Square One Law’s property team attracts new talent
Commercial law firm Square One Law has recently completed the expansion of its property team after a series of experienced, senior appointments.
Head of property Barney Frith said the additions reflected an increased demand from clients and enabled Square One Law, based in Newcastle, to increase its work with London-centric property deals and high net worth private clients.
Some examples of the property team’s recent work includes, acting for Highbridge Properties plc on a development agreement between Sainsbury’s and the Homes & Community agency at Ansty Park, near Coventry; acting for London based property group Marick Real Estate on a development agreement with Lear Corporation as part of plans to double the size of its Sunderland factory at Rainton Bridge Industrial Estate and acting for London based developer, Landid, on a number of high profile schemes and most recently on the £20m acquisition of Gorsebrook Industrial Park, Dagenham and the subsequent letting of the whole site to Eddie Stobart Limited.
Barney said: “I am very excited by the potential of the team we have been able to assemble. They are highly-skilled and experienced lawyers and we will be able to offer an even better service to our clients. Clients are looking for trust, performance and cost certainty and everyone in the team has a track record of building long term relationships with their clients.”
“Our reputation in the property sector has organically grown with the market and between us we have built some very strong long-term relationships in London with developers such as Highbridge and Landid.
The existing team of Barney Frith, Peter Clegg, Satpal Pandal and Jenny Atkin are joined by Michael Shuker, a senior associate who specialises in property finance, who has just joined from Watson Burton; Helen Warren a commercial property lawyer who trained with City firm Pincent Masons before returning to the North East to Sintons and in January Malcom Wood will be joining from Bond Dickinson; he specialises in acting for both investors and owner/occupiers in the acquisition and disposal of commercial properties. The team has also been strengthened recently by new residential conveyancing partner, Francesca Angelucci, who was at niche London private client firm Judge Sykes Frixou. Francesca’s experience enables the team to work for high net worth individuals and housebuilders.
Barney continued, “The range of skills we now have means we can continue to target national as well as regional clients. My team has seen some major changes in the industry in the last few years. Technology has transformed how we do business, but our clients have also had to react to the economy, meaning that the 30-year leases which used to be taken up are now much more likely to be 15 years or less, giving firms more flexibility.
“Clients are demanding better value and I believe we are excellent at producing a very joined-up service and looking at matters commercially. Square One Law’s ethos is to put clients at the heart of all we do and we now have a really experienced property team who will get involved and build strong relationships with our expanding client base.”