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Browne Jacobson LLP added one new partner and four other fee-earners to its 35-strong team in 2008, against the grain of market conditions. The newly promoted Stewart Gregory leads the health and public authority team, instructed by primary care trusts on developments. The ‘client orientated’ Sarah Parkinson heads the commercial development team, while Barry Sully leads the residential/mixed use team. The ‘very competent’ Dominic Swift is group head; and retail sector specialist Caroline Green ‘is quick to respond to clients’ needs’.

Paul Hilsdon’s real estate team at Eversheds LLP completed the acquisition of 20 sites for the Driving Standards Agency in 2008, illustrating the firm’s national reach and ability to handle complex title and environmental issues. The development and regeneration team, led by Chris O’Donoghue, continues to act on major development projects such as at Witney and Carmarthen for Simons Developments, and has been appointed sole legal adviser to West Northampton Development Corporation, with a predicted 60 development sites.

Although trimmed in recent times, Freeth Cartwright LLP’s large real estate team continues to show strongly on high-value and complex deals in the region and beyond. The group’s care sector, corporate occupier, regeneration, education and public sector workload remained buoyant, and restructuring instructions increased. Recent highlights include the £40m acquisition of a Derby development site, and town centre redevelopments for Simons Developments. Roger Wright is ‘proactive, responsive and extremely knowledgeable’, while Mark Gradwell and Isobel Radford ‘have an excellent service ethic’.

Counter-cyclically, Shoosmiths has expanded its 27-strong commercial property group to handle instructions from the likes of Alliance Boots, IKEA and WHSmith on acquisitions and lease renewals. Emna Sfar-Gandoura structured the £7.25m acquisition of a warehouse facility in North London for IKEA, and Deborah Gordon Brown supervised the acquisition of over £500m of investment property for the Highcross Group of Companies, indicating the national reach of the Nottingham-based team. The firm moves up in the ranking this year.

With a considerable roster of property development clients and seven experienced partners, Flint Bishop Solicitors is well placed to act on major acquisitions, sales and development projects in the region and beyond, including the £46m acquisition of industrial sites by Clowes Developments (UK) Limited last year.

Geldards LLP’s Jamie Gordon ‘has very much a can-do attitude with a commercial approach to concluding transactions’. Two such transactions for 2008 were Miller Birch’s complex £21m hotel development, and EMDA’s land sale and funding for the development of a concrete fabrication facility for construction works at the 2012 Olympics. Ellis Gardner-Browne is a retail sector specialist.

Susan Lawson at Actons has recently advised two European banks on the financing and re-mortgaging of a waste recycling centre and a hotel; and Amanda Gordon has assisted with the acquisition of development sites for housing associations. The group has niche specialisms in minerals and transactions involving medical practices, in addition to handling the full range of property matters.

Adam Youatt at Berryman is ‘particularly helpful and knowledgeable’. The ‘approachable and reactive’ team, with a ‘first-class service offering’, has gained several new commercial and public sector development clients in the regeneration arena in addition to its leisure and food clients. Andrew Cooper has left the firm.

Graham Green leads Fraser Brown’s commercial property group, advising on leases, commercial development and retail and investment property.

At HBJ Gateley Wareing LLP, Andy Matthews leads on higher-value property finance transactions, development and corporate recoveries. The team has been appointed to the EMDA property panel and has a particular expertise in property funds for pension providers.

Partner-level departures at Nelsons Derby office have led to a reshuffle, with Leicester-based James Coningsby now in charge. Nevertheless, some high-value sales and acquisitions have been completed, and landlord and tenant instructions continue to arrive.

Amanda Redgate heads Rothera Dowson’s department, which has recently acted on a disposal of properties for Greene King; secured funding for the Co-operative Bank plc; and handled an acquisition of properties for a charity.

Retail, landlord and tenant and aggregates/mining are among Roythornes’ areas of expertise.

Smith Partnership has expanded through merger, acquiring further capability for the corporate leases and pub and care home disposal work it has recently been handling.

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