RiDO Rotherham Investment & Development Office

Rotherham debt expert Paul Moorhead has become the only insolvency practitioner in the UK with a PhD in insolvency law.

Paul’s unique qualification was based on five years of research into the development and usage of the Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) and the extent to which the procedure has changed and been adapted since it was introduced by Parliament over 20 years ago.

The IVA has grown in popularity in recent years and in Yorkshire there has been a fourfold increase in the number of people using IVAs to deal with unaffordable debt.

Paul, the managing director of insolvency practice, Moorhead Savage, based at RiDO’s Moorgate Crofts business centre, originally studied Business Law at the University of Huddersfield.

For this latest qualification he studied at Lancaster University, where he was supervised by Professor David Milman, co-editor of industry bible, ‘The Annotated Guide to Insolvency Legislation’.

“The PhD was based on the real experience of helping people and companies on a day to day basis and in-depth research,” Paul said.

“I have seen and read a lot of academic work which is often difficult to translate into practical advice. What this latest qualification allows me to do is bridge the gap between the academic and the practical.

“I now aim to continue my research so it informs and shapes the way I offer advice to clients and deal with cases, ensuring I remain at the cutting edge of my profession.”