Eleanor d’Arcy

Call 2008

darcy@exchangechambers.co.uk
0113 203 1970

"She is my go-to person in the North-West. Eleanor is excellent with clients and excellent in court."

Chambers and Partners 2026
Photo of Eleanor d’Arcy

  • Recommendations

    The Legal 500, 2026
    “Eleanor is wonderful. She is always receptive, keen to assist, and brings interesting angles to any discussion.”

    Chambers and Partners 2026
    “She is my go-to person in the North-West. Eleanor is excellent with clients and excellent in court.”

    “Eleanor is a joy to work with. She is incredibly personable and a formidable advocate.”

    “Eleanor d’Arcy is excellent with clients and in court.”

    “Eleanor is a really good team player. She has a diverse insolvency practice and a very loyal following. She’s not fazed by anything, she’s quick-thinking and she has very direct advocacy skills.”

    The Legal 500, 2025
    “Eleanor is a very straight-talking and focused barrister who is not fazed by anything. She is very approachable and good with clients, and her advocacy skills and ability to think fast are second-to-none.”

    “A direct and focused barrister. She is unflappable, and her advocacy skills and ability to think quickly are second-to-none.”

    Chambers UK 2025
    “Eleanor d’Arcy is a top-notch junior. She is very thorough, technically excellent and a good communicator.”
    “Eleanor d’Arcy goes the extra mile to satisfy clients’ expectations. She has wide experience and is excellent in court.”
    “Eleanor’s cross-examination is meticulous and she’s always really well prepared. Her written work is excellent. She’s very good on the law and gives sensible, proactive advice.”
    “She offers good value for money for clients and is never afraid to be direct with them.”
    “Eleanor is a very good advocate. She is very considered in her advice, strong when needed and very commercial. Eleanor is very good at looking at the bigger picture.”

    The Legal 500, 2024
    “Eleanor is an incredibly talented individual. She is very approachable, unfazed by anything or anyone, and a very sensible and safe pair of hands.”

    Chambers UK 2022
    “She provides very straightforward advice and is really practical. Her rapport with clients is really good – in conferences she is friendly, and her advice is always practical and useful for the clients.”
    “She is very good on her feet and produces extremely good written work. She has a knack of getting on the good side of the judge and is assertive without being overly aggressive.”

    Legal 500, 2022
    “Her commercial understanding is first-rate, and her ability to cut through and see the end game is excellent.”

    Chambers UK 2021
    “She is very detailed and methodical.” “In court she is fantastic with the judge, putting across her arguments very eloquently and forcefully.”
    “You would be concerned if you were against her!”
    “She is very knowledgeable but also approachable.” “She is not afraid to put forward a robust argument, is great on her feet and provides very commercial advice.”

    Legal 500, 2021
    “She is excellent in court, on paper, and in conference.”

    Legal 500, 2020
    “Hard-working, enthusiastic and pragmatic.”

    Chambers UK 2020
    “Her practical knowledge is peerless.” “She is excellent both on her feet and on paper.”
    “She is good with clients, direct, hands-on and gets to grips with things quickly.”

    Chambers UK 2018
    “She’s helpful, incisive, considered and very knowledgeable.” “She is someone I would trust with a difficult case – top-notch.”
    “To the point, eloquent and succinct, she is always able to put the point across in a professional manner.” “She knows her stuff and is tenacious.”

    Chambers UK 2017
    “She is thorough, well organised and very competent.”
    “She is tremendously hard-working and always gives her all for clients. A safe pair of hands.”

    Chambers UK 2016
    “A very able young lawyer and certainly an up-and-coming junior.”

  • Education

    • MA Classics, St. John’s College Oxford [2002-2006]
    • CPE BPP Law School Leeds [2006-2007]
    • BVC BPP Law School Leeds [2007-2008]
    • Scholarships: Lord Haldane, Lincoln’s Inn [2006-2007]
    • Lord Denning, Lincoln’s Inn [2007-2008]
    • Wolfson, Lincoln’s Inn [2008-2009]

  • Memberships

    • Property Bar Association
    • Chancery Bar Association
    • British Irish Commercial Bar Association
    • Northern Business Property Bar Association

  • News

Insolvency

Eleanor is a specialist insolvency barrister whose expertise encompasses acting for insolvency practitioners, company directors, creditors and debtors in both corporate and personal insolvency matters.

She has a first-rate reputation for her advisory work and her Court-based advocacy in respect of insolvency litigation, ranging from contested winding-up petitions and administrations to pursuing/resisting director misfeasance claims.

Eleanor is ranked by the directories as a leading junior in insolvency work, having been ranked in respect of Restructuring & Insolvency by Chambers UK since 2014. She is ranked as a Band 1 Leading Junior for Company and Insolvency in the Legal 500.

Her testimonials for 2026 included the following statements: “Eleanor is a really good team player. She has a diverse insolvency practice and a very loyal following. She’s not fazed by anything, she’s quick-thinking and has very direct advocacy skills” (Chambers UK 2026) and “Eleanor is wonderful. She is always keen to assist and brings interesting angles to any discussion” (Legal 500 2026).

Eleanor regularly appears in the High Court and County Court in respect of cases involving:

  • Corporate insolvency: administration applications, winding-up petitions, validation orders and antecedent transaction claims (preferences, transactions at undervalue, wrongful trading).
  • Personal insolvency: bankruptcy petitions, annulment applications, income payment orders and challenges to statutory demands.
  • Directors’ duties and disqualification proceedings.
  • Secured creditors and enforcement.
  • The application of The Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space Moratorium and Mental Health Crisis Moratorium) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020.

Eleanor is currently instructed in numerous claims involving allegations of misfeasance, TUV/preferences, unlawful dividends and transactions to defraud creditors and she is frequently instructed in respect of litigation which involves a cross-over between property and insolvency litigation. Indeed, Eleanor is well-known and praised by her peers for her concise, analytical and measured approach to complex legal issues which arise across both areas of law.

Cases

  • Acted at the BPC in Manchester on behalf of a number of Respondents to an Application under paragraph 71 of Schedule B1 IA 1986, which Respondents were resident out of the jurisdiction, concerning a partly-built development in Liverpool.
  • Successfully appeared in the BPC in Leeds and represented the Joint Administrators of an energy company concerning an Application brought under paragraph 74(1) of Schedule B1 IA 1986, which Application was dismissed and an order for indemnity costs was made in favour of the Joint Administrators.
  • Advised and represented a Trustee-in-Bankruptcy concerning beneficial ownership of multiple properties owned by the Bankrupt.
  • Advised a well-known gym company concerning the proper meaning and construction of various clauses in its CVA.
  • Advising Joint Administrators in respect of voting procedures.
  • Advising and representing various company directors at the BPC in Manchester concerning disqualification proceedings.
  • Regular appearances at the BPC in both Manchester and Leeds pertaining to Administration Orders (both opposed and un-opposed), Applications to extend or discharge Administration Orders and Applications to make distributions to unsecured creditors.