Social housing

Fiona McLeod

Fiona has considerable experience in working with public sector clients and is an accredited expert in Housing and Residential Tenancy law. She is also an experienced litigator and appears in courts throughout Scotland in all aspects of civil litigation. Fiona's clients include central and local government, regulatory bodies, housing associations and private clients. She regularly advises on legislation, statutory interpretation, and powers and duties of public bodies. Fiona prides herself on her clear understanding of the law with the ability to present information in a way that is accessible and understandable to non-lawyers.

Gillian Ralph

Gillian is a real estate lawyer with a broad range of experience in all aspects of commercial property, having acted for both residential and commercial developers, institutional investors, funders and tenants. Her experience includes:acting for the developer in the acquisition of a landmark city centre site for commercial and residential development; acting in connection with the acquisition of sites at Pacific Quay, Glasgow for commercial development; acting for the developer in the acquisition of a site for residential development, including the provision of affordable housing, forming part of a major regeneration project in Edinburgh; advising on the regeneration of Edinburgh Waterfront including acting on the acquisition and disposal of development sites; acting for a large housing association in connection with the property aspects of their requirements including the acquisition and disposal of sites and of affordable housing across the central belt; acting for a residential developer in the acquisition of sites for residential development across the central belt;acting for a major institutional investor in connection with its Scottish portfolio including acquisitions, disposals and lease management. Acting for various funders in connection with securities over investment and development of properties and in the refinancing of social housing portfolios.

Collette Miller

Partner Collette provides advice and assistance to many Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), local authorities and other public bodies in Scotland, particularly in relation to governance, regulatory and constitutional issues. She regularly advises clients in relation to the application of legislative developments and the development and implementation of policy, as well as general advisory work. Collette undertakes a range of property, finance and contract work for the firm’s housing and public sector clients on a day-to-day basis. She is also the lead adviser to the firm’s housing and public sector clients on consumer credit-related issues and compliance with applicable requirements of the Financial Conduct Authority. Collette is experienced in advising on a wide range of local authority matters, including housing, public procurement, commercial conveyancing, contractual issues and litigation. Collette has experience of supporting local authorities with the establishment of shared services and alternative business structures.

Lauren Miller

Lauren is a dual qualified real estate lawyer with over 15 years' experience in all aspects of residential development and commercial property work. She acts for both housebuilders and landowners in connection with conditional contracts, development agreements, short and long term strategic option agreements, complex overage arrangements, promotion agreements, joint venture agreements and collaboration arrangements, as well as advising on complex title issues. She also has extensive experience of buying and selling investments properties and acting for developers in all types of commercial property development (including waste to energy and other types of renewable energy developments), as well as landlords and tenants. Her recent experience includes acting for: national housebuilders in connection with the negotiation and conclusion of conditional contracts for the purchase of numerous development sites throughout Central Scotland; a national housebuilder in connection with the complex re-gear of an existing option to purchase a 1000 unit site and involving a number of complex title and contractual issues; a landowner in connection with the sale of a development site to two residential developers in a number of phases and including a series of complex contractual arrangements, including advising on the re-negotiation of the terms of the contracts in light of the impact of COVID-19; a national housebuilder in connection with the property aspects proposed joint venture arrangements with an associated development company; a developer client in connection with the sale of various plots within a redevelopment site to retail, café and business unit occupiers; the developer of a waste to energy project in connection with the negotiation of an option to take a lease; a landlord in connection with the grant of several options to lease for a variety of prospective energy projects at a prominent port regeneration site; a large UK plc client in the energy sector in connection with a number of varied and complex matters related to the proposed sale and redevelopment of a redundant power station; UK ports client in connection with the negotiation and completion of a lease for a new cruise berth and associated agreement for lease for a new cruise terminal on the River Clyde. She has been praised by clients for her pragmatic "can do" attitude and her ability to quickly assimilate complex legal and commercial issues, allowing her to provide technical legal advice that meets her clients' commercial objectives.

Derek Hogg

Partner Derek acts on behalf of many registered social landlords (RSLs), local authorities and other public bodies in Scotland with particular emphasis on governance, regulatory and constitutional advice and property and funding work. Derek regularly advises clients in relation to governance and constitutional matters, the application of legislative developments and the development and implementation of policy, as well as general advisory work. He is also very active in relation to RSL funding work, including having acted for the issuers in the vast majority of private placements involving Scottish RSLs in recent years. He also has a breadth of experience in acting for clients on the management, acquisition and disposal of large housing portfolios which is unrivalled in Scotland. Derek led the legal team which successfully delivered the largest ever housing transfer in the UK – the transfer of 80,000 houses from Glasgow City Council to Glasgow Housing Association (GHA). Derek also acted as lead external solicitor to GHA over an eight year period in connection with its programme of second stage transfers which ultimately successfully delivered the transfer of circa. 20,000 houses by way of 35 separate transfers. Derek also has over 25 years of mainstream commercial property experience and continues to act for a number of property investors and developers, including in relation to innovative funding structures to deliver affordable housing. He is a former member of the committees of management of Hillcrest, Old Town and Trust Housing Associations, and is also qualified to act as a solicitor in England and Wales. He has also served as a Chairperson member of the Private Rented Housing Panel/Homeowners Housing Panel, and was also a contributing editor to the Thomson Reuters’ Scottish Lawyer’s Factbook on residential tenancies. Derek is a regular speaker at seminars and workshops run by the firm and by external organisations.

James McMorrow

Partner James advises the firm’s public, housing and third sector clients in relation to corporate, commercial, regulatory and public procurement issues. He regularly advises clients on complex, high value and high profile projects in the public sector and has a strong track record in helping to develop innovative funding and service delivery models across a range of sectors, including the affordable housing, charity, community renewable energy and sports sectors.

Janette Speed

Partner