One of Birmingham's top-rated insolvency lawyers is returning to the front line after a six month career break.

And despite strong competition from other firms, Jeremy Bowden has chosen the relative newcomer Clarke Willmott for his return to the public arena.

Mr Bowden – former head of DLA's Corporate Insolvency and Restructuring team – is the latest in a string of high profile hirings by Clarke Willmott.

As one of the region's proven 'big hitters,' Mr Bowden's arrival on May 1 will add substantially to the pool of experience in a team that has trebled in size over the past 12 months, as the insolvency practice gears up for an expected surge of work.

Mr Bowden, whose amicable break from DLA after 21 years gave him the long-awaited opportunity to travel overseas, said: “I wasn't planning on rushing back to work, but when this opportunity arose at Clarke Willmott I just had to take it. The chance to become part of a growing firm which is investing heavily in Birmingham was just too good to miss,” he added. “I'm really looking forward to helping them grow their business.”

Mr Bowden is a particularly important catch for Clarke Willmott because he also has strong banking and accountancy connections.

Clarke Willmott managing partner David Sedgwick said Mr Bowden would add considerable weight to the firm's insolvency practice in Birmingham.

“This is an appointment that we know a number of firms would have liked to have made, both for Jeremy's breadth of expertise and for his connections. This is a national practice area for us, so we're extremely pleased to have secured the leading player in this very important market.”

Mr Bowden is arriving at what could be a crucial time. There are signs that Britain's pent-up credit bubble is about to burst, according to Mike Gilmour, who heads the firm's Birmingham insolvency team.

He believes a number of high street names will go to the wall as banks and other lenders call in their debts. As the consumer credit crisis worsens, and house repossessions continue to increase, the impact will be felt on the high street, he warns.

Mr Gilmour's fears have been underlined by personal bankruptcy statistics which revealed that 107,288 people made themselves bankrupt in 2006 – the highest figure since records began 50 years ago.

The 2006 figures were boosted by the number of individuals seeking bankruptcy or IVAs (individual voluntary arrangements).

Said Mr Gilmour: “Five years ago an individual bankrupt might have owed £10,000 or £20,000. Today I estimate that 50 per cent owe £50,000 or more.”

Clarke Willmott's insolvency department has grown in the past year from just two lawyers to seven, in order to cope with the increased workload.