United Kingdom - Wales • Real estate
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Social housing

Hugh James

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Drawing upon an 'excellent understanding of the Welsh landscape, the funding regime and the regulatory environment', Hugh James is a very popular choice among domestic housing associations to provide advice across the panoply of their legal requirements, from core management and real estate matters, as well as across other complementary areas of law including employment and corporate. The firm has also been at the forefront of the Renting Homes Act, taking a key role in ensuring RSLs were equipped and fully aware of the huge changes in Welsh landlord and tenant law ahead of the implementation date. Bethan Gladwyn  has been pivotal to the training provided with the regard to the legislation and is also noted for her 'clear and concise advice' as it relates to anti-social behaviour issues. As well as her strategic advice to Wales-based RSLs, including on large-scale regeneration schemes, Caroline O’Flaherty has been central to the firm picking up an increasing volume of mandates for English clients in the sector. The team is headed by Richard Macphail , who excels at development work in the sector.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘It is a great team with lots of knowledge and expertise.’

  • 'They provide a top quality service and it is a pleasure to be instructed and work with people as passionate as I am about housing.’

  • ‘The benefit of working with Hugh James is the depth of sector knowledge they have. They have an excellent understanding of the Welsh landscape, the funding regime and the regulatory environment.'

  • ‘Bethan Gladwyn provides clear and concise advice and has an impressive depth of knowledge of the sector.' 

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Key clients

  • POBL GROUP
  • LINC CYMRU
  • CURO GROUP
  • NEWYDD
  • GRWP CYNEFIN
  • MELIN
  • ADRA
  • OPTIVO
  • BARCUD
  • HAFOD HOUSING

Work highlights

  • Advising Pobl Group on its £15m pioneering mixed use development “Biophillic Living” in Swansea which uses innovative approaches to sustainability and complex funding measures.
  • Advising Optivo on a £25m package deal delivering a blend of social rented and affordable rented housing in London involving the development of 81 apartments which are environmentally sustainable.
  • Advising a large number of housing associations, local authorities and Community Housing Cymru on a landmark piece of legislation (Renting Homes Wales Act 2016) bringing together a collaborative training forum and sense of “shared endeavour” to save clients cost and sharing best practice in implementing the biggest change to housing law in a generation.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Caroline O'Flaherty
Hugh James
As a Partner in the Commercial Property team, Caroline O’Flaherty, specialises in acquisitions, disposals, property development and finance.Working across a variety of sectors, from office, retail, and industrial to leisure, Caroline has particular expertise in property portfolio management and leasing work.Highly experienced in all aspects of commercial property and development, Caroline frequently advises on complex, high value acquisitions. A significant player in the housing association sector, she advises clients such as Stonewater Ltd, Pobl Group, Linc Cymru Housing Association and Curo Group on urban regeneration, extra care and mixed use developments. She has recently been recognised for her outstanding work in the sector, winning the title of ‘Consultant of the Year’ at the National Women in Housing Awards, in October 2018.Caroline regularly advises educational institutions and has advised Cardiff University, since 2000, on its estate portfolio. More recently this included advising on the landmark re-development of the University’s Centre for Student Life. She works closely with Coleg Gwent and is heavily involved in their new Newport Information Quarter and Torfaen Learning Zone. Other notable projects include the Wales Millennium Centre, a major regeneration site at Old Town Dock Newport and Mulberry Park - a multi-million pound redevelopment of a former MOD site in Bath.Caroline also frequently speaks at Community Housing Cymru (CHC) conferences.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Bethan Gladwyn
Hugh James
Bethan is head of the housing management team as a result of her capability and specialist knowledge in her field of law, having exclusively practised in the area of social housing and anti-social behaviour since qualification in 2003.A specialist in social housing law and practice, anti-social behaviour and landlord and tenant (residential), Bethan assisted in setting up Wales’s first anti-social behaviour unit at Hugh James. Bethan is recognised as an experienced advocate by clients and peers alike. Bethan has over 15 years’ experience advising local authorities and registered social landlords on all issues of housing management and tenancy enforcement, particularly in relation to measures to combat nuisance and anti-social behaviour.She regularly handles cases involving complex Equality Act defences as well as public law and human rights challenges and advises clients on matters ranging from succession to disrepair. During the final stages of debate, Bethan was approached by Community Housing Cymru to provide advice in relation to the Renting Homes (Wales) Bill 2014 which formed the basis of later legislation.Bethan is renowned within the sector as an accomplished trainer and regularly provides training to social housing providers. She is often invited to speak at events hosted by the Chartered Institute of Housing, Community Housing Cymru and the Welsh Government. Bethan and her team are well known in the sector for acting for some of the largest and well-regarded housing associations in Wales such as Hafod, Merthyr Valleys Homes, Newport City Homes, Trivallis as well as a growing client base of registered providers in England.
Richard Macphail
Hugh James
Richard is head of our social housing team, coordinating the work of over 50 lawyers, paralegals and support staff. An integral part of this role is to lead on the firms work with communities to ensure that social value remains a key priority in all of our activities.Richard acts for a variety of public and private sector clients for all aspects of commercial property work and has over twelve years’ experience of acting for social housing clients, with a particular focus on development work, including land acquisitions, option agreements, development agreements, package deals, planning agreements and infrastructure agreements.Richard has acted for a number of housing associations such as Newydd Housing Association in relation to the acquisition of 190 properties across three phases representing the allocation of affordable housing units pursuant to a section 106 agreement and has acted for Melin Homes Limited in relation to the acquisition of a former school site from a local authority for redevelopment and is continuing to act for Cardiff Community Housing Association in relation to the £20m regeneration of the Maelfa Shopping Centre, Cardiff. He has advised Bron Afon Community Housing on a number of option agreements relating to potential development sites across South Wales.Richard also advises a number of community groups in relation to the lease of properties under the Community Asset Transfer scheme from a local authority and disposing of sites and surplus land by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council.Richard is the lead advisor to E G Carter & Company in relation to its land led package deal transactions to South West based housing associations.Richard regularly delivers training sessions and seminars to clients and at conferences on matters relating to property development and disposals.Richard is a member of the business support group for the Duke of Edinburgh Award and is on the committee of Penarth Rowing Club.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Richard Macphail

Other key lawyers

Caroline O’Flaherty, Bethan Gladwyn, Iwan Jenkins, Yvonne Davies, Matthew Stevens

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