ensuring they meet strict technical and ethical standards. Only a licensed insolvency practitioner can act as liquidator, administrator or supervisor of a voluntary arrangement.
Their role begins with assessing the company's financial position, clarifying directors' duties and setting out viable options. They're required to act independently, safeguarding creditors' interests while guiding directors through complex and time-critical situations. Whether the objective is business rescue, restructuring or an orderly closure, the insolvency practitioner ensures full statutory compliance and communication with creditors.
Selecting a practitioner with relevant experience, a clear commercial approach and who will act fairly is crucial. A capable IP brings structure, control and expertise to situations where errors can be costly.
BUSINESS RESCUE & INSOLVENCY SPECIALISTS
Download your free Directors' guide
This free, easy-to-read guide is designed to help directors whose company is in financial distress. It will assist directors to navigate around insolvency issues and avoid potential pitfalls, split over ten sections this guide walks you through the matters in a logical order you are
likely to need to consider.
How we can help you
- Provide options for business rescue and turnaround
- Put in place turnaround management
- Raise turnaround finance
- Take solvent liquidation appointments
- Take all types of company insolvency appoints
- Market businesses for sale
For prospective clients we can assess the warning signs and advise on the best course of action. If brought in early we can often avoid the need for formal insolvency. Perhaps the most important service we offer is an initial free and completely confidential consultation where we can often identify the core problems and point the way forward.
Liquidating a company is a major undertaking that requires a reliable professional partner with a proven track record. This video explains how our specialised team supports directors through every stage of the liquidation process while focusing on risk management and professional outcomes.
For more information on any of our services please call our main office number 0800 331 7417 or use the contact form and one of our experts will contact you in due course.
McTear Williams & Wood firm profile
A track record of helping companies return to profitability
McTear Williams & Wood was founded by Andrew McTear, Chris Williams and David Wood in 2000. Working from offices in Norwich and Ipswich, the firm grew rapidly from 6 to 50 people, opening offices in Cambridge and London along the way. Today, McTear Williams & Wood employs over 70 people across its offices in East Anglia and London and is one of the largest regional, independent and specialist business rescue and insolvency firms in the UK.
Having a larger team allows our Directors and staff to specialise, in particular we have teams that specialise in administrations, bankruptcies, company liquidations, court-appointed and compulsory liquidations, creditors’ voluntary liquidations, forensic recovery, insolvency fraud investigations, solvent liquidations and voluntary arrangements. Whatever the type or size of engagement, we pride ourselves on giving a personal service, led by our licensed insolvency practitioners, with big firm skills. Our charge-out rates are published, our fees are approved by creditors or the court, and they are paid from the company’s assets rather than by directors personally.
The Firm’s key features include:
- One of the largest regional business rescue and insolvency firms in the UK.
- Recognised as the leading business rescue and insolvency firm in the East of England.
- Our initial focus is always on business rescue and turnaround, we look at whether a business can be refinanced using our specialist finance brokerage or our turnaround business angel network or whether management needs support through our turnaround manager network.
- We are always approachable with a free confidential helpline for company Directors and have initial meetings without charge or obligation.
- If a formal insolvency procedure is necessary then our licensed insolvency practitioners take all types of corporate and personal insolvency appointments.
- We have a wide network of local professionals and others who regularly entrust their clients experiencing financial difficulty to us.
- Providing innovative solutions.
- Specialising in complex investigations, asset tracing and forensic recovery.
- Operating to the highest professional standards.
Every appointment is led by our licensed insolvency practitioners. They are authorised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and work alongside chartered and qualified accountants. Our client service teams provide the very best advice with unrivalled understanding, care and attention.
