Dan is a Senior Associate in Laytons’ Dispute Resolution team. He specialises in contentious insolvency and restructuring, recoveries for secured lenders, and commercial disputes.

Restructuring & Insolvency

Dan advises secured lenders, insolvency practitioners, office-holders, creditors, directors, insurers and other stakeholders on contentious insolvency and restructuring matters, including administrations, liquidations, bankruptcies and other distressed situations. 

Dan acts across the lifecycle of complex insolvency and restructuring matters, from urgent applications and investigations through appointment, litigation, mediation, settlement, enforcement and recoveries. His practice combines technical insolvency knowledge with practical litigation experience, enabling him to advise on office-holder appointment issues, creditor and shareholder challenges, fraud-related investigations, asset tracing, and recovery strategies. 

His corporate insolvency and restructuring experience includes acting for the liquidator in a highly contentious liquidation involving office-holder challenges, creditor and shareholder disputes, proprietary claims, appeals, cross-border proceedings, and issues concerning company data, former liquidators, trust claims, and large-scale document investigations. He participated in the development of an AI-assisted privilege review protocol to identify and segregate material within a substantial electronic dataset while addressing legal professional privilege, confidentiality and data protection considerations. Dan regularly handles the recovery of overdrawn directors’ loan accounts. 

He has also advised the administrator of a franchise business in a contentious administration involving shareholder disputes, creditor challenges to the administrator’s appointment, investigations into company affairs, creditor voting issues and related court proceedings, and has advised stakeholders in relation to the urgent restructuring of a former Premiership rugby club, including obtaining injunctive relief that enabled the club to continue operating while rescue and sale options were explored.  

Dan advises trustees in bankruptcy, other office-holders, creditors and individuals on personal insolvency matters, including demand and petition strategy, alternative service applications, statutory demands, bankruptcy petitions, recovery actions and disputes arising during the administration of bankrupt estates.   

Dan is a member of R3. Where appropriate, Dan can offer bespoke fee solutions for unfunded but meritorious insolvency claims.  

Recoveries for Secured Lenders

Dan advises secured lenders, receivers, insolvency practitioners, receivers and other stakeholders on recovery strategies where borrowers are in default, distressed or subject to formal insolvency processes. His work draws on both his insolvency and restructuring experience and his wider commercial disputes background, with a focus on assessing security, identifying the most effective enforcement route and maximising recoveries while managing execution risk. 

His work includes reviewing the validity, scope and priority of fixed and floating charge security, reviewing facility and priority arrangements, advising on security documentation, considering pre-enforcement options and appointment routes, appointing administrators and fixed charge or LPA receivers, supporting office-holders after appointment, and dealing with asset realisations, charged property, guarantees, competing creditor claims, residual claims and challenges to enforcement action. 

Recent work includes advising a lender on the enforcement of security over a high-value residential property asset, including reviewing security documentation, receiver appointment issues and supporting strategies to maximise recoveries from charged property. 

Commercial Litigation  

Dan’s wider commercial disputes experience supports his insolvency and recoveries practice. Since qualifying as a solicitor in 2018, he has advised on contractual claims, shareholder disputes, technology disputes, professional negligence matters, fraud, asset recovery, arbitration, regulatory matters including FCA investigations, cross-border litigation, insolvency-related enforcement, CDDA matters, office holder bonds, and insurance disputes. 

Outside the Office 

Outside work, Dan is a Brentford season ticket holder and a keen cricket follower, having previously played for his local club, Chessington. He also enjoys rugby and plays golf, with a handicap of 16 on a good day (driver permitting). 

Contact details
Email: daniel.walter@laytons.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 7842 8000
DDI: +44 (0)20 7842 8095
LinkedIn

Qualifications
Qualified as a Solicitor in 2018

Expertise