Devi Shah

With 25+years' experience, Devi Shah advises on all aspects of restructuring and insolvency and has a particular interest in international and cross-border insolvency and restructuring matters, as well as pensions- and insurance-related restructurings.  She has worked on high-profile transactions across a range of sectors including retail, energy, mining, real estate, insurance, financial services and automotive. 

Devi's experience includes advising:

• The trustees of two pension schemes in relation to the restructuring of the Debenhams group, including the company voluntary arrangement approved by its creditors, the entry into administration of Debenhams plc and the post-packaged administration sale of the group, as well as in the agreement brokered with the company and its lenders for the grant of security and related intercreditor issues, involving liaison with the Pension Protection Fund and The Pensions Regulator.
• LBO France, as sponsor in relation to the US$340 million multi-jurisdictional restructuring of the French retailer, IKKS Group.  
• HSBC Bank, N.A. and HSBC Bank plc in their respective capacities as trustee and offshore accounts bank in the extrajudicial reorganization proceedings in Brazil and Chapter 15 recognition proceedings in the US of Odebrecht Oil & Gas and its subsidiaries and affiliates, which resulted in the successful restructuring and mandatory exchange of more than $2.5 billion of secured notes.
• A leading Indian bank on the enforcement of various guarantees provided by Essar, in respect of lending for a power project in India including on its complex cross-border enforcement strategy and successfully achieving the dismissal of an application by the lender's guarantor to restrain the presentation by the firm's client of a winding-up petition based on the bank's statutory demand for in excess of $500m.
• Joint administrators from PwC, in relation to their appointment as administrators of UC Group Limited, the leading UK-based provider of omni-channel payment processing and business solutions in Europe and North America and the sale of the group to a consortium of investors, led by Cordet Capital Partners, including subsidiaries in the UK, Malta and Delaware.

Consistently ranked as a leading individual by the legal directories:

• "Devi Shah is very experienced and client friendly." Legal 500

• Band 6: Restructuring. Co-head of the practice at Mayer Brown, Devi Shah is noted for her strong representation of lenders and insolvency practitioners, among other clients. She regularly advises clients on cross-border matters, with particular expertise in pensions and insurance restructurings. "Devi is very attentive to the details, keen to develop connections to industry participants, and always provides us with helpful insights and timely responses to ad hoc requests." Chambers UK
• Listed as a leading individual and key lawyer for Insurance Legal 500
• Band 4: Restructuring. "Devi Shah has always been hot on the law, working on some very interesting mandates." "Devi Shah is very bright, super able and on top of all things insolvency." "Devi manages expectations by listening to our needs and giving us proper advice with appropriate timing, which gives us a great sense of reliability." Chambers UK
• Listed as a Leading individual for Insurance and key lawyer for Insurance and Fraud, a stalwart of the team, Devi Shah ‘provides innovative solutions, which lead to cost-effective results’ and is particularly effective at handling insurance and pensions-related mandates. Legal 500
• Highly regarded (Restructuring/Insolvency) IFLR 1000

• College of Law, London, LPC
• Pembroke College, Oxford University, BCL
• University College London (University of London), LLB

• England and Wales

• R3
• Insol International
• Insolvency Lawyers Association
• IWIRC
• Mayer Brown's Fusion Network Steering Committee