I am an experienced property lawyer, whose clients include many overseas investors purchasing new and established property.I also act for local and foreign Banks carrying out their real estate finance work. My experience has focused on residential property but I also support the commercial property team on large and more complex transactions. My training in London concentrated almost entirely on Real Estate so I am very much a specialist in my field. While based in London, my work often takes me overseas, mainly to Asia. Accordingly I have a large network of international clients and contacts in the property industry.

The Residential Property Team at BR mainly caters for high net-worth individuals and the firm’s company clients in their residential property dealings. At the firm I:•Acted on sales and purchases.•Drafted ASTs, served Notices on tenants, acted on the sale and acquisition of investment properties and provided general advice to my clients in their capacity as Landlord.•Drafted Legal Charges, offer letters and terms & conditions to secure clients’ finance when lending to third parties.•Arranged re-mortgages for my clients as well as equity-releases for the firm’s elderly clients.•Acted on both purchases and sales of repossessed property.•Prepared auction packs and completed auction sales for the firm’s financial company clients whenever they re-possessed and sold residential property.•Arranged sales of part whether by straightforward sale or Option Agreement.•Arranged lease extensions on a regular basis whether by Deed of Variation or surrender and re-grant.•Advised management companies on the legal aspects of managing their estates such as lease renewals or amendments.•Acted for Executors in their sales of deceased individuals’ property.•Arranged Transfers of Equity for the firm’s existing clients. •Drafted Declarations of Trust.•Provided general advice on issues such as the terms of a Lease, property developments, liabilities as Guarantor, the workings of a Trust and ransom strips.

Riseam Sharples is a niche West End firm that deals, primarily, with off-plan investment sales and purchases. Many of its clients hail from the Far East and other offshore bases which gave me great exposure to high-quality, challenging work. While employed at the firm I:•Acted for and advised local and international investment companies on their investments and sales on the London property market, and on their liabilities and responsibilities as Landlord where necessary.•Acted for investors purchasing Apart-Hotels in central London and became very familiar with all the commercial, VAT and tax considerations that went with it. •Advised clients in person, by letter, on the telephone and at sales exhibitions- most notably at Poplar Dock where Galliards held a fire sale and sold all the units of an entire block to investors at half price. There I, together with two of my colleagues, took 42 new instructions in one day.•Drafted contracts, joint venture agreements, leases and transfers, reports on titles and other related legal documents.•Drafted Deeds of Variation, Deeds of Confirmation and Licences for Alterations in relation to commercial leases.•Dealt with all relevant company-related matters and documentation, including the setting-up of BVI companies. •Negotiated, exchanged and completed contracts on sales and purchases of registered and unregistered land; most memorably when a client company’s marketing agreement required us to co-ordinate the purchase of a whole development and simultaneous completion of over 50 sales in less than one month.•Assisted clients with their commercial disputes and initiated proceedings where necessary, working to bring about swift and cost-effective solutions.•Handled all pre- and post-completion matters on each case. •Regularly conducted legal research into changes to applicable law and the potential liability of the firm in respect of certain situations.

Trainee Solicitor (In-house)As part of my training contract, I personally arranged a secondment to join the In-house Legal Team at UBS in order to apply my skills to contentious and litigious matters in the financial sector. At the Bank I:Thoroughly investigated the liability and responsibilities of the organisation in respect of claims as well as other business and legal obligations, drafting legal documents and letters where necessary.Undertook legal and financial analysis in respect of client investments, and client advisors' recommendations, with a view to redressing poor investment results.Met with client advisors, colleagues and external counsel (for example Ashursts and Taylor Wessing) to discuss solutions to challenges facing the Bank.Investigated and responded to disclosure and payment orders from government organisations and other regulatory bodies.Drafted final responses to client claims and statements of case to the Financial Ombudsman Service, investigating and analysing relevant facts and interviewing Bank employees.Dealt with all fast track client claims.Researched legal developments in areas such as bribery and money laundering, with particular focus on the impact to the organisation.Presented the findings of my research to other members of the legal team.Provided auxiliary support across the legal & compliance team, juggling a number of different responsibilities on various projects.Visited law firms such as Simmons & Simmons, Herbert Smith and Stephenson Harwood to assist them with pre-trial preparations and join them in observing trial proceedings.