Shoosmiths LLP's commercial property offering spans high-value investment projects, house building and strategic land matters on behalf of a high-end client list that comprises major automotive brands and real estate investment funds. Nathan Rees chairs the practice, representing property investors on acquisitions, disposals, and financing transactions. Head of the southern real estate offering Alan Corcoran remains an experienced practitioner in the space with an extensive track record in the investment and corporate occupancy fields. Daniel Halstead and Ben Pariser come highly recommended as key names in the living and housebuilding sectors, respectively. Legal director Marcus Devanny represents institutional investment funds, property funds and corporate occupiers on the full range of cases.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘Great breadth to the team both in their detailed knowledge, regional presence and abilty to present situations in a clear and concise way.’
‘Daniel Halstead is great at quickly understanding the issues and providing clear, concise ways forward and delegating roles to the wider team.’
‘Liz McKillop Paley's approach to transactions is very diligent, hard working and comes with good commerciality to assist our goals.’
‘Very personal service and willing to go above and beyond in time-critical situations.’
‘The team provides good commercial advice and works well to achieve the client's goals. Strong use of technology and organisation that assists with transactions.’

Key clients

AEW Europe
AIB Group (UK) plc
Bellway Homes South West
Bang & Olufsen UK Limited
Deeley Group
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals
McKay Securities Limited
Persimmon Homes Limited BDW Trading Limited
Regional REIT
Taylor Wimpey
The Nissan / Renault Alliance
Third Space
Workspace Group Plc
UKRO Property Holdings
Vistry Group – Housebuilding, strategic land and partnerships division

Work highlights

Advised Nissan Motor Limited on a major project relating to a series of strategic disposals of its West Way Nissan dealership network, in three phases.
Advised AIB Group Plc on £110m investment facility to fund the acquisition of a 999 bed new build PBSA scheme in Liverpool for Tristan Capital Partners’ CCP 5 Fund.
Advised Lou Ware Limited on the acquisition of a part of GSK’s operational site at Park Road, Ware, which is to be redeveloped into a life sciences campus, with potentially residential units in addition.

Lawyers

Hall of Fame

The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Alan Corcoran

Hall of fameShoosmiths LLP

Alan Corcoran is a real estate lawyer in Shoosmiths' national real estate team. Alan advises on a range of commercial property related matters including investment and development work, site assembly, conditional sale and purchase agreements and options, together with broad asset management and property finance experience. His recent project experience includes advising long standing client, McKay Securities PLC, on the development and pre-let to St James Wealth of its 60,000 sq ft office development in Lombard Street, London, and the subject to planning disposal of a 1.1 acre site in Woking to Watkin Jones who plan to construct 350 build to rent apartments on the site. Alan also led the team which advised McKay on the real estate aspects of its recent £180 million revolving credit facility. Alan is recognised as a leader in his field of real estate by both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500. He has recently been noted in The Legal 500 Hall of Fame which highlights individuals who have received consistent praise by their clients for continued excellence. The Hall of Fame highlights, to clients, the law firm partners who are at the pinnacle of the profession as one of the elite leading lawyers for six consecutive years.

Rising stars

Marcus Devanny

Shoosmiths LLP

Marcus is a Senior Associate in our Southern Real Estate team. He is a specialist with a wealth of expertise and experience in investment portfolio sales and acquisitions and landlord and tenant lease and asset management. Marcus’ experience includes: Acting for some of the UK’s largest property investment funds including Scottish Widows, Aberdeen Asset Management and AEW; Advising on large scale portfolio acquisitions and disposals and all aspects of corporate support transactions; Advising a high-end retailer in relation to its retail and restaurant occupational portfolio throughout the UK; including advising in relation to a complex Agreement for Lease; Advising U.S. based global engineering company in relation to all aspects of its commercial property portfolio; Acting for an anchor status letting in Birmingham, renewal of existing Leases in Knightsbridge and Bristol and advising in relation to its Head Office relocation; Advising one of the country’s leading corporate travel agencies in relation to its relocation programme and occupational lease portfolio in England and Wales; Advising on all aspects of asset management for investment fund McKay Securities PLC; Advising RBS, Natwest, Coutts and Direct Line in relation to the RBS Group’s property portfolio of in excess of 800 properties in relation to all aspects of freehold and leasehold acquisitions and disposals and day to day asset management of its property portfolio; Advising a global fashion retailer on all aspects of its occupational property portfolio in England and Wales; Advising one of the world’s largest technical, professional, and construction services companies in all aspects of its occupational leasehold portfolio in England and Wales; and Advising a global technology company in relation to its property portfolio and assisting with the property aspects of its global restricting programme. His most recent highlights include: Complex lease restructuring and relocation programme involving anchor and other key tenants of a leading UK shopping centre; Acting for local authority in relation to its £68m acquisition of multi let office building as part of its commercial real estate acquisition programme; Sale of large disused industrial factory in south wales to the Welsh Government for regeneration as a technical college. Transaction involved drafting negotiating and advising on complex overage and environmental provisions; Acting for US Global Engineering company in relation to its sub letting of a flagship London property to a US Flexible Working company, involving multiple consents, high value capital contribution, escrow arrangements including complex payment and repayment mechanisms and alterations to the whole property; Complex agreement for lease (involving the grant 11 leases and multiple variations to the existing patchwork lease structure), including development obligations to convert a large atrium area into lettable space on behalf of a global fashion retailer in respect of its central London landmark listed building; and Sale of a large, single let, investment property in Hampshire

Leading individuals