Sophie Inwood

Sophie’s recent work has included:

• Acting for corporate and personal insolvency practitioners including court action arising from their appointments and recovery actions;
• Acting for both individual and corporations involved in civil litigation throughout New South Wales, Western Australia and Victorian Courts and Tribunals;
• Assisting clients in financial distress and advising them as necessary in respect of all aspects of insolvency;
• Acting for a livestock exchange in relation to a road construction dispute with the Department of Transport;
• Providing advice to corporate and commercial clients on various matters including commercial contracts, structuring and restructuring, and merger and acquisition transactions;
• Advising on industry specific anti-competitive behaviours and potential actions under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010;
• Advising on ASIC investigations on behalf of Company Directors and related parties; and
• Acting on behalf of the non-bankrupt spouse in an uncommercial transaction claim brought by the trustee of their bankrupt spouse.

Litigation and Insolvency

• A directorship dispute of a public company which resulted in an application for injunctions being issued in the Supreme Court of Victoria and involved eighteen named parties to the proceeding of which we represented eight. The matter ultimately resolved at a Court ordered mediation and generating over $120,000 in billable hours.
• Acting for the appointed voluntary administrators on a high-profile administration involving an international beverage company with various distribution channels and intellectual property rights spanning over fourteen countries. The matter ultimately resulted in a liquidation of the company with an asset sale to the secured creditor with an associated assignment of rights to pursue the directors of the company pursuant to section 100-5 to Schedule 2 of the Act, being the Insolvency Practice Schedule 2016 (Corporations).
• Acting for a client in his personal capacity and for his associated entities in relation across three litigation matters involving an ongoing asset freezing order, a dispute with his landlord in respect of his personal guarantee and a dispute with his former business partner which resulted in the winding up of his former company. These files have collectively resulted in billings of over $150,000 to date.
• Acting for a voluntary administrator in relation to urgent applications under ss 442C and 447A of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and section 90-15 to Schedule 2 of the Act, being the Insolvency Practice Schedule 2016 (Corporations) for directions and the proposed sale of assets valued at $16.8million to a related party under a Deed of Company Arrangement (DOCA). The DOCA is highly contested by a creditor as a result of a dispute over the security position over the assets of the company between the lending secured creditor and a judgment creditor claiming a vendor’s lien and charging orders over the assets.

• Chairperson, Bayley House – Victorian Annual Fundraising Lunch

• Australasian Lawyer 2024 Leading Female Lawyers in Australia | Elite Women
• Finalist – CUB Awards 2024, Professional Services Industry Award