‘Steve Mackie is a calm and assured industry expert. Tom McHugh is a future leader in the sector. Jennie Chilton is an industry leader with a great balance of technical and commercial acumen.’

‘We get a superlative level of support from the AG team, they really are my ‘go-to’ firm on all things Social Housing related. Aside from being head and shoulders from a sector knowledge perspective, they are approachable and available, willing to discuss the simple to the most complex of issues, true market leaders in their field.’

‘Lee Shankland-Gort and Steve Mackie: All eminently professional, hugely knowledgeable, always approachable and available. Very passionate about the sector and committed. Standout associate for me this year has been Tom McHugh, thinking outside of the box, tenacious, professional.’

‘Beth Collett is the best legal mind in the City and a renowned expert with regard to social housing bonds as well as the sector. Beth consistently looks beneath the surface and matters which might have caused issues down the line are dealt with at an early stage (even before issuer counsel has even realised there is an issue). She is well-respected by our clients for this reason. Her meticulous attention to detail is unrivalled.’

‘Jennie Chilton is the safest pair of hands on the property / security workstreams.’

‘Very strong Social Housing franchise with a reliable and open relationship with the bank. Really driving the sustainability agenda and ahead of their peers.’

‘Addleshaws is the pre-eminent and go-to lender law firm in the Housing Finance sector. The team there is knowledgeable, accessible and they make transactions seamless.’

‘Lee Shankland-Gort is without doubt the sector expert, and Geoff McGinley is a stand-out members of his team. They are incredibly knowledgeable and competent, and with them acting, we know the bank is in safe hands. They are also very proactive in managing the wider relationship, including providing sector/market update training sessions etc.’

‘The team as a whole are very welcoming and down to earth. I specifically work with the securitisation team who have a wealth of knowledge and so easy to work with. They don’t converse in jargon, it’s plain text for those of us not legally trained, which is so helpful in understanding difficult exercises and for training new team members too. Deovnshires also consistently keep up with any legislative change or Social Housing changes and are always on hand to answer any queries we might have.’

‘Fantastic profile, trusted by funders, dependable and trustworthy in delivering fair fees.’

‘The Devonshires team is highly responsive with an in depth knowledge in their areas of expertise. That knowledge is then translated with a commercial focus into easy to understand explanations and instructions for their clients. The team has an excellent understanding of when to raise points of detail that need to be addressed and when to focus on the commercial big picture that their clients are trying to achieve.’

‘Gary Grigor is extremely knowledgeable and always readily available to discuss matters, whether it be the commercial big picture or an intricate point of detail. He is a strong negotiator, achieving excellent results in negotiations with minimal client input required. Natalie Swales is a steady hand, overseeing and managing projects from start to finish with a cool head. She is adept at giving sound advice and is always contactable to explain points of process or legal detail.’

‘Devonshires not only understand the legal side of the transactions, they also demonstrate a keen understanding of the commercial side too. They deal with issues taking a positive approach and always try to find workable solutions where possible. They listen to suggestions of how information flows could work better, and continuously update and improve their ways of working to fit with modern ways of working.’

‘The property team deliver a first-rate service, understanding that there are hard deadlines and targets to meet. They work hard to ensure momentum is maintained, and always take time to explain things in a way that non-legal people can understand. Chris Drabble stands out for me in his ability to get things “across the line”. He understands the sector, and all its quirks, and his extensive experience and knowledge undoubtedly contribute to his ability to find solutions and workarounds.’

‘For Corporate finance, Julian Barker and Alice Overton always make time to speak to you and know the various agreements in detail. They have the respect of peers from other firms and lenders. On the charging side, Sharon Kirkham and colleagues form a formidable team and are able to deliver large charging exercises in a timely manner.’

‘Despite the process of listing homes for securitisation purposes being predominantly technology based there remains, with Devonshires, appropriate human contact (and reassurance) too! The entire team worked seamlessly together, on the agreement drafting side as well as the securitisation element. We were made to feel part of that team which was appreciated. All of the work was completed to our satisfaction, the advice was frank and not at all vague, and everything was on time.’

‘The firm has excellent experience of the housing sector and understanding of client priorities and strength in depth. They have an excellent breadth of experience and provide excellent advice across all of our activities, enabling us to achieve our objectives. Billing and charges are clear, in line with estimates, and offer good value.’

‘Eleanor James and Neil Waller lead on our work programme, supported by Jane Kirkham – they work extremely well together as a team and continually deliver excellent service and advice to schedule. Their knowledge and approach has helped us to manage risks and opportunities well.’

‘They always go over and above what is agreed and expected and nurture the client relationship while keeping costs very reasonable for the service provided. They are proactive and work diligently to get projects finished in good time, often completing them ahead of deadlines.’

‘The Social Housing Finance team has extensive experience in the social housing sector, which has seen many changes through the years, and more increasing ESG related financing deals. The team is very responsive and knowledgeable.’

‘Anthony Collins are a values driven organisation. They always deliver excellent legal advice in a balanced, friendly, engaging and professional way.’

‘The team are clearly not solely profit driven and evidently put provision of excellent client service first whilst at the same time supporting and developing their staff.’

‘Strong working knowledge of the working practices and mindsets of the lenders and what works and doesn’t work. ACS has an innovative use of project management techniques to monitor and report on progress of the work and key stages and milestones. Communication was always clear and helpful. Able to communicate well with a diverse range of skills and knowledge at board and senior manager levels.’

‘The partner in charge was realistic about pricing, timescales, likely obstacles to progress and what would be a successful outcome. The work was tendered and one other tendering party had either attempted to win the work by low balling on fees or didn’t understand the brief. ACS and Jon Coane in particular were realistic about what work needed doing and the likely cost and the impact on the management team.’

‘Excellent to work with for Treasury matters, have knowledge of the housing sector and our requirements. Turn around loan agreements quickly.’

‘Natalie Singh is excellent, she is approachable and answers questions in a way that is easy to understand. Has excellent knowledge of the sector and my companies requirements’

‘The team’s strengths are reliability, accuracy, meeting deadlines and being good people to work with.’

‘Great range of experience across the team and juniors were of a high calibre. Responsive service.’

‘Louise Leaver and Jessica Church were excellent, being well versed in their areas and responsive & professional.’

‘The team are very supportive, bring a breadth of knowledge, experience and market awareness.’

‘I’ve worked with Deborah Rowntree and Richard Stirk and have found them responsive and effective.’

‘This practice builds strong relationships with its clients, and as a consequence, when working with them, you feel like you are working with an in-house team rather than external advisers.’

‘The individuals that we worked with were very responsive to our requests, which is very important when working to tight deadlines. They also had a good understanding of the treasury issues that we were dealing with, and as a consequence, little time was spent explaining the underlying treasury concepts.’

‘Louise Leaver is extremely good and always willing to keep to deadlines and to explain to clients on simple terms to cut through and legal jargon. She is always a pleasure to work with. Richard Stirk is knowledgable in his specialist field and has always produced the goods to enable projects to complete on time. David Moore has always produced excellent advice on a number of funding deals.’

‘Go-to people for complex and advanced financing structures and advice.’

‘Angela Shepherd – very strong real estate and social housing experience and knowledge. Respected generally in the sector.’

‘Genuine experience and knowledge in the social housing sector. In addition, the team makes itself available at short notice to deal with issues that require a concerted approach/to be agreed with the other parties’ legal team. They will strive to find a common ground to progress commercial matters.’

‘Angela Shepherd. A pleasure to deal with, Angela makes herself available at short notice to assist with often complicated real estate/planning matters. She will also help in ensuring that all stakeholders in a transaction are in the loop and understand the impact of the legal matters on their work.’

‘The team are highly experienced and have a sound judgement. As such, they are very well regarded lawyers in the sector. How they differ from other firms I would say is the service, which always feels personal. We used their online portal on our recent charging exercise to upload and download information & it was very useful & easy to navigate.’

‘Ruby Giblin and Jill O’Reilly stand out for me as partners. Very knowledgeable & approachable. Their staff shine for me due to their personal service, overall diligence and dedication.’

‘Jill O’Reilly and her team work really hard on our charging matters. They are all really knowledgeable, friendly and approachable.’

‘The team are exceptional. There is always some available to answer any questions whether related to a transaction or any ad hoc ones.’

‘Excellent team, great personable people. Passionate about what they do.’

‘I view Patricia Umunna as a trusted partner, whose advice I respect and who I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone else. She and her team worked with us to make sure our loan facility was well-scrutinised but agreed on time – we have the feeling they will go the extra mile for us – and that is very comforting!’

‘Patricia Umunna and Zofia Kordek explain the loan documentation very well and patiently to ensure you understand the terms. Jill O’Reilly and the property team are very responsive and explain the issues around properties and present solutions to issues very proactively.’

‘Louise Forrest – fantastic knowledge. Lucy Grimwood – meticulous and keen to understand the issues of the client. Patricia Umunna is a trusted partner.’