Dino Rapelas is an Associate in the Dispute Resolution team, specialising in Restructuring and Insolvency.
He has experience in advising office holders, companies, directors, creditors, and debtors on both contentious and non-contentious matters, covering all aspects of insolvency law and restructuring assignments, including:
- Pre-insolvency advice
- Appointments of office holders over companies, individuals, and assets
- Sales and purchases of assets and businesses from insolvent companies and estates;
- Pursuing or defending complex claims under the Insolvency Act and Companies Act, including director misfeasance, transactions at an undervalue, transactions defrauding creditors, and preferences
Dino qualified as a lawyer in South Africa in 2020 where he worked for a leading boutique insolvency practice. In 2024, he qualified as a solicitor in England & Wales.
Recent work
Recent work experience includes:
- Advising the claimants, as beneficiaries, in obtaining an order in the High Court for the removal of a security trustee;
- Acting for the assignee of a liquidator’s claims against the company’s former directors, bankers, and solicitors arising from the restructuring of the company which led to its assets being transferred to connected companies and/or benefits or credits being conferred upon them. The matter progressed to a 4-week trial in the High Court;
- Acting for the assignee of an administrator’s claims against a director of the company for breach of his common law and fiduciary duties, and other defendants for receipt of payments in breach of the Insolvency Act 1986. The matter is progressing in the High Court;
- Advising the administrator of a company regarding the sale of the company’s business and assets;
- Advising the liquidators of a company in the course of investigations (with potential asset recoveries) associated with the dissipation of the company’s assets, including potential claims against the company’s directors, shareholders and associated third parties;
- Advising a liquidator concerning the investigation of a wrongful trading claim and other antecedent transaction claims against the company’s directors;
- Advising a director in defending claims brought against him by a liquidator, which claims were settled at mediation;
- Advising directors in their defence of threatened proceedings by liquidators concerning outstanding director loan accounts, which was settled by negotiation;
- Acting for liquidators regarding applications concerning their remuneration and expenses; and
- Advising a creditor concerning recovery of a secured loan and the appointment of a Law of Property Act Receiver.
