The ‘depth of knowledge and experience’ at Lester Aldridge LLP is brought to bear on work relating to residential development, healthcare, hotel, and leisure sector transactions, to name a few. The Bournemouth-based team frequently works alongside the firm's Southampton office, and is additionally well regarded in the niche area of ports and marinas. The 'outstanding' seniors housing expert Mark Benham and enfranchising specialist Suki Samra serve as the Bournemouth-based practice heads, while Tom Alder oversees matters from Southampton.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘ Many other firms sit on the fence. Lester Aldridge does not, and this is the key difference for me.’

  • ‘There is clearly no other firm in the country who has handled as many retirement site acquisitions as Mark Benham.’

  • ‘We are always impressed by the depth of knowledge and experience within the team.’

  • ‘We have found Mark Benham to be an outstanding lawyer with a clearly evident depth of knowledge and experience in the real estate sector.’

  • ‘The depth of experience and the team's appetite for getting stuck into the market means they are always able to provide real-world advice, find a resolution, or complete a transaction.’

  • ‘Suki Samra's ability to apply his breadth of real-world experience in a commercially minded yet creative way is unparalleled.

  • 'Claire Kitchener's direct, client-focused approach makes transactions appear seamless.'

Key clients

  • McCarthy & Stone
  • Yorkshire Building Society
  • Allica Bank
  • Lloyds Bank plc
  • Shawbrook Bank
  • Care South
  • Affordable Housing & Healthcare Group
  • Generation Home
  • University of Southampton
  • Big Yellow

Work highlights

  • Advised Yorkshire Building Society on over 200 matters nationwide in 2022, including a refinance of a property portfolio of 62 properties.
  • Advised Allica Bank on over 500 secured lending matters in 2022.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Lester Aldridge LLP
Mark Benham is a Partner in the Real Estate team. Mark is an experienced property lawyer and has regional and national clients including national housebuilders, PLCs and care home providers. Mark advises developers and landowners generally on land development, strategic issues, and structuring transactions. Mark also advises on commercial landlord & tenant matters.
Lester Aldridge LLP
Suki Samra is a Partner in the Real Estate team. Suki acts for a broad range of commercial clients including companies, financial institutions, high net worth individuals and household names, advising on their property requirements. He has a strong focus on landlord and tenant work and enfranchisement, acting for landlords and property investors with a wide portfolio of commercial property. Suki and his team also provide volume property services to financial institutions on their secured lending work to telecom companies on their infrastructure projects and housebuilders on plot sales.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Mark Benham, Suki Samra, Tom Alder

Other key lawyers

Claire Kitchener