Juliette de Hutton is a Partner in our Cape Town office’s Dispute Resolution Department.

Juliette acts in a wide variety of commercial litigation matters, including contractual disputes and delictual claims. She specialises in legal work in the insolvency sphere, including business rescue and restructuring.

Juliette has experience in a wide range of insolvency related court proceedings, including liquidation and sequestration applications, applications for the perfection of securities and applications brought on behalf of liquidators for the extension of their powers. She regularly acts for liquidators in relations to all aspects of the winding-up process, including insolvency enquiries.

Juliette advises both business rescue practitioners and creditors in regard to all aspects of business rescue proceedings, including both the commercial and litigious aspects of the process. She also advises companies and creditors in regard to compromises in terms of the Companies Act.

Juliette advises clients regarding all aspects of distressed debt, debt restructuring and enforcing security. This includes advising directors of companies experiencing financial distress.

Juliette is a member of SARIPA (South African Restructuring and Insolvency Practitioners Association) and of TMA – SA (Turnaround Management Association of South Africa).

Juliette holds a BA, LLB and LLM from the University of Cape Town. She also holds a Certificate from UNISA for the Advanced Short Course in Business Rescue Practice.  

Relevant Experience

• Acting for various litigation claimants against Steinhoff International Holdings Proprietary Limited.
• Acted as independent chairperson of the creditors’ committees in the business rescue proceedings of both Edcon Limited and South African Airways SOC Limited.
• Regularly acts for creditors in business rescue proceedings, including both Absa Bank Limited and Nedbank Limited in the business rescue proceedings of Busby. Regularly acts for business rescue practitioners, including those appointed in the Bestinver group of companies (owners of various significant commercial properties in Cape Town, Johannesburg and the Eastern Cape) and National Urethane Industries Proprietary Limited.
• Advising various boards of companies experiencing financial distress, including in relation to the duties of directors and the restructuring processes available.
• Representing both liquidators and creditors in forensic investigations and formal enquiries into the affairs of companies in liquidation and the prosecution of claims arising (including reckless trading and impeachable disposition actions).

Awards

• Chambers and Partners ranked Juliette in Band 4 for her work in Restructuring/ Insolvency in 2022 and 2023.

‘Juliette de Hutton is an experienced and established commercial litigator.’

‘She is particularly astute when it comes to debt recovery and liquidation.’ – Chambers and Partners, 2022

• Africa Guide – Restructuring and Insolvency
• COVID-19: Financial distress – insolvency and restructuring