The administrators of the now defunct European arm of King & Wood Mallesons have confirmed that investigations into the failure of the business are underway.

Restructuring outfit Quantuma took over KWM in January this year after the European arm of the firm collapsed into administration. Andy Hosking and Sean Bucknall were named joint administrators.

In a statement released today, the pair said they were ‘conducting investigations into the failure of the firm which is typical with any insolvency in order to understand how this came about and the circumstances that led to the failure.’ It added that a final verdict was a ‘long way down the line’.

The statement follows reorts that Quantuma was considering launching an investigation into the conduct of the firm’s management.

Earlier this month, the Gazette reported that KWM had retained a ‘strategic presence’ in the UK, Europe and the Middle East following the European arm collapse.

The new business, based near St Paul's, will focus on corporate M&A, finance, competition and dispute resolution.

More than 30 partners together with their associates and support staff will make up the business.