Spotlight On… Laura Hook

Our next spotlight is on Laura Hook, a Partner in our Insolvency and Restructuring team.

What is your role at Ashtons?

I am a Partner in the Insolvency and Restructuring department based in the Cambridge office.

How long have you been at the firm?

Not long – I am still very new, having only been here for six months.

Where have you worked previously?

Following the completion of my degree and LPC and after travelling for six months, I completed my training contract at a niche insolvency practice in Hull in my native East Yorkshire, qualifying in September 2011. That firm subsequently merged with a larger regional firm in July 2013, where I was based in Beverley in East Yorkshire.

I then made the move down to London to join a city firm specialising in Insolvency in October 2015. I progressed through the ranks to Senior Associate and expanded my profile in the London market for nine years before joining Ashtons in November 2024.

Who is in your team?

I work with an incredible and empowering team consisting of Fiona Stuart, Ina Beurich, Alice Trainor and Summer Johnson.

Do you have any specialisms?

My specialism is contentious insolvency, encompassing both corporate and personal matters. I love digging deep into the evidence in a case to find the claims.

Did you ever consider a different career?

Very boring of me, but not really.

As a child, I used to play ‘offices’ all the time, where I would think it was fun to sit at a desk pretending I was really busy typing away, answering calls and shuffling lots of papers around (little did I know how that would become a stark reality one day). Then as an (almost) teenager, my older sisters introduced me to the TV drama series Ally McBeal, and I was sold on life as a lawyer (as unrealistic as that portrayal was).

Once my mind was made up, it would have taken a lot to change it, although I did briefly consider pursuing the physio route, as I loved PE and the biological aspect of Sports Science at school.

If you could give your younger self some career advice, what would it be?

Be yourself always.

Take that leap of faith – if you always feel comfortable, you will never progress.

Get as much commercial experience as you can – it matters a lot more than your grades.

Work hard and play hard – balance is the key to success and happiness, but remember “Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create”.

Contact Laura Hook for insolvency advice

For individual advice about corporate insolvency and restructuring, please contact Laura Hook by using our online enquiry form.