The last few major U.K. law firm administrations have several things in common. Insurmountable debts; a depletion of confidence in the management; an irretrievable breakdown of the partnership; and Andrew Hosking and Sean Bucknall of Quantuma—a small firm of insolvency practitioners who have over the past decade managed to corner this gloomy niche in the U.K. legal market. 

Following calamitous demises, King & Wood Mallesons (KWM), Ince & Co, Davenport Lyons and Cubism Law are just some of the names to have fallen under the microscope at Quantuma.

And along the way, the firm has acquired a nuanced perspective of the U.K. legal market, benefitting from relationships with banks, insurers and lawyers well-known in the field – such as Samantha Palmer of Pinsent Masons and Rita Lowe of CMS.