Commercial property: Beds, Bucks, Herts, Middx

Ruth is a partner and the head of the property team. She specialises in all types of commercial property including landlord and tenant, freehold and leasehold sales and purchases and secured lending work. Ruth is experienced at dealing with a range of transactions from complex and high-value multi-million-pound sales and purchases to simple leasehold matters. She handles sales and acquisitions, investment and owner-occupied commercial property, portfolio management and property aspects of company sales and purchases. She acts for a wide range of clients from large corporates and banks to private individuals, retailers, investors, public bodies and developers.

Partner Marcus has recently joined our Milton Keynes office from local firm EMW where he headed up the Occupiers and Investment Team. Marcus’ specialism is acting for corporate occupiers of commercial property and dealing with investment acquisitions and disposals. He has significant experience in working with clients on expanding their portfolios or managing their existing portfolio and enjoys working with clients as part of their team to achieve his client’s goals. Marcus has worked with a number of household names during his career to date but also enjoys working with local business either starting out or moving premises. Marcus’ advice and approach to any transaction will be driven by the client’s aims and wishes and he prides himself on offering not only sound legal advice (which is probably a given) but advice which is commercial and practical. Based in our Milton Keynes office Marcus acts for clients based both locally to MK but also nationally.

Lisa is a real estate lawyer specialising in development, acting principally for land owners. Lisa is a Partner in Shoosmiths’ Real Estate department based in Milton Keynes. She has a broad range of experience in all aspects of commercial property but in recent years she has specialised in the sale and purchase of land for strategic and immediate development. She has extensive experience in acting for land owners on the negotiation of complex overage deeds, collaboration agreements, planning promotion agreements, option agreements and hybrids. Lisa’s specialist knowledge of agricultural law is key to ensuring the land owners can manage and use their land during the promotion and/or planning process but still deliver vacant possession when required. Lisa also specialises in the purchase and sale of and development of land as mobile home parks, holiday parks, the acquisition of inland marinas as well as acting for landowners on the development of land for renewable energy sources. She is also a member of the Shoosmiths Private Wealth team. Lisa’s clients value her for her honest, no nonsense approach. She takes a practical and commercial view and is very quick to respond. She can make the most complicated deal accessible. Examples of work undertaken: acting for London and Continental Railways on the sale of the land to a joint venture company set up by Oxford City Council and Oxford University’s Nuffield College. The land in the Oxpen's area of Oxford is to be developed as part of a new neighbourhood with up to 500 homes plus offices, academic buildings and commercial space in a £200 million revamp of Oxford’s west end; acting for a farming partnership of six individuals on the sale of a 100 acres site in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. The Wellingborough North Development is set to have up to 3,000 new homes along with community facilities and commercial space and will be developed over three phases. The transaction involved deferred consideration secured by a first legal charge and complex overage provisions for which Lisa’s penchant for arithmetic was invaluable; in 2013 Lisa led the Shoosmiths team who acted on behalf of Park Holidays UK Limited in the £172 million sale of its entire issued share capital by independent private equity investor Graphite Capital to Caledonia Investments Limited a self-managed fund; and since 2003 Lisa has acted on behalf of the Tingdene group of companies, a leader in the park home sector, on the purchase, sale, development and management of mobile home parks, holiday parks and inland marinas.  

Robert is the Milton Keynes Office Managing Partner and a member of our Real Estate department. Robert handles a wide range of commercial property transactions specializing in the acquisition and development of land and buildings. In addition to housebuilders and other investors, developers and public authorities, Robert also acts for lenders in both securing and recovering their funding of acquisitions and development.

Specialist Real Estate Partner with particular focus on development and development finance work.  Many years’ experience of high value commercial transactions, often involving complex issues.  Has acted for developers and funders on mixed use developments.  Currently focussing on the aviation and logistics sectors where recent work includes: Acting on the development and lease of a brand new distribution centre in Swindon for a national logistics client. Advising a major UK airport on a variety of real estate and commercial contracts, many worth millions of pounds. Acting on the development of a new 135,000 sq ft logistics warehouse hub. Advising airports on concessions, tenders and commercial arrangements including contracts specific to airport operators. Acting for a national logistics giant on various projects involving their UK portfolio.

Partner

Darren specialises in acting for house builders, commercial developers, and landowners in connection with all aspects relating to the acquisition, site assembly and disposal of development land and brings with him a following of regional house builder clients. Darren is listed as a Recommended Lawyer and Next Generation Partner in the Legal 500 (2024 edition) in Commercial Property.

Partner and Joint Head of Real Estate | Commercial Property An experienced commercial property specialist, Gary advises on all aspects of commercial property, offering particular expertise in investment, residential/commercial development and property management. Gary also advises on future income generation through the retention of overage rights on disposals. He deals with the property aspects tied to major corporate transactions and real estate finance, including ‘Etridge’ compliant third party advice. Gary’s sector and industry experience is equally broad, with niche expertise in retail, leisure, manufacturing and education.  He undertakes portfolio management work for national shopping centre and high street retailers, and deals with complex industrial development and associated infrastructure works.

Partner, Commercial Property

Partner.

Chris is a principal associate and specialises in acting for sophisticated landlord investors in relation to portfolio and high value/profile acquisitions and disposals, landlord and tenant matters including lease re-gears, new lettings, vacant possession programmes, finance lease structures and lease management. He also has significant expertise advising in the motor manufacturing, retail, leisure and late-night entertainment sectors while regularly acting for financial institutions, particularly in relation to real estate portfolio refinances. Chris’ recent projects include: providing ongoing advice to Volkswagen Group United Kingdom in relation to their national dealer portfolio; acting for London & Continental Railways Limited in its disposal of a key development site to facilitate the £200 million Oxpens Road, Oxford regeneration program; representing The Open University in its property reorganisation program involving acquisitions and disposals across various multi-million pound sites across the country; advising Almacantar in relation to a lease management scheme to obtain vacant possession to facilitate the redevelopment of London’s Centre Point tower; working as part of the property team carrying out the due diligence in relation to the £172 million share purchase of Park Holidays UK; advising health and fitness group of companies in connection with its fire-sale disposal of multiple health clubs; and working on a team representing a ‘Big Five’ UK bank in relation to a petrochemical company’s acquisition of a portfolio of filling stations.