Corporate Finance
Restructuring Debt Advisory
Negotiating with lenders when capital structure is under pressure.
Corporate Finance
Transaction and capital advisory across the investment lifecycle.
Overview
How we help.
When debt servicing becomes difficult, the conversations with lenders are the most important ones in the business. They determine whether the business gets the runway it needs or is pushed into formal insolvency. Early, structured engagement with lenders dramatically improves outcomes.
Corson Fiske advises borrowers on debt restructuring conversations — from initial engagement through to amendment and extension, standstill arrangements, consensual restructurings and full refinancing.
Our approach is closely integrated with the firm’s restructuring and turnaround practice, so that debt restructuring forms part of a coherent overall plan.
Capabilities
- Lender negotiation strategy
- Amendment and waiver processes
- Standstill arrangements
- Consensual debt restructurings
- Debt-for-equity arrangements
- Refinancing and debt replacement
- Lender reporting and monitoring regimes
- Multi-lender coordination in stressed situations
Client Situations
When clients engage us.
The issues that bring clients through our door tend to fall into familiar patterns.
Covenants have been breached or are at risk
A breach has occurred or is imminent and the lender conversation needs to be managed.
A refinancing is being run in difficult conditions
Existing debt is being refinanced when market conditions or performance are challenging.
Multiple lenders need coordination
A restructuring involves multiple lenders with different positions and priorities.
A debt-for-equity swap is being considered
A fundamental balance sheet restructuring is being negotiated.
An unsolicited approach has been received
A potential acquirer has made contact. The board needs independent counsel on whether, when and how to respond.
A facility is approaching maturity
An existing debt facility is due for refinancing and the terms achievable in the current market need to be assessed independently.
Outcomes
What you can expect.
- Constructive lender conversations that preserve runway
- Amendments and waivers on sensible terms
- Consensual restructurings that avoid formal insolvency
- Preserved lender relationships through the restructuring and beyond
Client Success
Outcomes from recent engagements.
Indicative results from engagements within this practice area. Client details have been anonymised; outcomes reflect actual matters completed by the firm.
$95M
Transaction Closed
Sell-side M&A
Led a competitive sell-side process for a family-owned industrial business, achieving a $95M transaction with strategic trade buyer.
Industrial business
$28M
Capital Raised
Growth capital
Arranged $28M of senior and mezzanine capital for a healthcare group’s multi-site acquisition program.
Healthcare group
1.4x EBITDA
Valuation Uplift
Sale readiness
Delivered an 18-month sale readiness program that lifted the valuation multiple from 4.2x to 5.6x EBITDA at completion.
Wholesale distributor
Why Corson Fiske
Experience where it counts.
Clients engage Corson Fiske because they need advice they can act on — delivered by senior practitioners who understand both the technical detail and the commercial consequences. Every engagement is led by a partner with direct experience in corporate finance transactions.
Our integrated structure means tax, legal, accounting and advisory questions are resolved within a single firm. For clients operating across Australia, Asia, New Zealand or Asia, our office network in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Singapore and Auckland provides consistent advice across jurisdictions.
Our Approach
A refined four-phase method for every engagement.
Corson Fiske applies the same disciplined framework to every matter, regardless of scale. The phases below are not a marketing device — they are the actual structure our partners use to move clients from uncertainty to resolution.
Phase One
01
Understand
A confidential partner-led briefing to establish the facts, commercial drivers, timing pressures and stakeholder dynamics.
- Confidential scoping conversation
- Document and data review
- Stakeholder mapping
- Initial risk identification
Phase Two
02
Analyse
Structured technical and commercial analysis of every realistic option, with a clear view of risks, costs and likely outcomes.
- Technical legal and tax analysis
- Commercial modelling
- Risk-weighted options assessment
- Precedent and market benchmarking
Phase Three
03
Recommend
A written partner recommendation in plain English — not a list of caveats. We stand behind our advice and explain our reasoning.
- Clear written recommendation
- Implementation sequencing
- Stakeholder communication plan
- Contingency and fallback positions
Phase Four
04
Execute
Hands-on delivery of the agreed plan with partner oversight, regular milestone reporting and clear handback at completion.
- Implementation leadership
- Stakeholder engagement
- Milestone tracking and reporting
- Completion review and handback
Key Considerations
What clients need to know.
Engaging external advisors on any significant matter raises practical questions about scope, timing, cost and outcomes. We believe in being straightforward about each of these from the first conversation.
How engagements typically begin
Every engagement starts with a confidential initial conversation — usually 30 to 60 minutes — in which we listen to the situation, ask the questions needed to understand it properly, and share a view on whether and how we can help. There is no charge for this conversation and no obligation to proceed.
How we scope and price work
We prefer fixed-fee or capped-fee arrangements wherever the scope allows. Where the scope is genuinely uncertain — as in contested matters — we agree hourly rates upfront and provide regular fee updates against defined phases. We do not bill for internal discussions, file opening or routine administration.
Who you will work with
Every engagement is led by a partner with direct experience in the matter type. That partner remains your primary point of contact throughout. Specialist colleagues join the team where their expertise is required, but you will never be passed from person to person or find the partner you hired is no longer on the file.
How we handle confidentiality and privilege
All engagements are subject to strict confidentiality. Where legal advice is being delivered, it is provided through our incorporated legal practice and attracts legal professional privilege. We take document security, information handling and communications discipline seriously on every matter.
Get the right advice from Corson Fiske.
Confidential, no-obligation initial consultations with a partner who specialises in corporate finance transactions.