Pictured above: Petra Van Dijk 

Leading Banbury-based law firm Spratt Endicott has kicked off the New Year in style, with the appointment of former Wright Hassall Solicitor, Petra Van Dijk, within its Commercial Litigation department.

Formerly a member of Wright Hassall's Insolvency Team, Petra, who qualified as a Solicitor in 2000, joined Spratt Endicott last month and, in addition to her experience in dealing with a wide range of insolvency work, brings specialist knowledge of insolvency litigation, acting for insolvency practitioners as well as private clients. 

Petra has wide experience in issuing and defending bankruptcy and winding up petitions, preference and transactions at an undervalue proceedings, misfeasance actions, wrongful trading and retention of title claims, bankruptcy annulment proceedings and actions involving the matrimonial home. In addition, Petra's role at Spratt Endicott sees her advising on non-contentious matters such as administration business and asset sales and security documentation as well as on all manner of legal issues arising from company administration, liquidation, Company and Individual Arrangements and bankruptcy. 

John Spratt, senior partner at Spratt Endicott Solicitors, comments: "We have enjoyed great success within our Commercial Litigation department as the team works closely with our Debt Recovery department to offer clients a seamless escalation service. This has resulted in us experiencing a substantial increase in work, and a jump in our Legal 500 ratings, meaning we needed additional help to satisfy client demand. Petra's appointment has increased our specialist insolvency litigation expertise as she brings a wealth of experience in both commercial litigation cases and debt recovery that is sure to consolidate our already-impressive success rate within both fields."

Petra is the sixth full-time addition to Spratt Endicott's successful Commercial Litigation department, showcasing the high level of service which has resulted in an increase in new client wins and work complexity. The Commercial Litigation team continues to handle pan-European and international client cases, with property litigation remaining a growth area and continued dispute resolution client work for two of the UK's large accountancy practices, namely BDO LLP and Ernst & Young LLP.