Voluntary Administration/Deed of Company Arrangement
This process is complex and requires a thorough assessment of the creditor composition and the realisable value of the business including all its assets. In simple summarised terms, when a company enters voluntary administration (known as a VA) it needs to be able to present a Deed of Company Arrangement (referred to as a DOCA) whereby a formal offer is made (known as the Deed Offer) to satisfy creditors debts within the short legislated timeframe. Before the VA option is considered, careful pre-planning needs to be undertaken to ensure that creditors will be in a better position than they would be if the company were placed into liquidation. The VA/DOCA process, whilst complex, is an extremely useful strategy in the correct circumstances to both improve the position of unsecured creditors, and achieve an outcome for company directors that allows the business to continue trading and repays unsecured debts at a discount. Funding for the Deed Offer is also an important factor so our firm is perfectly positioned to access funding as required when a VA/ DOCA is being considered by our clients.