United Kingdom - Wales • Real estate

2

Commercial property

Blake Morgan LLP

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Leveraging complementary expertise across the firm's banking, construction and planning practices, as well as being able to resource matters utilising its own in-house quantity surveyors, Blake Morgan LLP's commercial property team can provide a holistic service throughout the life-cycle of projects, particularly as it relates to high value and complex development sites, infrastructure and energy transactions. Mirroring the firm's cross-practice public sector prowess, team head James Egan  has considerable experience advising both local authorities and central government across a range of matters, including on large-scale development projects. The 'exceptionally gifted' Louise Howells has a focus on social housing real estate work and provides a 'solutions-focused' service to Wales and England-based housing associations across a range of acquisition/disposal and financing work. On the private sector front, Nigel Griffiths maintains a market-leading retail leasing practice as a result of his longstanding representation of Canary Wharf Group Plc. Geoff Reed  is also recommended and has vast experience advising both private developers and commercial lenders on property matters.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Louise Howells is an exceptionally gifted lawyer, who is solutions focused and provides an exceptional client service.'

Key clients

  • Canary Wharf Group Plc
  • Welsh Government
  • Cardiff Parkway Developments Limited
  • Cardiff University
  • NHS Wales
  • The Royal National Institute for Blind People
  • Symrise Limited
  • Newport City Homes Housing Association Limited
  • HSBC
  • Linc Cymru Housing Association
  • Cardiff and Vale College
  • ClwydAlyn Housing Limited
  • Swansea University
  • Transport for Wales
  • Short Bros (Developments) Limited
  • Sovereign Housing Association Limited

Work highlights

  • Continued portfolio management and new leases/re-gears for long standing client, Canary Wharf Group, owners of the Canary Wharf Estate.
  • Acting for SPTS Technologies Limited on its acquisition and development of a site at Celtic Way in Newport for a "BREEAM excellent standard" semiconductor and microelectronics manufacturing and production facility.
  • Acting on the £23.94m acquisition of 143 affordable housing units at Camborne which was time critical to fall within bpha's financial years and to ensure a continued good working relationship with Taylor Wimpey.

Lawyers

Leading individuals

James Egan

Blake Morgan LLP

James is a real estate partner with experience of large-scale development work, joint ventures, and general property transactions in the private, public and third sectors.James handles many of the firm’s high value, high profile real estate transactions leading multi-disciplinary teams of solicitors. He has significant expertise in the development of office blocks, health campuses and primary care resource centres and currently acts for developers, tenants and purchasers in the procurement, acquisition, funding, development and subsequent lease arrangements and sales of such developments. He also leads teams advising large clients such as the Welsh Government, NHS Wales, charities and social landlords on portfolio management.

Nigel Griffiths

Blake Morgan LLP

Nigel is an experienced real estate partner, covering the full range of commercial property work, and having handled the Canary Wharf retail portfolio for the last 25 years has gained a particular specialism and interest in retail leasing and development work.

Geoff Reed

Blake Morgan LLP

Geoff leads the Real Estate team based in Wales. He has extensive experience in all aspects of property work for both the public and private sectors and has acted on a number of major property transactions in recent years. He has particular expertise in the procurement, acquisition, funding, letting and disposal of commercial industrial and residential property. Geoff is highly regarded by clients and colleagues for his commerciality and technical expertise.

Next Generation Partners

Louise Howells

Blake Morgan LLP

Louise is an experienced commercial property lawyer based in our Cardiff office acting for many of the firm’s commercial clients. Louise’s work includes acting for Housing Associations in the acquisition, disposal and refinancing of properties where she has evolved a strong reputation as a trusted advisor. Louise has developed an expertise in acting for tenants in the management of a portfolio of retail properties as well as in dealings with public houses. She acts regularly for an acquisitive PLC in the purchase of companies with key property components and represents companies in the health care sector involved in the acquisition and development of portfolios of new medical centres for GP’s. Louise has provided advice and assistance to developers bringing forward large sites for development and is expert in the many dimensions of commercial property transactions and land based legal issues.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

James Egan

Other key lawyers

Geoff Reed, Nigel Griffiths, Philip Jardine, Louise Howells, Daniela Smith, Dawn Smith, Charlotte Whitehead, Natalie Lawley, Victoria Morley-Jones

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