Featured Members

Radford Goodman

How did you first become involved in the world of restructuring and insolvency?

As a trainee solicitor one of my seats was in the firm’s insolvency department. I didn’t know much about insolvency going into it but my dad was a small business owner so I’d grown up listening to the daily ups and downs of business life and that made it seem very real and relevant.

What is the best part of your job?​​​​​​​

I’ve tended to focus on the contentious side of insolvency work. It’s a varied and intellectually stimulating area to be in and, obviously, very satisfying when you help a client to achieve a successful outcome in a challenging situation. I particularly enjoy working as part of a team and I’ve been privileged over the years to have worked with many brilliant colleagues, clients and Counsel.

What is your most memorable career moment?

I had been a partner for a few months when Lehman collapsed and, like many other lawyers around the world at the time, my colleagues and I were pitched into some extraordinary situations in the months that followed. There were many memorable moments from that period but taking a call from the US to act for the Trustee of Lehman Brothers Inc. stands out.

What do you think are the greatest challenges in our profession in the next 10 years?

I think one of the key challenges for the profession over the next 10 years will be to ensure we make the best use of the coming wave of new technology to streamline insolvency processes and, ultimately, improve returns for creditors.

What is your favourite novel, film and piece of music?

For the novel I’d have to say Catch-22. If I’m allowed to interpret “film” as “anything I’ve seen on TV recently” then I’d highly recommend the brilliant Australian comedy, Fisk. I’m struggling to pick just one piece of music but under severe duress I’ll go with Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd.

What do you do in your ‘down time’?

Up until quite recently I managed my son’s football team and occasionally I’m called on to be a roadie for his fledgling rock band. As my kids get older I’m finding more time for tennis and golf and would love to improve: I think my current grade for both would be “working towards”. I’m currently reading Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari and Johnson at 10 by Anthony Seldon, both of which are fascinating in different ways.

Jam or marmite?

Jam.

What benefit of membership would you most recommend to someone who is thinking of joining?

I’d point to the high quality of the technical support provided to members through the regular bulletins and the annual conference, and the chance to network with peers. This is extremely valuable given the broad spectrum of work that members are involved in and the ever-increasing pace of change. The ILA also provides members with a highly respected industry voice to respond to Government consultations and other policy initiatives.