St. Mark Lions Limited (In Liquidation): Insolvency and Companies Court Trial Scheduled
St. Mark Lions Limited is scheduled to appear before the Insolvency and Companies Court for a full trial on 7 July 2026. The proceedings, listed under case number CR-2024-005405, will commence at 10:30am at the Rolls Building in London.
This matter falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court, which handles complex disputes arising from the Insolvency Act 1986 and the Companies Act 2006. The listing as a 'trial' rather than a standard petition or directions hearing indicates a substantive legal dispute requiring a judicial determination of facts, cross-examination of witnesses, or complex legal arguments.
Case Details and Hearing Schedule
The hearing is listed to take place in Court 6 before a judge of the Insolvency and Companies Court. While public cause lists do not specify the exact nature of the underlying application, trials in this venue involving companies in liquidation frequently centre on office-holder claims. These typically include actions for misfeasance, preference payments, transactions at an undervalue, or disputes over the ownership of specific assets.
| Detail | Information |
| :--- | :--- |
| Company | St. Mark Lions Limited (09499740) |
| Case Number | CR-2024-005405 |
| Court | Insolvency and Companies Court (Rolls Building) |
| Date | 7 July 2026 |
| Time | 10:30am |
| Status | Trial |
Company Background: St. Mark Lions Limited
St. Mark Lions Limited was incorporated in March 2015. The company operated under SIC code 86210, specialising in general medical practice activities. Its registered office is currently listed as 14 Bonhill Street, London, EC2A 4BX-an address frequently utilised by insolvency practitioners following their appointment.
The company is currently in liquidation. When a company enters this process, the directors' executive powers cease and are assumed by the liquidator, whose primary statutory duty is to realise assets for the benefit of creditors. According to the public register, there are currently no outstanding charges or debentures registered against the company. However, interested parties should perform a company charge check to verify historical security interests or satisfy themselves regarding the priority of historical claims.
For creditors or stakeholders monitoring the status of this entity, it is essential to check any UK company for a winding up petition to understand the timeline of its insolvency and identify the origins of the current legal filings.
Expert Analysis: The Implications of a 2026 Trial Date
The July 2026 trial date highlights the protracted nature of contested insolvency litigation. High Court backlogs mean that substantive trials are often listed 18 to 24 months after the initial application is issued.
Under Insolvency Service guidelines and statutory frameworks, a liquidator will only pursue a matter to a full trial if they believe there is a strong prospect of recovery and that alternative dispute resolution (ADR) has failed. The costs of taking an insolvency application to trial are substantial. Consequently, the liquidator will have either secured litigation funding, obtained a conditional fee agreement with their legal representatives, or utilised existing funds within the insolvency estate to underwrite the action.
Worked Example: Escalation to an ICC Trial
Consider a composite scenario typical of medical practice insolvencies. A liquidator reviewing the company's bank statements identifies a £75,000 transfer made to a connected management company three months before insolvency. The liquidator alleges this is a preference payment under s.239 of the Insolvency Act 1986.
The recipient disputes the claim, arguing the payment was made in the ordinary course of business and that the company was not insolvent at the time of the transaction. After correspondence breaks down, the liquidator issues an application in the Insolvency and Companies Court. Because the dispute relies heavily on competing factual accounts of the company's solvency on a specific date, the court cannot decide the matter summarily. It issues directions for disclosure, witness statements, and expert accounting evidence, culminating in a multi-day trial listing similar to CR-2024-005405.
Creditor Action Checklist
If you are a creditor of a company involved in protracted insolvency litigation, you should take the following steps:
1. Submit a Proof of Debt: Ensure your claim is formally registered with the liquidator. You cannot receive a dividend if your debt is not proven.
2. Review Progress Reports: Liquidators must file annual progress reports at Companies House. Review these to understand how the litigation is being funded and what the estimated net return to creditors might be if the trial is successful.
3. Monitor Statutory Notices: Track the company in The Gazette for notices regarding general meetings or the eventual intention to declare a dividend.
4. Update Internal Credit Risk Models: Use the insolvency as a data point to review your exposure to connected companies or directors.
Traditional Monitoring vs Corp Intel
Traditionally, solicitors and credit control teams monitor liquidation progress by manually checking Companies House for annual progress reports, searching The Gazette for statutory notices, or periodically calling the liquidator's office for updates. Tracking court cause lists requires daily manual review of the HMCTS publishing site, a process prone to human error where critical hearings can easily be missed.
Modern professionals automate this oversight. By setting up free company monitoring, stakeholders receive immediate alerts when a company's status changes at Companies House, when a new document is filed, or when a new hearing appears on the cause list. This ensures that credit teams and legal advisers maintain complete visibility over multi-year insolvency proceedings without wasting billable hours on manual searches.
FAQ
What is the difference between a petition hearing and a trial in the ICC?
A petition hearing usually deals with the initial application to wind up a company and is often dealt with summarily in a matter of minutes. A trial involves a substantive legal or factual dispute (such as a liquidator suing a former director), requiring witness evidence, cross-examination, and detailed legal submissions over several days.
Why is the trial date set so far in the future?
The Insolvency and Companies Court handles a high volume of complex corporate disputes. Substantive trials requiring multiple days of court time are routinely listed 12 to 24 months in advance due to judicial availability and the time required for parties to complete disclosure and exchange witness evidence.
How are liquidator legal costs funded for a trial?
Liquidators may fund litigation using existing cash at the bank in the insolvent estate, through third-party litigation funding, or via conditional fee agreements (no-win, no-fee) with their solicitors and counsel. If they lose, the estate may be liable for the other side's adverse costs.
What happens if the liquidator wins the trial?
The court will typically order the defendant to pay a specified sum into the liquidation estate, plus a contribution towards the liquidator's legal costs. Once recovered, these funds are distributed to creditors according to the statutory order of priority, after the costs of the liquidation are deducted.
Where can I find the liquidator's progress reports?
Liquidators are required to file an annual progress report detailing their receipts, payments, and the status of any ongoing litigation. These are publicly available on the company's filing history at Companies House.
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Disclaimer: This report is based on current entries in the published court cause list. The presence of a case on the list does not imply any wrongdoing, and the final judgment remains a matter for the court. If you believe any information is listed incorrectly, please contact contact@corp-intel.co.uk.
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