Shoosmiths LLP

Adam Barrett

Adam is a real estate lawyer with over 10 years' experience. He acts on a wide range of property transactions, with particular expertise in acting on development projects and investment acquisitions involving delivery of offices, health care, leisure and education facilities, shopping centres and residential and commercial mixed-use schemes. His recent experience includes: advising public/private joint ventures between Bruntwood and local authorities on the acquisition for redevelopment of shopping centres including the Millgate Centre in Bury, Stretford Mall and the Stamford Quarter in Altrincham acting for large pension funds, local authorities and institutional investors in relation to forward funding of development projects and acquisition of key investment assets leading the £25m acquisition and re-development of the former Kelloggs headquarters in Old Trafford as the campus for UA92 - an education joint venture between Lancaster University and Manchester United 'Class of 92' alumni acting on the forward funding of a £130m residential-led development project in Manchester City Centre representing a large national infrastructure operator on a number of high-value disposals of surplus land for delivery of housing and leisure schemes in key strategic locations throughout the country including North London, Central Manchester and Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Alex Jones

Alex Jones is a Principal Associate specialising in planning, highways, and environmental matters.  Alex’s work comprises a mix of both contentious and non-contentious planning work, including drafting and negotiating complex s106 agreements, providing highways advice, negotiating infrastructure agreements, undertaking planning due diligence on a variety of matters, providing strategic planning advice, undertaking judicial reviews, obtaining footpath and highway closures, and undertaking planning appeals. She acts for a wide range of clients, including public bodies, funders, commercial and residential developers, governmental departments, charities and retail clients. Alex's experience includes: Drafting and negotiating complex Section 106 Agreements, including the negotiation of the various planning agreements associated with the redevelopment of Birkenhead town centre and the Section 106 Agreement relating to the Eden Project in Lancashire; Negotiating sewer and highways agreements and providing support to the Real Estate Division, including inputting into development agreements, sale contracts and leases; Submitting a successful application for a screening direction from the Secretary of State in respect of the Council's decision to determinate that an application for a large development fell within the criteria for an Environmental Impact Assessment; Promoting a Development Consent Order for a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project in Cheshire; Submitting appeals to the Secretary of State against the refusal or non-determination of planning applications; and Advising developers and landowners in relation to permitted development rights and changes of use. Alex regularly speaks at internal and external seminars aimed at local authority, public sector and private developer clients. She also delivers training for RICS and the Local Government Association.

Alexandra Ventham

Alexandra has experience of advising employers and trustees of occupational pension and life assurance schemes on all aspects of pensions law, and providing advice in relation to pensions issues on corporate transactions and pensions litigation. Alexandra’s experience includes: Advising both pension scheme trustee and employer clients on scheme mergers, drafting documentation to implement such mergers, and taking on a project management role to ensure completion of mergers in required timescales. The de-risking of occupational pension schemes, recently advising an independent trustee on a buy-in of the scheme's liabilities and plans to achieve a full buy-out and wind-up. Advising on scheme closure exercises, including the implications of scheme amendment powers and case law requiring salary linkage. Advising on the updating and consolidation of pension scheme trust deeds and rules. Drafting scheme contingent assets, such as PPF compliant company guarantees. Advising employers on automatic enrolment obligations. Defending complaints brought under scheme internal dispute resolution procedures and before the Pensions Ombudsman. High court pensions litigation, including acting for an employer and trustees in multi-defendant professional negligence proceedings associated with equalisation issues. Alexandra also has experience of mediation and settlement of high court disputes. Advising on TUPE transfers and share sales, including drafting contractual provisions, advising on obligations during and following such transfers/ sales and whether section 75 employer debts may be triggered and the appropriate steps to mitigate such risks. Advising on the establishment of group life assurance schemes.      

Alice Casey

Alice advises banks, financial institutions and corporate borrowers on domestic and cross-border financing.  She has particular experience in real estate finance and has spent time on secondment at a major UK clearing bank. Recent transactions include: acting for a 4 bank club providing a £185,000,000 development and investment facility to a commercial property borrower; advising on a Takeover Code governed public to private takeover of a large PLC; acting for a major clearing bank in relation to a £45,000,000 term, revolving and ancillary facility to a privately owned group in connection with the refinance of a portfolio of over 30 properties; acting for a major clearing bank on a £32,000,000 real estate investment facility with a Jersey borrower group in respect of a multi-property logistics portfolio; acting for a developer borrower client on senior and mezzanine facilities in respect of the development numerous properties; acting for a private equity real estate fund manager on a term loan facility with a major clearing bank in connection with financing the acquisition of a portfolio of 77 show homes; and acting for local authorities on various projects including real estate finance loans and grant funding agreements in the further education sector.

Amy Anderson

Amy is a Principal Associate based in our Manchester office. Amy's particular area of expertise is managing employment tribunal litigation for businesses in the retail, hospitality and logistics sectors. In addition to defending employment tribunal litigation, Amy enjoys working alongside clients to manage people-related risks, whether that is by ensuring that businesses have the right contractual and policy documentation in place, to negotiating settlement agreements, to providing strategic advice during periods of organisational change. Amy prides herself on getting to know her clients' businesses so that she can provide straightforward, pragmatic advice which is in line with their commercial objectives. In recent years Amy has: ◦successfully defended a company in the hospitality sector against multiple claims of race discrimination which were alleged to have taken place over a period of in excess of five years; ◦successfully acted for a real estate business in respect of claims of sexual harassment in circumstances where the perpetrators of the allegations had left employment and were not willing to give evidence at Tribunal; and ◦advised a sports club on the employment aspects of the sale of a number of its golf clubs including on the application of TUPE.

Amy Dyson

Amy is a Senior Associate and part of Shoosmiths' national Construction team, based in Manchester and specialises in both contentious and non-contentious construction law and practice.  She has acted on a variety of disputes relating to time, money and defects and for a broad range of clients across the industry, including developers, financial institutions, employers and trusts. She has experience in litigation, adjudication as well as less formal methods of dispute resolution including negotiation and mediation.  Amy also acts for developers, contractors, subcontractors and funders alike, negotiating and drafting building contracts, consultant appointments and collateral warranties. She also advises on the construction aspects of Real Estate finance and banking deals for both funders and borrowers.   

Andrew Whalley

Partner

Andrew Millar

Andrew is a corporate partner whose clients include public and private companies, investors and management teams. Andrew has extensive experience of running local and cross border transactions and client relationships. He is experienced in helping his clients to identify, prepare for and resolve their legal issues, whether through the provision of company law advice or in leading companies, from technology start-ups to listed companies, through complex corporate transactions. Andrew’s particular expertise covers company law advice, mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets transactions, takeovers and group reorganisations. Recent transactions include: advising Datix on its acquisition of a business from Health Matrix; advising LDC on sale of ByBox to Francisco Partners; advising Ikon Science Limited on its sale to Great Hill Partners; advising a local authority on its corporate joint venture to regenerate a housing estate which will involve the construction of circa 2,500 new homes; advising AMR Centre Limited on a fund raising; advising Gaist Holdings Limited on its investment from BGF; and advising the sellers of Verpihy Limited on its sale to Davies Group.

Andrew Pattinson

Partner

Andrew Mills

Andrew is a senior associate and provides clear, strategic and pragmatic advice to businesses areas of data protection, digital marketing, advertising and general commercial law. Andrew has experience working on secondment with a regulator and a global UK-based plc in the top 10 of the FTSE. Before embarking on a legal career, Andrew worked as a Management Consultant at a global IT company and as an Analyst at a global investment bank. Andrew’s experience: successfully delivered the GDPR implementation programme for a global retail and manufacturing business which involved drafting complex third-party contracts, advising on international transfers, managing data subjects rights requests, advising on security/data issues, completion of over 25 DPIAs, creating numerous templates, and rolling out training across the organisation; acted as in-house legal lead for the implementation of a multi-million-pound HR system rolled out across over 100 countries; advised on numerous client website privacy and cookie notices and assisted with development of compliant cookie banners (relating to EU and USA clients); led numerous training sessions for colleagues across Europe on digital marketing and AdTech, including compliance with cookie rules; drafted consumer website terms and conditions and various competition terms and conditions for a Global luxury goods retailer; provided legal support (contractual, due diligence and analysis) for a retailer client in respect of its launch of digital marketing campaigns via social media with an annual spend over £1.5 million; reviewed, advised on and approved over 100 items of marketing collateral within a fast-paced and heavily regulated area to ensure client compliance with data protection laws and CAP/BCAP Codes; and supported the in-house legal team of a major UK client to release their advertising strategy and increase revenues within a challenging landscape, including advising on new entry points (QR codes, social media marketing, movement to online platforms, developing CRM systems and supporting ‘return to work’ initiatives) and drafted numerous supplier contracts.

Anita Shepherd

Senior Associate

Anjali Patel

Anjali is a Senior Associate in the Real Estate Litigation team and is recognised as a "key lawyer" in The Legal 500. She specialises in all aspects of commercial property disputes such as contractual disputes, commercial arrears recovery, water ingress disputes, dilapidations and break notices. She acts on behalf of clients at the onset of litigation, thereby providing advice in terms of mitigation, through to negotiated settlements and court proceedings. She aims to provide succinct, strategic advice whilst focusing on clients' commercial objectives. Her recent experience includes: defending hundreds of court proceedings on behalf of major UK retail occupiers in relation to their response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This included the Lillywhites litigation and the High Court case of AEW UK Reit PLC -v- Sportsdirect.com Retail Limited [2021] EWHC 1013 (QB) which involved defences such as frustration, rent suspension and implied terms; acting on behalf of an investor client in relation to a multi-million pound claim issued against them relating to an alleged joint venture agreement; successfully settling a water ingress dispute which resulted in the client being compensated for substantial losses it had suffered; acting on behalf of retail and hospitality clients in relation to all aspects of commercial property disputes across their England and Wales portfolios; and providing strategic advice to a client regarding opposed lease renewals in relation to its development strategy. Anjali's advice is described by clients as "sound and consistent" and she is a "trusted advisor" for many of the firm's clients.

Anna Lowe

Anna is legal director who has a wide range of property experience with particular expertise in acting for retail and investor clients as well as representing various well known occupational and industrial tenants, landlords and portfolio holders since qualification in 2002. She has a pragmatic and commercial focus enhanced by several in-house secondments during the course of her career. Her clients value her committed approach to client care combined with her can-do attitude. Her recent project experience includes: acting on the first phase of a £100 million mixed use retail and leisure scheme which, when completed, will be one of the biggest retail parks in the UK. Over the course of 2016 and 2017, Anna led the client team in relation to this scheme, dealing with the majority of lettings and acting as the main client point of contact. Anna is now instructed on the next phases of the scheme scheduled to PC late 2020; acting for the UK's leading independent energy and multi-utilities service provider and running a bespoke team servicing this growing client; acting for a luxury retailer as part of its ambitious expansion plan onto the UK high street and into shopping centres over the next two years; working with a PRS REIT in relation to the housing developments it has earmarked for purchase this year; and advising a regional airport on all of its property requirements in relation to what is a complex and multi-tenanted site. One of her key client’s has recently commented “Anna is our “go to” person at Shoosmiths … not only is she technically very able, but also diligent, committed, organised, easy to deal with, hard-working and efficient. She always goes the extra mile for us and can be depended upon to get things done when she says she will…”. Anna also considers corporate social responsibility to be a vital part of her work. One of Anna’s pro bono clients (a hospice with a number of retail units) has recently commented “The legal work that you do starts the whole process off by giving us the opportunity to make the shop the success that it has turned out to be, but ultimately it helps to fund the doctors and nurses who provide direct patient care. Whilst it might be another day in the office doing legal work, hopefully you can be heartened that the fruits of that labour is helping to support many patients and their loved ones in the most difficult time of their lives.”.

Ben Traynor

Ben is a Principal Associate in the Financial Services team. Ben specialises in B2B asset finance & leasing and has advised banks, finance providers, lessors, lessees, brokers and trade bodies in connection with a diverse range of matters including: General equipment leasing (operating and finance leases, short term and long term rental arrangements, hire purchase agreements, sale and lease/hire purchase back structures, asset refinancing, staged payment and pre-facility funding, and commercial loans). Contract hire and vehicle fleet funding arrangements. Sale, purchase and financing of receivables. Stocking finance. Block discounting. Introducer and broker arrangements & disclosed/undisclosed agency funding structures. Recent experience includes: Assisting a specialist asset-based lender in streamlining and updating their customer facing HP and lease documentation suite. Assisting multiple automotive financial service providers in establishing contract hire and contract purchase product offerings. Advising an electric vehicle provider in documenting the sale of contract receivables and related vehicles to a UK based specialised asset finance funder. Advising a UK finance provider in connection with its disclosed and undisclosed product offerings relating to vehicle financing. Assisting a finance provider in connection with the restructuring of its wholesale funding stocking facility.

Bethan Moore

Bethan Moore is a partner in the Corporate Restructuring and Advisory team. Bethan has a particular focus on non-contentious restructuring, corporate recovery and turnaround mandates. Bethan's clients include banks, asset based lenders, financial institutions, insolvency practitioners, directors and other key stakeholders in financially distressed businesses. She has extensive experience advising lenders, insolvency practitioners and receivers on distressed real estate. Bethan has substantial experience in the retail sector; having worked on a number of recent high profile retail sector insolvencies  and restructurings. Her recent experience includes:  - advising the administrators of a high profile fashion retailer on the disposals of its real estate portfolio, including the sale of its online sales distribution centre; - advising the administrators on all aspects arising out of the trading administration of a group of companies operating in the travel and leisure sector. Specifically, advising the administrators on the transfer of the group's portfolio of circa 40 hotels; - advising a funder on the restructuring of a group of companies operating in the construction sector; - advising the special servicer and receiver of a portfolio of circa 30 retail stores; and - advising an asset based lender on the funding and restructuring of a group of companies operating in the recruitment sector.

Daniel Pugh

Dan is an associate in Shoosmiths' Manchester corporate team and advises on all areas of corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions, shareholders' agreements, venture capital, private equity transactions, investments, and general corporate advisory matters. Recent transactional experience includes: acting for a leading UK specialist real estate investment management company on a number of high value disposals of international target companies; acting for both individual sellers and corporate buyers on numerous disposals and acquisitions of SMEs in a wide range of sectors; IPO experience - primarily assisting private limited companies on the conversion to public and ultimate admission to AIM. Primary role includes due diligence, verification and the drafting of articles of association, share dealing code, board committee terms of reference, the admission document and various requisite ancillary documents; and carrying out group reorganisations involving private companies limited by shares (to include numerous share for share exchanges), private companies limited by guarantee and charitable incorporated organisations.

David Mathias

David is a specialist planning solicitor with over ten years' experience acting for a range of both public and private sector clients on all aspects of planning and related law. David has particular expertise in advising on the assembly of sites for infrastructure and regeneration projects and has led multi-disciplinary teams of professionals through all stages of the planning and infrastructure consents process. David's recent experience includes: advising Nottinghamshire County Council in relation to the promotion of a compulsory purchase order and associated side roads order for a major highways scheme delivering a 3.8km road running adjacent to the village of Gedling, unlocking the redevelopment of the Gedling Colliery site to provide over 1,000 dwellings together with a variety of employment uses; advising Walsall Council in relation to a major highway improvement scheme affecting Junction 10 of the M6. The £64.5 million scheme is being promoted by the Council in partnership with Highways England and required the making of two compulsory purchase orders, a side roads order and a special roads scheme in order to secure the land and necessary powers required to improve this heavily congested section of strategic highway; advising Liverpool City Council on the development proposals for its £1.8 billion Paddington Village Scheme, delivering upwards of 1 million sq ft of new mixed-use floor space within the Knowledge Quarter in central Liverpool; advising Cheshire East Council on the CPOs required to deliver £131 million of highways schemes including Sydney Road Bridge, Middlewich Eastern Bypass and the A500 Dualling Scheme; and advising City of York Council on the promotion of a proposed compulsory purchase order for a £38 million project to improve York's Outer Ring Road.  

Denise Stephens

Partner

Elia Montorio

Elia Montorio is the head of the North West Corporate team and national head of M&A at Shoosmiths, having joined as one of its senior partners in March 2022. Elia was previously a corporate partner at a global law firm, where she spent just over 28 years, ranked for many consecutive years as No.1 in deal volume in the UK, Europe and globally (Mergermarket). She practices in all aspects of corporate law, including M&A, complex reorganisations and corporate venture arrangements but with a particular focus on international cross-border transactions. She is also known for successfully managing international corporate law matters and global client relationships. Elia has been described as a very experienced, pragmatic and client-orientated lawyer, who listens to her clients and their needs. She is a recommended leading lawyer in Legal 500 and is described as 'brilliant', and an 'exceptional deal counsel'. Elia is often cited as one of the most influential and powerful businesswomen in the UK, having been included as one of the Top 50 most powerful Businesswomen (Northern Power Women), voted for four consecutive years as one of the Top 100 most influential businesswomen in the North of England (Insider, 2014-2017), won Corporate Leader of the Year award (2018, Forward Ladies) and was selected by Cambridge Judge Business School as “one of the women internationally leading the charge in the future of law”. Elia's experience includes advising on: • English law governed transaction on the sale of CEE group by listed international company. • Acquisition of Canadian-HQ international robotics group by FTSE 100 global company. • Sale of fire safety UK company to listed Swedish company, Lagercrantz Group. • Acquisition of Danish-HQ international robotics business by FTSE 100 global company. • Investment and acquisition into a UK based e-commerce and retail skincare business by the private equity arm of French leading cosmetics/skincare brand. • Swedish-based listed global company on its acquisition of a UK-based online cosmetics retailer. • Co-operative Bank plc on the corporate aspects of the sale and outsource of its mortgage book. • Sale of perfume speciality chemicals international business Fragrance Oils plc to Swiss group, Givaudan SA. • The African Coast to Europe cable consortium of around 19 West African telecom operators together with Orange France on the corporate aspects of an unprecedented, ground-breaking project for international telecoms capacity. • South African listed company, Ascendis Health, on its acquisition of global pharmaceutical group, Remedica. • Online retailer on its IPO and its international expansion. • Global corporate on its multi-jurisdictional reorganisation including US, UK, Netherlands and Ireland. • Reorganisation of a Fortune 500 business in multiple jurisdictions with merger, sale and liquidation transactions in over 16 jurisdictions in EMEA. • £1+ billion buy-back of shares of UK private company.

Ella Ward

  Ella is a senior associate and has a wide range of experience across commercial real estate, with a particular specialism in commercial occupier matters, including conditional site acquisitions, disposals and landlord and tenant matters. Ella also acts for corporate landlords in relation to asset management and portfolio reorganisations. She regularly works with cross-departmental teams to provide real estate support to a variety of corporate transactions. Ella is involved in Shoosmiths' charity sector team, and regularly acts for charities in relation to real estate matters, from managing investment portfolios for charitable trusts to dealing with the occupational requirements of a range of charities.   Ella prioritises building relationships with clients in order to understand where real estate fits in their wider strategy, so that she can provide bespoke advice for each client's individual requirements

Emily Holt

Emily is a Senior Associate in the real estate disputes team. Emily has experience in advising both landlord and tenant clients on a wide range of contentious commercial property issues including business lease renewals, terminations, recovery of rent, insolvency and dilapidations. Emily’s recent experience includes: working on a portfolio renewal of circa 280 properties for a well-known high street name, half of which proceeded as a combination of simultaneous unopposed and opposed lease renewal claims; leading on portfolio management for a number of occupier clients with significant property portfolios; advising on rent strategy during the Covid-19 pandemic; acting for a brewery company on a contested break provision; and assisting on a high value and complicated joint development dispute involving two expert determinations and a mediation. Emily trained with Shoosmiths and qualified with the firm in September 2019.

Emma Morgan

Emma Morgan is a partner in the employment team and is based in the Manchester office. Emma specialises in both employment and business immigration law. During her career Emma has worked with clients in a variety of sectors and has particular experience of advising clients in the retail, logistics and transport, financial services and housing sectors. In respect of employment law Emma advises on a broad spectrum of complex employment issues including executive terminations, TUPE transfers and reorganisations as well as discrimination and other complex tribunal claims in the Employment Tribunal and the Employment Appeal Tribunal. Emma also has considerable experience of dealing with the employment aspects of corporate transactions and commercial contracts as well as advising on contractual disputes. In respect of business immigration law, Emma regularly advises organisations on the options for bringing overseas nationals into the UK, on eligibility to work requirements and compliance generally. Emma also advises on sponsor licence applications as well as suspensions or potential revocations under Tier 2 of the Points Based System. Most recently Emma has been advising employers on the impact of Brexit both in terms of the implications for their existing European workforce(s) and their ability to recruit. As part of this Emma has also been advising on the settled status scheme and how employers may encourage their European employees to register/formalise their residency in the UK. Emma also provides training to HR professionals, in-house lawyers and compliance and resourcing teams on both employment and business immigration law. Emma routinely works with in-house teams in respect of both employment and immigration matters and understands the impact of issues on clients’ businesses and works with them to find pragmatic and practical solutions

Emma Tonge

  Emma is a real estate lawyer with over 20 years' experience of acting on a wide range of property transactions, with particular expertise in acting on investment acquisitions and development projects involving delivery of purpose-built student accommodation schemes, offices, hospital facilities, leisure facilities, business parks and residential and commercial mixed-use schemes. Her recent experience includes: acting on a 2.4 million square footage mixed-use office, retail and leisure scheme, including acting on one of the largest regional office deals recorded in 2021 and the largest in Manchester since 2020 advising on the forward sale and development of what (at that time) will be the most sustainable building in operation in Manchester City Centre acting on the acquisition of a 149-acre ex-colliery, including dealing with the complex site structure and financing acting for a cinema owner and operator on its UK portfolio and running the team servicing this client acting for different clients on a number of purpose-built student accommodation schemes, including dealing with the acquisition and financing Emma is named as a Rising Star in the Legal 500

Gemma Porter

Gemma joined the Shoosmiths Corporate Team in Manchester as a Principal Associate in June 2022.   Gemma specialises in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, ongoing portfolio work for PE houses and general corporate matters. Her recent transaction experience includes: - advising LDC on its minority investment into CTI Holdings - advising Literacy Capital on numerous management buy outs, and assisting with their buy and build strategies and ongoing portfolio work - advising the shareholders (including NorthEdge) on the sale of Direct Healthcare to Archimed (and several bolt-on acquisitions for Direct Healthcare) - advising Phoenix Equity Partners on its investment in Mobius Life - advising the founder shareholders on the sale of Eyeko to The Hut Group - advising MyDentist on numerous disposals of dental businesses

Hannah Gaskell

Hannah is a senior associate in Shoosmiths’ Corporate Restructuring and Advisory team. Hannah advises on all legal aspects of restructuring and insolvency relating to both contentious and non-contentious matters. Hannah regularly advises a variety of clients including banks, insolvency practitioners, companies, directors and creditors on all aspects of the insolvency process. Hannah’s non-contentious work includes advising insolvency practitioners on all elements arising from their appointment either as administrator, liquidator or receiver, acting for both buyer and seller in business and asset sales out of administration, advising on company voluntary arrangements, reviewing security documentation and structures and preparing court applications for insolvency related matters.   Hannah’s contentious work includes advising on ROT issues, supply chain risks, formal insolvency appointments, debt collection, directors duties, director disqualification proceedings and advising on both sides in relation to antecedent transactions. Hannah has assisted on a number of high profile administrations including, ASA Resource Group PLC, Oddbins, Monarch Aircraft Engineering, Manchester House, Artisan, Late Rooms, Superbreaks and Malvern Travel Technology. Hannah’s CVA experience includes Aldo, Supercuts, Select Fashions, Poundstretcher and Jigsaw. Hannah has also undertaken a secondment with Santander UK Plc. Hannah has also been recognised as a key lawyer in the Manchester team by the Legal 500.  

Harriet Willmore

  Harriet is a Senior Associate in our core Real Estate team with a strong development background. Harriet acts for national and local housebuilders, developers and promoters on site acquisitions (including phased acquisitions) and land disposals on both an immediate and strategic basis. Harriet regularly investigates title to land and produces reports advising clients on agreements, title to land and search results together with recommendations as to the appropriate course of action. She has experience in drafting contracts, overage deeds, transfers and other legal documentation associated with the development process. Harriet’s experience includes: acting for a number of the top national housebuilders in the acquisition of sites in the North West; acting on a disposal for an educational sector client to four housebuilders, to create 450 new homes; acting on an acquisition of land for a national UK housebuilder which will see them build more than 330 new homes including an extra-care development; and acting for a retirement living provider on the acquisition of sites and site set up.

Ian Hardman

Ian is a Partner specialising in construction and engineering. Ian has extensive experience advising on projects across a range of sectors including power/process, nuclear decommissioning, residential, retail, office and education. Ian regularly advises on large and complex infrastructure projects and commercial developments. He is experienced in all the standard forms of contract including JCT, NEC, ICC, IChemE, MF/1 and FIDIC. Ian is rated as one of the leading construction lawyers in the North-West by Chambers. Ian’s relevant experience includes: Advising the client on the procurement of a waste for energy plant. Contract value circa £250m. Advising a national retailer on the procurement of a new distribution centre including the automation and picking system.  Contract value circa £250m. Advising on the procurement of new cranes for a sea container terminal. Contract value circa £100m. Advising a developer on various apartment PRS developments. Each project having a value of circa £40m. Advising in connection with and preparing contract documentation for a new €166m chlorine facility at Runcorn, Cheshire. Advising a local authority in connection with claims by a contractor for an extension of time and disruption arising out of the construction of a new by-pass. Claim value was circa £5m.  

Janet Dalton

Janet is the Head of Financial Services in the Manchester office.  She specialises in all aspects of asset finance and financial services regulatory work - the latter encompassing the regulatory regimes for all of consumer credit, mortgage lending and introducing, and insurance mediation. Recent work has included: advising an equipment leasing company on the launch of a product for mobile phone handset leasing with a major high street retailer including all of drafting the point of sale documentation, drafting and negotiating the contract between the leasing company and the retailer, and acting on the funding arrangements relating to the project; assisting a new entrant to the motor finance sector to launch, including drafting and advising on the regulated credit agreement and ancillary documentation and drafting funder/car retailer agreements; assisting a funder in the divorce lending sector to launch a consumer credit "Regulated" product and a Regulated Mortgage Contract product, including drafting and advising on both credit agreements and ancillary documentation for both products, and drafting funder/solicitor agreements; advising lenders regarding FCA rule breaches and appropriate actions to take; and assisting a leasing company to re-negotiate its funding position with a major lender.

Jody Kite

Jody is a partner in Shoosmiths' national construction and engineering team. Since qualifying as a solicitor in 2007, Jody has specialised in adjudication, arbitration, litigation and the mediation of construction, engineering, infrastructure, energy and related professional negligence disputes. In addition to specialising in the resolution of disputes, Jody also provides strategic and risk management advice throughout the life cycle of projects and transactions, guides clients through difficult contracts and distressed projects and helps clients with avoiding disputes in the first place. From payment, delay/disruption, defect/design liability, termination and insolvency-related issues, to projects involving the construction of buildings, roads, rail, ports, gas/oil pipelines, energy plants and water treatment facilities, Jody has advised and represented all components of the construction and engineering industries’ supply chains across a broad range of sectors. In addition to advising a wide range of employer, developer, contractor and specialist sub-contractor clients from national and international law firm bases during the first 11 years of his career, Jody also spent nearly 8 years in-house acting as a ‘business protector’ at director and head of legal level for the Dandara Group. As well as playing an integral role in helping Dandara develop the private rented sector and offering on-going risk management and dispute resolution advice and representation, Jody also led and managed Dandara's non-contentious construction function (which serviced close to 60 live projects at any one time) and represented the housebuilder and build-to-rent specialist in some of the UK's largest forward-funded real estate transactions. Since 2017 (and whilst at Dandara), Jody has advised extensively in relation to cladding, fire-safety and other building safety-related matters and have guided clients through their dealings with interested third parties, including the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Jody works closely with boards of directors and project teams alike to ensure that changes are successfully managed, risks are minimised, entitlements are maximised and disputes are resolved effectively and efficiently to help clients deliver on their wider objectives. Jody’s unique experience and understanding of helping develop and protect a national real estate developer and contractor during a key period of its growth enables incisive thinking, strategic planning and a deep commercial understanding that extends beyond providing a pure legal service or just ‘doing the job’.

Jonathan Smith

  Jonathan is a Principal Associate acting for a variety of clients from including property investment companies, institutional landlords and developers, and has experience in a wide range of commercial property work including individual and portfolio sales and purchases, the assembly, acquisition and financing of development sites, retail and office units, landlord and tenant transactions and assisting on the property aspect of corporate restructure and re-financing. Recent experience includes: advising private sector companies in relation to purchases and sales of high value multi-let properties; assisting in the re-organisation of a large company dealing with the transfer, leasing and options for leases for multiple sites; experience on the property aspects of corporate restructuring and refinancing, and on the refinancing of a large healthcare client; experience acting for a residential property developer in the acquiring of the plots of land for the development and the entering into of option agreements for the future acquisition of expansion land; assisting with the property elements of the application and examination process for a Development Consent Order including advising on land assembly and the acquisition of the different plots of land required for the development; advising on the asset management work for large shopping centres and retail developments, including the drafting and negotiation of leases and agreement for leases and the day-to-day management; and general asset management work acting for both landlord and tenant including pre-lets, reversionary and supplemental leases and re-organisations.

Jonathon Crook

Jonathon has specialist expertise in handling a wide range of disputes within the banking, finance and financial services sector and regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings by the FCA and other bodies. He advises on associated issues, including internal investigations, compliance and past business reviews. In addition, Jonathon advises on complex commercial disputes mainly within but also outside the banking and financial services sector and has market leading experience in defending public interest winding up proceedings by the Secretary of State both at first instance and on appeal.

Judy Fawcett

Judy is a real estate lawyer with wide experience of acting for investors, developers, landlords, banks and funding institutions. She has extensive experience of investment, development and asset management work and also leads our Real Estate Finance team in the north working closely with the Banking and Finance team. She regularly advises institutional and other business client by getting involved with them from initial appraisal through to completion and offers proactive solution driven advice to them and their wider teams. Sectors that Judy is passionate about include real estate finance, living sector, PRS, PBSA, student accommodation, hotel and leisure, residential development, BTR, sustainable finance, ESG, social housing, further education, healthcare, retail, manufacturing and logistics. Her recent project experience includes advising: Allied London on all property aspects of the portfolio of properties at Spinningfields and St Johns in Manchester and Leeds Dock with notable recent deals including the sale of No.1 Spinningfields, the deal with Aviva at St Johns and the sale of high profile trophy assets at Spinningfields Estate; on a £42 million student development disposal in Leicester; on a 290 bedroom student build to rent scheme in Birmingham; a range of leading UK Banks on development funding and refinancing of various high value sites across the Yorkshire region and nationally; and on a range of acquisitions, disposals and property management deals for a national investor client. Accreditations: Recommended lawyer 2019 Legal 500 Top ranked firm 2017

Kathryn Jump

Partner

Kellie Hatton

Partner

Kirsty Black

Kirsty is a partner in our real estates disputes team. She specialises in all aspects of contentious property advice including business lease renewals, rent reviews, restrictive covenant issues, rights of occupation, landlord’s consents, dilapidations and service charge disputes. Kirsty is recognised nationally for advising national retailers on their property portfolios. Her advice has been described by clients as "invaluable". She also advises a number of the firms development clients and has particular expertise in restrictive covenant issues. Her recent experience includes: advising high street names on their response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including advising board members on the strategy to be adopted and updating on the numerous changes of legislation, and dealing with in excess of 200 sets of proceedings for rent arrears including the case of AEW UK Reit Plc v Sportsdirect.com Retail Limited [2021] EWCH 1013 (QCB) which included defences of rent suspension, implied term and frustration; advising a landlord on a multi-million pound dilapidations strategy, including service of a notice to repair, to achieve a settlement which was not curtailed by the section 18 cap as a terminal claim would be; providing strategic advice on a portfolio renewal of circa 280 properties, half of which are proceeding via formal lease renewal claims with the result of them having to be batched and case managed innovatively. The initial case resulted in the tenant successfully securing a 5 year term with a 3 year break and large discounts on quantum and frontage to depth; acting for a strategic land client to advise on a restrictive covenant threatening a large development scheme having previously been successful at Tribunal in obtaining a modification to a covenant limiting use of land to a public house to allow a development; and acting for a large house builder on the interpretation of a sale agreement threatening the purchase of an important strategic site. She frequently presents at industry events and is recognised in both Chambers and Legal 500.

Lauren Bhole

  Lauren is a Senior Associate and joined Shoosmiths in May 2021 as an Associate within the Manchester employment team. Lauren previously worked at Pinsent Masons LLP. Lauren advises on a full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious employment law matters. Lauren works with local and national clients across a variety of sectors. Although Lauren primarily acts for employers, she also has experience of supporting individuals through settlement negotiations and tribunal litigation. Lauren's recent experience includes: defending employment tribunal proceedings, including unfair dismissal, discrimination, TUPE and unlawful deductions from wages; advising organisations on day to day employee relations matters; reviewing and drafting contracts of employment, handbooks and internal employee policies; advising organisations on managing and negotiating exits including settlement agreement proposals and terms; providing support to corporate teams advising on the employment law aspects of acquisitions and investments; and supporting organisations with any employment law training needs.

Leah Cariney

Leah is a commercially minded lawyer with great people skills who joined the corporate team at Shoosmiths’ Manchester office in July 2019 from the London office of international law firm Bird & Bird. Leah has over 12 years’ experience of advising on corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions, with a particular focus on high value cross-border transactions, primarily within the technology sector.  Recent transaction experience includes acting for: Berkeley De Veer on is investment from Elliot Advisers and acquisition of Avant Homes; Jensten Group in its acquisition of Tasker Insurance Group; Octopus Investments on its acquisition of Hatch Financial Planning; A UK based leader in the Edutainment sector on a complex cross-border acquisition; Matillion in respect of its recent venture debt financing; Harbr Group Limited in its $38m Series A venture capital financing; Leah also has strong experience in drafting highly complex and bespoke joint venture agreements and has been developing her special expertise in respect of real estate development transactions.

Leah Cairney

Leah is a commercially minded lawyer with great people skills who joined the corporate team at Shoosmiths’ Manchester office in July 2019 from the London office of international law firm Bird & Bird. Leah has over 12 years’ experience of advising on corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions, with a particular focus on high value cross-border transactions, primarily within the technology sector.  Recent transaction experience includes acting for: Berkeley De Veer on is investment from Elliot Advisers and acquisition of Avant Homes; Jensten Group in its acquisition of Tasker Insurance Group; Octopus Investments on its acquisition of Hatch Financial Planning; A UK based leader in the Edutainment sector on a complex cross-border acquisition; Matillion in respect of its recent venture debt financing; Harbr Group Limited in its $38m Series A venture capital financing; Leah also has strong experience in drafting highly complex and bespoke joint venture agreements and has been developing her special expertise in respect of real estate development transactions.

Lisa Gibbs

Lisa joined Shoosmiths in May 2017 in order to lead the new conveyancing team at our Manchester office. Lisa deals with a wide range of conveyancing transactions, including equity release, new-build, bridging finance and high net worth transactions. Her experience includes working with national estate agencies, mortgage brokers and lenders (including remortgages and equity release).

Lisa Tye

Partner

Liz Sweeney

Liz is a banking and finance partner with over 20 years’ experience. She is head of the Manchester banking team and the wider banking north (which consists of teams in Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh). She is a well known and respected banking partner in Manchester and is recognised as one of the leading real estate finance lawyers outside of the City. Liz works on a wide range of high profile real estate finance matters (often with complex capital structures) as well as advising on acquisition finance, funds finance, social housing finance, sustainable finance, leveraged finance and general corporate lending matters (both domestic and cross border). She is known for being highly experienced and having a constructive approach to deals. She is experienced in acting both for the lenders and borrowers, bringing a balanced view to transactions. Clients include most of the major UK clearing banks as well as other financial institutions, alternative lenders, institutional investors, public bodies and corporates. Sectors that Liz is passionate about include financial services, funds finance, real estate finance, living sector, PRS, PBSA, student accommodation, hotel and leisure, residential development, BTR, sustainable finance, ESG, social housing finance, further education, healthcare, retail and manufacturing. Recent transactions include: acting for a major North West student accommodation developer on senior and mezzanine investment facilities relating to PBSA of over £80,000,000; acting for a leading South African retailer (Truworths plc) on £100,000,000 facilities relating to the operation of the Office shoe retail chain; acting for a major high street bank on £30,000,000 senior and mezzanine facilities, including a complex intercreditor agreement and hedging, relating to the acquisition of a retail park; acting for a leading developer on residential development funding of £75,000,000; advising Select Property Group on a £54,000,000 senior funding from Lloyds Bank plc and Wells Fargo Bank, and a £30,000,000 mezzanine funding from Pramerica Real Estate Capital to finance the acquisition and development of two luxury student accommodation schemes; acting for Crown Street (Manchester) Limited - a Renaker company on aggregate funding of £128,000,000 loan in relation to two high-rise residential developments in Manchester; advising luxury hotel developer and operator Hotel la Tour on £22,000,000 development financing from Coutts & Co of a new landmark hotel in Milton Keynes; advising a care home developer and operator on £12,000,000 development facilities for a new care home; acting for the GMCA and GMHF on various projects including real estate finance loans and grant funding agreements in the further education sector.

Luke Stubbs

Luke is a Partner in our Commercial team. He specialises in commercial, contracting, IT, and technology matters (including strategic outsourcing, procurement, and supply deals). He has wide experience acting for clients in the industrial and manufacturing, retail and consumer, and technology sectors. This includes time in-house as part of the legal teams of Sainsbury's, Astra Zeneca, the Co-operative Group and Bupa. Luke also has specialist experience in the Financial Services, FinTech and Payments sectors. This includes advising on contracts and arrangements which are subject to regulatory controls – such as material outsourcings and use of cloud

Lyndsay Crowder-Barton

Director

Matthew Brown

Matt is an experienced commercial litigator with a proven track record conducting heavyweight litigation with a particular emphasis in the following core areas: insurance litigation and policy disputes; product liability and property damage disputes; and building disputes and professional negligence claims. Matt has a particularly strong reputation in the insurance, retail and technology sectors and works with a number of leading white goods manufacturers and insurance companies including Hoover Candy Group and MD Insurance Services. Matt regularly handles complex and high value technical cases, often involving multiple parties and the need for expert evidence, in the High Court.  He combines an analytical approach with an ability to understand his clients’ key objectives and commercial drivers to develop strategies that achieve the best possible results for his clients. In some cases this requires recourse to court action including, where relevant, urgent injunctive relief.  In many cases, however, the focus is on facilitating an early commercial resolution, utilising ADR processes such as negotiation and mediation. Recent work handled by Matt includes: successfully extracting a global healthcare company from a multiparty, multi-million pound High Court product liability claim arising out of fire damage; securing a significant payout from a supplier for a household name client in respect of a multi-million pound claim in respect of defective toy products; successfully defending a multi-million pound High Court professional negligence claim relating to an allegedly defective lift; successfully resisting an application to bring an additional claim in a multimillion pound reported Commercial Court case (Gaia River SA v (1) Behike Ltd (2) Alpha Sky Ltd (2020)); securing a significant payout for a developer in connection with an insurance policy coverage dispute concerning a right to light claim. Matt has spent three months working on secondment with a leading global leisure travel PLC. Matt is a contributing author to the Insurance and Reinsurance section of LexisNexis' online practical guide for legal practitioners, Lexis PSL.  

Melissa Gulcimen

Melissa is a Senior Associate in our Commercial team, based primarily in our Manchester office. After qualifying with Shoosmiths in 2017, she worked as in-house Legal Counsel within the retail industry for several years. Melissa has extensive experience advising a leading fast-fashion retailer and advising clients in the retail, beauty and nutrition industry on their promotional terms, marketing and social media strategies, influencer and ambassador collaborations, e-commerce and IT projects, website compliance, ASA investigations, logistical operations and wholesale partnerships. Melissa returned to Shoosmiths in July 2022, bringing a wealth of in-house experience and having a genuine appreciation of the challenges faced by business stakeholders and in-house legal teams. She is driven by the need to offer clients creative and practical solutions, and is experienced in implementing processes and procedures in order to maximise efficiency for in-house legal teams (including the implementation of Legal Tech for contract management and template creation, the development of training manuals and the delivery of technical training workshops).

Neil Bradley

Neil is a Principal Associate in the Manchester Real Estate Team.  Neil joined Shoosmiths in 2008 in our Birmingham office following a number of years working with another major national firm in their landlord and tenant and property finance teams working for both leisure and retail clients. Neil has experience in all aspects of commercial property transactions, including landlord and tenant work, development (with funding) and convenience store developments.  Real Estate finance with major high street lenders as well as private lenders also forms part of his practice.  Neil has worked alongside our Restructuring and Insolvency Team, working on deals ranging from major property administrations to lower value disposals for nationwide receivers. Neil also works with a number of clients in the residential and student tower developments for both private occupation and private rented sector through schemes across the north of England.

Noelle Petty

  Noelle is a Principal Associate in the corporate department’s Restructuring and Advisory team in the Manchester office. Noelle specialises in both contentious and non-contentious aspects of restructuring and insolvency matters, including advising on administrations, receiverships, liquidations and CVA's. Noelle acts on behalf of insolvency practitioners, banks and other financial institutions. Noelle's contentious experience includes advising on ROT issues, supply chain risks, formal insolvency appointments, directors' duties, debt collection and challenging antecedent transactions. Noelle's non-contentious/transactional experience includes advising on business and asset sales (acting for buyer and seller) and property disposals, advising insolvency practitioners on day to day issues that arise in respect of trading an insolvent company and undertaking reviews of lender's security. Noelle has worked on a number of high profile retail insolvencies including: BHS, Toys R Us, Bargain Booze and Wine Rack and Direct Golf.

Patrick Duffy

Patrick is a partner in Shoosmiths’ real estate team, with over 30 years’ experience in advising on large-scale high profile town and city centre regeneration schemes, including residential and commercial development matters, as well as real estate funding and investment. Patrick has advised on numerous portfolio investment acquisitions, especially of shopping centre and leisure schemes, and has a particular expertise in offshore tax driven investment acquisitions. In particular, Patrick’s experience includes: Supporting Bruntwood with its public/private joint venture with Bury Council and the subsequent acquisition of a shopping centre in Bury town centre. Advising on the acquisition funding and development agreements for the Birmingham Innovation Centre at Birmingham University. Advising on the real estate aspects of a refinancing deal for the development of No. 1 Old Trafford. Advising on the St Michael’s development in Manchester City Centre. Advising on the multimillion

Paul Carney

Paul is an experienced pensions lawyer. He advises employers, trustees and public bodies on the legal aspects of all matters relating to pensions. He has a particular expertise in dealing with public sector pensions and has written practice notes in national publications addressing the issues involved in participating in, for instance, the Local Government Pension Scheme and the NHS Pension Scheme. Paul is experienced in drafting scheme-related documentation as well as providing ongoing advice on the day-to-day running of pension schemes and on questions of automatic enrolment. Paul regularly provides support to both companies and trustees in relation to pensions aspects of corporate transactions. Paul has a reputation for his ability clearly to explain (often) complex legal points. He does this in a way which helps clients to focus on their commercial issues rather than getting bogged down in the technical, legal minutiae. Clients and colleagues find his approach is practical and user-friendly. Paul’s recent work includes: advising a (multi-national) employer in relation to the rationalisation of its pension provision. Phase 1 completed early in 2018 and involved the merger of three of its occupational pension schemes; advising a national company on the pensions aspects of its corporate re-structuring and, in particular, on the implications of that re-structuring on its obligation automatically to enrol employees into an appropriate pension scheme; advising the trustees of a North West based occupational pension scheme in relation to ongoing matters and, in particular in relation to a multi-layered parent company guarantee provided to that scheme by the scheme principal employer’s group; advising a well established higher education body in relation to its ongoing participation in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, the Local Government Pension Scheme and the Universities’ Superannuation Scheme; advising a central Government department in relation to the establishment of a free-standing joint venture company which was then able to participate, in its own right, in the relevant public sector pension scheme; advising the trustees of an occupational pension scheme further to a challenge from the Pensions Regulator which questioned their approach in agreeing to a corporate restructuring some three years previously; reviewing historical occupational pension scheme documentation in the light of equalisation requirements and in the light of age discrimination legislation; and advising the trustees of a number of UK pension schemes in relation to putting into place contingent assets and guarantees (including guarantees from non-UK guarantors) for the purposes of the PPF Levy. Paul is a contributor to PLC magazine and LexisNexis PSL.

Paul Caddy

Paul Caddy is Head of Insight at Shoosmiths, having previously practised as a commercial and data protection lawyer, with a particular focus on new technologies. Qualifying in 2000, he has worked in private practice in major law firms, in business and with leading legal publishers, such as LexisNexis (LexisPSL) and Thomson Reuters. Paul joined Shoosmiths in 2019. Paul is a prolific writer and, through thought leadership, is determined to help drive change in the legal sector, not only through the use of legaltech, but by focusing on the human side of legal practice too. Together with colleagues David Jackson and Tony Randle, he has recently published a book on the future of legal practice: Legal Practice in the Digital Age. The book shows how lawyers can embrace technological change through taking a people-centric approach, being creative with technology and innovation, and entrenching forward-thinking new mindsets into their firm’s DNA.

Peter Marsden

Rachel Dean

Rachel is a Senior Associate within our core Real Estate team, based in our Manchester office. She provides strategic and commercial advice on a wide range of real estate law issues, growing in specific expertise as a development lawyer. Rachel advises a broad spectrum of national clients, including a number of well-known national housebuilders and developers as well as retail clients across a range of sectors including commercial development, residential development, retail and student living. Rachel has experience in acquisitions and disposals, conditional contracts and asset management work as well as gaining more exposure to larger site assembly and title reporting matters. Rachel prides herself on knowing her client's businesses and building strong relationships with development managers, property teams and the agents that support them.

Richard Bellamy

Richard is a real estate lawyer with wide experience of acting for banks, building societies and secondary lenders. It is in the area of enforcement, restructuring and recovery that he has gained a national reputation, providing project management expertise on large scale disposal projects and high value/complex real estate. His approach is typified by assisting lenders early on with reviews of security and title to understand their available solutions and, where necessary, the enforcement options available. His experience means that he naturally considers the wider aspects, for example commercial or reputational impact. Richard provides a full property service for lenders which includes refinance and security work. He has for many years provided a 24/48hr turnaround service for relationship managers on property queries and document checking (lease reviews, planning documents, sale contracts, etc). He acts for insolvency practitioners and fixed charge receivers in both disposal transactions and asset management. He has successfully worked with stakeholders, IP’s and agents to provide considerable improvements on anticipated realisations and has also worked with many borrowers and their advisors on consensual work-outs and refinances. Richard joined Shoosmiths' real estate practice in October 2016, joining the firm from Addleshaw Goddard Leeds. He is based in Leeds and works with clients across the UK. His recent experience includes advising on high value projects, local and national: acting for Deloitte as administrators of the Angelic Portfolio, consisting 342 residential buy-to-let and a variety of commercial properties; advising RBS on a consensual work-out and plot sales of a large rural farm in the East Midlands which included residential and commercial buildings, telephone masts, large woodlands and arable land. Working alongside the finance litigation team to deliver specialist real estate advice; leading the property advice for KPMG (London) as administrators on a large commercial investment portfolio. Management and disposal involving a number of commercial retail properties and shopping centres. Involved detailed seller due diligence and presentation of documents via an online dataroom to improve transparency and ultimately realisation. sale of a number of former Southern Cross Care Homes, acting initially for Bank of Ireland and then CBRE as receivers, including lease variations, corporate support/business sales and development agreements; acting for Endless on a new lease, tenant option and pre-emption in relation to a large high tech distribution centre, office and retail space in Peterborough following the acquisition of the Kiddicare business from Morrisons. The early part of deal also dealt with the surrender of the leases on all of the retail outlets; and acting for Bank of Ireland and then O’Hara & Co as receivers on the club leases and disposal of Belle Vue Stadium, Wakefield over a period of six years.

Richard Millington

Partner

Richard Marshall

Senior Associate

Robert Nieri

Robert is a Legal Director charity lawyer guiding trustees on charity law, governance and regulatory issues, supporting charities in their work and at all stages of their journey: establishing new charities, incorporating existing organisations, advising on collaboration or merger issues and, where necessary, on dissolution. He advises on the engagement of charities with the Charity Commission e.g. seeking necessary approvals and dealing with serious incident reporting and on charities' dealings with non-charities e.g trading subsidiaries, corporate partners, sponsors and commissioning bodies. He works closely with colleagues in Shoosmiths’ charities team – in particular with employment, commercial, corporate and real estate lawyers - to provide clients with integrated and responsive solutions to help them to manage their legal risk. He also advises business clients and philanthropists on setting up their own foundations and on their dealings with charities, in the context of the increasing prominence of “ESG.” Recent experience includes: advising a national charity on governance and regulatory matters as part of multi-faceted legal support provided by Shoosmiths’ charities team; advising a national conservation charity on constitutional and regulatory issues; registering a charity to support those in need following the invasion of Ukraine; creating corporate foundations for businesses looking to increase their charitable engagement;advising on various charity mergers; andtraining trustees and senior executive teams on charity law and governance issues. Robert is a member of the Charity Law Association and of The Chartered Institute of Fundraising and chairs the charity committee of Shoosmiths’ Manchester office.

Ruth Clare

Ruth is a partner in the real estate team and advises on a wide range of issues facing occupier, investor and corporate clients across the range of their property interests. Ruth provides bespoke advice with regard to the circumstances and the business drivers of her client in each transaction. She specialises in advising retail and other clients in respect of the expansion, disposal and management of their property portfolios. She also provides real estate input to corporate and financing transactions. She aims to be an extension of her clients, understanding and working alongside her clients to achieve their goals. Her recent project experience includes: advising a retail client and leading the cross-border team in respect of the acquisition of a 140+ store portfolio of properties from administrators and then re-gearing numerous leases to help deliver the new business’ strategy; the acquisition of 45+ properties and financing of a corporate client’s full portfolio of 170+ properties; advising a retail client across an 12 year period from its first to its sixtieth store opening.

Sam Jadhav

  Sam is a Banking and Finance PrincipalAssociate based in the Manchester office, with experience in a range of debt finance work including real estate finance, acquisition finance and general corporate lending. He acts for borrowers, banks and financial institutions. Sam’s recent work includes: acting for a major North West property developer on development facilities of £128 million to fund the construction of residential skyscrapers in Manchester; acting for a major North West student accommodation developer on senior and mezzanine investment facilities of over £30,000,000; acting for a major high street bank on £24,000,000 senior and mezzanine facilities relating to the acquisition of a retail park; acting for a property developer on the £40,000,000 refinance of around 80 properties; acting for a North West property developer on the £17,500,000 refinance of its mezzanine debt; and acting for a major high street bank on a £5,000,000 revolving credit facility to a PLC borrower.

Samantha Grange

Sam is a member of Shoosmiths’ Planning and CPO Team – recognised as Planning Law Firm of the Year at the Planning Awards 2022 and a Top 5 Team in the Planning Law Survey 2022. Sam advises both public and private sector clients on the legal aspects of the planning approval process, as well as the constraint/risk and land acquisition strategies required to unlock the delivery of major regeneration, infrastructure and renewable energy projects. She also provides planning due diligence and transactional advice, with a particular focus on ensuring a project’s compliance with statutory planning and policy related requirements. Sam has been an integral part of the multi-disciplinary teams charged with both consenting and securing the implementation of prominent schemes within the house building, build-to-rent, student living, leisure, mixed use, rail & road infrastructure and renewable energy sectors. She can advise on the legal and regulatory aspects of the environmental impact assessment process and how to ‘de-risk’ a project and planning application from this perspective. Where required, she can also provide advice on land assembly and the formulation of an acquisition strategy which supports and aligns with a project’s funding strategy and delivery programme. Sam has experience of acting for clients with a planning application at appeal, as well as on a number of planning focused judicial review and statutory High Court challenges. She has also worked on a number of complex compensation claims, representing both the scheme promoter and objectors, which she has prepared for hearing in the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber). Sam is recognised as a “Next Generation Partner” by Legal 500, Planning and Environment (2024). Sam’s recent experience includes: Advising Brenntag, a global chemical storage & distribution company, in connection with the implementation of the development consent order (DCO) secured by Transport for London (TfL) in order to authorise the construction of Silvertown Tunnel, a twin bore road (1.4km long) tunnel providing a new connection between the A102 Blackwall Tunnel Approach on Greenwich Peninsula and the Tidal Basin roundabout junction on the A1020 Lower Lea Crossing/Silvertown Way. Development consent for the Silvertown Tunnel was granted by the Secretary of State for Transport in May 2018. Main construction activities commenced in 2020 and the new tunnel is currently planned to open in 2025. Acting on multiple CPO compensation claims at the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) arising as a result of the construction of the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road which was promoted by Stockport Council. Advising landowners who have and continue to be affected by the project and whose positions have had to be preserved noting the limitation period associated with the compulsory acquisition of their interests in land subject of the CPO. Pursuant to instructions received from the site developer/seller, undertaking planning due diligence and inputting into the transactional documents prepared in connection with the sale of two onshore wind farms located on constrained sites in the Scottish Highlands. Acting for Historic England, development partner to Shropshire Council, on the compulsory purchase orders required to assemble land and to secure the timely delivery of the final phases of the redevelopment of Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings – a project intended to revive and restore the site’s complex of historic buildings, including the internationally significant Grade I listed Main Mall which dates back to 1797. It is anticipated that upon completion of the project, the Flaxmill and neighbouring complex of listed buildings will attract in the order of 20,750 visitors per annum. Further, the project will create c.1,000 jobs across the construction and operational phases of the redevelopment, as well as make a contribution of approx. £5.5 million GVA to the local economy.

Sarah Teal

Partner

Sarah Rigby

Senior Associate

Sean Adams

Partner

Sophie Tracey

Sophie is a Principal Associate real estate litigation lawyer with experience of acting for landlords, tenants and portfolio holders. She has substantial estate management expertise, spanning both private and public sectors, as well as experience of dealing with a broad range of property disputes whether negotiating a settlement or resorting to court proceedings. Sophie’s approach is typified by providing clear and concise legal advice with a focus on achieving clients’ commercial objectives. Her recent experience includes advising: Two of the country’s leading shopping centres in relation to all aspects of estate management including debt recovery, insolvency, dilapidations, service charge and forfeiture; A major investment fund in respect of its large portfolio of office, retail and industrial properties, notably with regards to tenant management and default; A global telecommunications company in relation to its telecoms mast sites, including strategic advice in relation to the Telecommunications Code and the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954; Private and public sector commercial landlords and tenants in relation to the operation of lease break options and lease renewals in the context of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954; A national institution in relation to a rates dispute with the valuation office agency. Sophie takes a keen interest in pro bono activities, most recently supervising Manchester University students in giving legal advice to the general public.

Stephanie MacPherson

Stephanie specialises in both contentious and non-contentious construction and engineering law. She has experience acting for a broad range of public and private sector clients including employers, financial institutions, NHS Trusts, social housing associations, Universities and Higher Eduction suppliers, developers, contractors, specialist sub-contractors and professionals. She has experience in adjudication, litigation and arbitration as well as less formal methods of dispute resolution, mediation and negotiation.  Stephanie has also advised upon construction insolvency, renewable energy and party walls.

Suzanne Taylor

Suzanne is a Partner within the Financial Services team at Shoosmiths based in our Manchester office. Suzanne specialises in regulated and unregulated asset finance (with a particular focus on motor and equipment finance), consumer finance and financial services regulation.  Over the past five years, Suzanne has assisted clients with a range of transactional asset finance deals and also provided clients with practical advice in relation to being authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Suzanne has developed a particular specialism advising mobile phone networks on the financing of mobile phone handsets in light of increasing handset prices and heightened regulatory scrutiny.  Suzanne has assisted with designing customer journeys, drafting regulated loan documents and advising mobile phone networks on being FCA regulated businesses including providing training to senior management. In addition, Suzanne plays a leading role in Shoosmiths debt buying and selling work acting for both sellers and purchasers of portfolios of regulated consumer debt providing advice on both the contractual aspects of the sale and issues of regulatory compliance. Examples of Suzanne’s experience includes: assisting a mobile phone network with its preparations for the FCA Senior Managers and Certification Regime; advising a mobile phone network on the design of a regulated mobile phone proposition including drafting regulated documents, advising on the sales journey and drafting FCA compliant policies and procedures; acting for a leading provider of consumer retail finance in the sale of a £170 million book of regulated consumer credit agreements; advising a variety of financial services companies (both lenders and brokers) on their applications for FCA authorisation including advising on their ongoing compliance with the FCA rules; and advising an equipment leasing company on the launch of a regulated consumer leasing product with a major high-street retailer (including advising on the regulatory issues arising out of the structure of the product, drafting regulated hire agreements and advising on contractual arrangements with the retailer and funder).

Tony Nutting

Tony Nutting is a Principal Associate in the Real Estate Department at Shoosmiths and heads the newly created Plot Sales Team at their Manchester office.   Tony and his team work to ensure that Developers achieve sales of new homes to purchasers as smoothly as possible (whether being bought for a new home or as an investment).  This involves working with the Developer at an early stage after acquisition to create a comprehensive “sales pack” made available online to purchaser’s solicitors to assist with the sales process, whether the Development is a city centre tower of apartments or the provision of new homes in the suburbs.   Tony and his team also have experience in acting for Developers where Developers are looking to use the Government’s Help to Buy scheme or agree to buy purchasers’ existing properties as part exchange for the new property.   Tony will also negotiate sales of affordable houses to Registered Providers and Shared Equity sale documents to enable Developers to satisfy planning obligations, management agreements where open space is required within the estate and infrastructure agreements for the provisions of services to developments.   Tony also has a number of years’ experience acting in the disposal of the reversionary interest in leasehold developments (large scale developments or apartment blocks) down to individual reversionary sales to home owners.  Extensions to existing leases under the current enfranchisement laws are also handled.

Vanessa Rickard

Vanessa is an extremely experienced real estate practitioner with over 20 years' experience in the sector.  She specialises in commercial real estate with an emphasis on investment, asset management and development.  She regularly acts for landowners, developers and occupiers. Recent experience includes: Advising a national charity in connection with its property investment and asset management portfolio and in connection with the disposal of land for third party development and in connection with collaboration agreements with a number of local authorities for the promotion of land for development. Advising a cinema operator on various aspects of its Real Estate interests including refinancing, and the acquisitions. Advising a hotel operator in connection with the acquisition under development agreement and lease of a site at Heathrow terminal 3 for the development of two budget hotels. Advising in connection with the disposal of brownfield sites including options and overage provisions. Advising a variety of lenders in connection with the funding and refinancing of a range of real estate projects including residential development schemes, mixed use and retail investment acquisitions. Advising in connection with the acquisition, asset management and ultimately the disposal of prime shopping centres in Manchester and Liverpool, including the pre-letting of the Liverpool shopping centre. Advising a developer client in connection with Estate management aspects of its residential and mixed use development schemes. Advising a major sports retailer in connection with the acquisition of new stores. Advising in connection with the disposal of a portfolio of garden centres. Advising in connection with the acquisition of a portfolio of residential development sites at various stages of development Advising in connection with the whole life of student accommodation developments from site acquisition to disposal.

Victoria Madsen

William Sanderson

Will is a Legal Director and advises on a wide range of commercial property matters including investment sales and acquisitions, landlord and tenant and with a particular emphasis on retail and office development. His recent work includes: acting for a leading UK pub retailer in connection with its new build development program; the investment purchase of multi-let office buildings in Greater Manchester; advising a plc commercial developer in connection with the freehold and leasehold disposals of industrial and office units on its estates; advising a national charity in connection with its £13 million redevelopment project of town centre premises to provide a museum and other facilities.