Restructuring and insolvency specialist Nick Poole has joined Clayton Utz as a partner in its Melbourne office.

Poole brings to Clayton Utz significant experience, having worked for nearly eight years in Mayer Brown JSM's Asian restructuring and insolvency practice in Bangkok and Hong Kong.

His has advised lenders, bondholders, debtors and insolvency practitioners in connection with all aspects of large, cross-border insolvencies, restructurings, workouts and non-performing loan sales.

Most recently, he was the lead partner advising a 27-member bank group in the restructure, and then liquidation, of the Hong Kong-listed Moulin Group of companies. The group had bank debt in excess of $HK2.4 billion ($291 million), and it involved formal insolvency proceedings in 11 jurisdictions and the $US600 million ($953 million) disposal of the group's majority interest in the third-largest eyewear retailer in the US.