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.