Fladgate LLP

fladgate.com

I specialise in equity capital markets transactions, M&A and advisory mandates, acting for clients ranging from founders to financial institutions. I am active in both traditional and novel business sectors, including energy and resources, technology, cannabis, and psychedelics.I am an experienced corporate and equity capital markets lawyer. I enjoy advising clients in diverse, challenging and often novel sectors, including mining, oil and gas, renewable energy, technology (including blockchain and cryptocurrencies), financial services, cannabis and psychedelics. I act for UK and international issuers, founders, investors and financial institutions on a wide range of capital markets and M&A transactions including: LSE Main Market and AIM IPOs (including dual IPOs); secondary financings and M&A transactions for listed issuers; UK financings for overseas issuers; public takeovers, private acquisitions and joint ventures; activist shareholder situations; corporate governance matters; and corporate reorganisations. After 7 years as a partner in the London office of a major Canadian law firm, I have a particular interest in advising Canadian companies on capital markets and M&A transactions in the UK. I am consistently ranked in the Legal 500 UK for Equity Capital Markets, Mining & Minerals, and Oil & Gas work.

I have over 20 years’ experience as a construction lawyer.I have acted for a wide range of clients – developers, a variety of lenders, contractors and consultants, ranging from large corporate entities to entrepreneurs. Most of my work has been in the UK property market but I have also undertaken a number of international projects and acted for international clients.My focus is on transactional work. During my career I have been lucky to have advised on some fabulous landmark developments including St Pancras Chambers, the Emirates Airline Cable Car and for the last 13 years, the phased redevelopment of Wembley Park.I have worked principally on mixed use and residential developments (including a significant build to rent element), but I have undertaken projects involving designer outlet centres, city centre redevelopments, hotels, offices, railways and infrastructure.I have also developed an expertise in sports related construction projects - helping with football stadium developments and venue use agreements. I have negotiated agreements involving the NFL, LOCOG and the UEFA.I am also a member of the CIC liability panel.I am genuinely fascinated to see the finished developments I work on and what can be achieved in terms of architecture and interior design.When I am not working, I can usually be found either out with my family or at home knitting, quilting or cooking. More recently, and in common with many clients and colleagues, I have also become a part - time primary school teacher and a trainee hairdresser.

Andrew Bessemer Clark

I specialise in mergers and acquisitions with a particular emphasis on the projects and infrastructure market and private equity. I have over 20 years’ experience as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer and projects and infrastructure lawyer. As an M&A lawyer I have worked in a number of different sectors, including travel, publishing and technology. I have also undertaken a significant number of M&A transactions within the PFI and PPP market. As a projects and infrastructure lawyer I have acted for a number of different investors in the PPP market, including Equitix, John Laing and PIP. Prior to joining Fladgate LLP in January 2007 I spent 2 and a half years working in-house for John Laing plc bidding for and closing several PFI Projects.

I have been a lawyer for 30 years and a corporate partner for over 20 years. I love doing deals and that gets me out of bed in the morning (although my wife would say it’s the Peloton bike). I not only advise on deals but have managed to match many buyers and investors with target companies. I focus on the battles worth winning rather than point scoring and am happy to use my experience of over 300 deals to help clients get the best commercial outcome. I know the recruitment sector particularly well and am on one side or the other of many of the M&A deals in that space. I am very familiar with the PE landscape as I act both on the buy side for firms such as Nickleby Capital and the sell side for shareholders selling to PE houses. Recommended M&A lawyer in Legal 500 2017, which says “The strong, bright, very experienced Ian Brent fights his clients’ corner well and is very knowledgeable, particularly in the recruitment sector”. He qualified in 1994 and joined Fladgate in 2013.

Litigation can be a daunting undertaking for corporates and individuals and is often a distraction for clients who would rather focus on furthering their businesses. My job, therefore, is to work alongside clients to help resolve those disputes and minimise those distractions, however possible. I specialise in solving commercial problems. This can be achieved via court action, arbitration, or alternative means such as mediation. I have an extensive range of experience, which can be turned to almost any type of disputes. My practice includes most commercial litigation work, often with an international element, including breach of contract, misrepresentation and warranty claims, and cases involving freezing injunctions and other forms of injunctive relief. I have a particular interest and focus on financial services disputes, civil fraud and data and cyber risk. Outside of the office, I am the co-founder and past president of the Junior London Solicitors Litigation Association, an organisation that represents the interests of over 900 junior litigators practising in London, and, having now aged sufficiently, I presently sit as a committee member of the London Solicitors Litigation Association. Beyond work, I am a keen gym-goer, and previously maintained a strong interest in caving (potholing). My ability to participate in the latter has, however, fallen away in recent years – I now spend most of my “down-time” running after my young family and digging holes of a different kind.

Christian Charles

Rebecca Cockcroft

I'm a corporate lawyer with over 20 years' experience, specialising in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, investment, reorganisations and corporate governance. My practice has had a focus on indirect and structured real estate work from early on in my career and I have advised on numerous corporate property acquisitions and disposals, property unit trusts and property joint ventures (many of which have had a cross border dimension). I also have significant experience in advising clients in the media and technology, hotels, leisure and retail, recruitment, engineering and mining sectors. I love working as a team with my colleagues and clients. Whilst I can be a bit of nerd and relish a technical legal challenge, I’m definitely not one for arguing for argument’s sake and moving things forward and getting deals done gives me the greatest satisfaction in my job. I've been recommended by Legal 500 UK, specifically for my strength in corporate real estate, and I am an “Acritas Star – independently rated lawyer”. I enjoy taking a role in the management of the firm and the development of our people. I am Fladgate's Money Laundering Reporting Officer, a member of the Fladgate Corporate Group Operational Board and head up the Corporate Group's Know-how and Education function. Recommended by Legal 500, specifically for strength in corporate real estate. “Acritas Star – independently rated lawyer”. Qualified in 1998, became a partner at another City firm in 2008 and joined Fladgate in July 2011.

Sarah Conibeere

I specialise in fast-paced transactions and deal with mainly prime and super prime, leasehold and freehold properties, which are frequently situated in the London area. For over 13 years I have represented a broad range of private individuals including HNW’s and UHNW’s in order to purchase their desired home and also investors and companies that wish to expand their residential property portfolios. The London property market is exceptionally fast-paced and there is always a high demand for properties leading to a lot of competition. I relish being pro-active and working quickly to secure properties for my clients and the challenges this often presents. Every transaction is unique and a bespoke solution is quite often required both commercially and legally. Fladgate as a firm is already well established and the residential team is a growing, dynamic team whose approach to delivery and service has really been noted in the market. This, paired with their reputation really appealed to me. The variety and scope of transactions they have worked on demonstrates the breadth of the expertise within the team and reflects my existing skill set and client base. A significant part of my practice is international and often has an offshore element especially when dealing with Trust Companies, or being involved in de-enveloping tax structures. I also have experience dealing with assets held by structures in various other jurisdictions, particularly BVI, Panama, Guernsey and Jersey.

I am a real estate lawyer working on high value, complex developments, prelettings and investments. With over twenty five years experience in the real estate sector, I provide legal advice to developers, purchasers, landlords and tenants of UK property. I have worked extensively on high value mixed use, leisure/hotel and office urban development projects. I coordinate specialist planning and construction lawyers and work with other real estate consultants to deliver a holistic legal product which anticipates the drivers/requirements of funders, purchasers/occupiers and other stakeholders in order to achieve project completion - without unwelcome surprises. I love working as part of the development and transactional team; it is this integration which enables me to forecast upcoming pinch points and provide solutions and delivers the job satisfaction of creating - with others – place making destinations. I work both with UK developers/ investors and international organisations; helping them successfully navigate the idiosyncrasies of the UK market.

I am a partner in the private client department at Fladgate. I advise UHNW/HNW individuals, families and trustees on tax and wealth planning. I have particular expertise in advising clients on corporate and trust structuring, including for holding international assets, business interests and real estate, and for succession planning purposes. Before moving into private client, I spent 10 years working at global law firms, advising large corporates, funds and financial institutions on tax. With this experience, I am uniquely positioned to advise my clients on all aspects of personal and business taxation, both UK and international. The majority of my clients are entrepreneurs with many demands on their time. They need me to anticipate problems, act quickly and provide solutions. As well as advising on long-term structuring and succession planning, I work closely with Fladgate’s real estate, litigation, immigration and corporate teams to ensure that all of my clients’ legal needs are met. I am passionate about Inclusion and Diversity and I am proud to take a leading role in championing I&D within Fladgate.

Helen Curtis-Goulding

I specialise in high value and often complex property sales and acquisitions including freehold and leasehold residential transactions in prime and super prime central London and surrounding areas including new build premises. I have been with Fladgate since 2018 and head up the firm’s Residential Property team. For me, when I think of London, there is no comparison anywhere in the world in terms of a residential real estate market. The varied nature of asset class and differing types of investor makes acting on these transactions both challenging and rewarding in equal measures. No two clients or deals are the same and that keeps you on your toes. When we help clients acquire or dispose of their central London property, you feel part of something much bigger than just conveyancing. We are helping people invest or realise their returns, often with the largest amount of money they have earned in their lives – the responsibility is vast and trust is so important. These are business transactions, albeit with real people at the forefront. The mix of both of these things is what attracted me to this area of law and navigating this well is what I hope sets me apart from your average conveyancer. I act on behalf of many private banks and lending institutions (both on and offshore) in respect of individual loans and large scale portfolio lending. I also act for many boutique developers in respect of securing option agreements, site acquisitions, development and mezzanine funding, site set up and disposals.

Gideon Dabby-Joory

I specialise in real estate investment and complex development work. My expertise spans property finance, asset management and landlord and tenant. I act for a wide range of clients. These include private equity real estate funds, institutional investors, property companies, banks, family offices, operational businesses and entrepreneurs. Many of the clients for whom I act are based overseas. Clients tend to regard me as a trusted advisor and often turn to me for advice which is more commercial in nature and outside my stated specialist area. This is a true compliment and is something that I really enjoy as it enables me not just to avoid thinking as a lawyer but also to be part of the client’s key commercial decision making process. The investment and development asset classes I deal with range from offices and business parks to hotels and leisure taking in specialist ones such as urban markets and cultural as well as heritage landmarks. In recent years, I have also been involved with what in the US is referred to as “multi-family” and in the UK is termed the PRS and BTR sectors. Whilst much of what I do involves acting for investors or landlords, this is not my sole focus and I also act for business occupiers, advising them on their space requirements and expansion programmes. These include headquarters’ relocations, acting for the providers of shared office space and advising high-end retail occupiers.

I lead the Fladgate’s Commercial, Sports & IP team. I have extensive experience in working with the full spectrum of stakeholders across an array of issues in the broad sports field, including national and international governing bodies, funders/investors, teams and clubs alongside rights holders, brands and agencies. I originally trained in South Australia and qualified as a tax lawyer, before moving into work in the sports sector which was cemented by moving to a UK sports law practice in 2005. This was my attempt to mix something I loved with a day job and, some two decades later, it has been a very exciting ride and is a decision I never regret. Working in sport as a lawyer means that your horizon is unlimited in terms of opportunity and work types and it must be one of the fastest changing industries I know of. Probably the greatest part is that my clients are extremely passionate about what they do and why they do it and this genuinely makes concluding deals and solving problems for them all the more satisfying. Sports law is also very multifaceted, meaning that there many legal disciplines involved. To that end, I’ve only ever been able to achieve success by having a lot of talented people around me and that is a key reason why Fladgate has been a great home for me from day one.

Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution.

Partner - Head of Commercial (Cambridge)

Hamilton Forrest

I am a specialist tax lawyer who advises UK and international clients on private client and corporate work. I specialise in real estate taxation, investment structuring (including fund formation), corporate work (mergers and acquisitions, private equity, joint ventures etc.) both in the UK and overseas, employee tax, global mobility, incentive schemes and private capital for high net worth individuals. I act for a wide range of clients, including individuals, SMEs and large multinationals.After attending my first tax law lecture in my final year of university, I knew that I wanted to have a career in tax. I started this at PwC before going on to qualify as a solicitor in the tax department of a large city law firm. I am a member of the Stamp Taxes Practitioners Group. While I enjoy the very technical nature of my area of law, I see myself principally as a facilitator. That is, someone who helps clients achieve what they would like to do.

I specialise in all aspects of commercial real estate with a particular expertise in the hotel and leisure sectors. I am passionate about the built environment, design, sustainability as well as the economics of real estate as an investment. I had no hesitation in specialising in this fascinating and ever changing sector on qualifying over twenty years ago. Whilst I consider myself adaptable with the skill set and experience I have gained, I have a focus on hotels and hotel development and I act for a number of hotel owner-operators (both brand franchised and independent), investors and developers on all real estate related issues including acquisitions and disposals, development, funding, structuring and corporate support.

I am a debt finance lawyer advising largely on fund finance, acquisition finance (including leveraged finance),corporate lending, real estate finance and debt restructuring. I am a Partner in Fladgate's Funds, Finance & Regulatory team. I predominantly advise on debt finance transactions across a wide variety of sectors, including investment funds and asset management, insurance and insurance services, hotels and leisure, technology, house-building, telecommunications, utilities, infrastructure, clean energy, commercial real estate and health and care, both on domestic transactions and those with an international or cross-border element. I have always enjoyed the intellectual challenge of trying to structure and steer clients through potentially complex transactions. This aspect of my practice will likely be of increased significance in the years to come, as different opportunities present themselves as the world slowly revives from the pandemic and technology continues to disrupt even the most established and institutionalised industries. Outside of work, I will nearly always be found playing (in a very average but highly enthusiastic fashion) or watching a wide variety of sports and I also love music of most genres.

I advise individuals facing unfair or abusive criminal allegations abroad and help them to protect themselves, their families and their assets. I have particular expertise in advising high net worth individuals facing politically motivated criminal charges and in handling asylum claims with parallel extradition proceedings. After spending my formative years defending individuals accused of serious crime and represented clients all the way from the police station up to the Court of Appeal, I joined a boutique immigration firm to work on some of the most complex asylum and extradition cases in the UK. My clients are international and are often entrepreneurs. In many jurisdictions, successful or high profile individuals become the subject of abusive and politically motivated allegations. They may be attacked due to direct political involvement but more often it is simply because of their perceived opposition to the authorities in power or as part of an asset grab by the state or their commercial rivals. Alongside defending the individual in extradition proceedings or in asylum and protection claims, I defend ancillary state-led actions against property including Unexplained Wealth Orders and Cash or Asset Forfeiture Proceedings. I have removed several individuals from EU Sanctions following applications to the General Court of the EU. I am experienced in bringing applications to the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files and often remove improperly issued Red Notices. Clients also approach me looking to engage the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations.

As the firm’s Executive Partner, I am responsible for the development and execution of the firm’s overall strategic and partner recruitment objectives. When not doing that, I have a long-standing and highly active client base in the technology, betting & gaming, sport, leisure and resources sectors advising those clients on achieving their business and personal objectives through the delivery of strategic, value-added and solution-orientated structuring, corporate (public and private) and commercial advice.I have been at Fladgate since 2008, having joined from my own firm which I set up in 2005. Initially starting out as a media & entertainment lawyer, I then switched to corporate law where, because of my initial experience with intellectual property (IP) matters, most of my clients emanated from “IP rich” industries such as technology, gaming, leisure and sport. I advise on both the IP and corporate aspects of a transaction in structuring, protecting and exploiting IP assets so as to drive enhanced value-add for my clients. Whilst advising primarily on corporate transactions for clients (spanning everything from seed investments, private and growth capital, initial public offerings (IPO) and mergers & acquisitions), an increasing part of my work has been in advising on the structuring of corporate and private assets internationally including building out private investment and family office structures for clients.

I specialise in capital markets and M&A, with a focus on the natural resources and healthcare sectors. I am primarily a capital markets lawyer, helping entrepreneurial and high-growth companies navigate the complex listing process on LSE’s Main and AIM markets. I pride myself on being able to cut through the complexity and summarise concepts with clear, straightforward explanations of the rules and the commercial impact on my clients. I have been actively involved in the AIM Market since inception in 1995, and have acted as company secretary to a number of listed and AIM companies. I also advise my clients on both public and private M&A transactions. I represent clients across industries ranging from casinos to oil companies, with an emphasis on the natural resources, healthcare, property and financial services sectors. My experience of going down two working gold mines in Africa has given me direct exposure to the mining industry and its day-to-day challenges.

I specialise in property disputes, advising and litigating the full range of commercial and residential property and land disputes. For over 16 years, I have represented ultra-high-net worth and high net-worth individuals, private investors and small to medium size property companies. I am often instructed early on to discuss my clients’ commercial objectives, devise a strategy with them and then implement it, sometimes with litigation. I am often asked to advise on development issues such as restrictive covenants, rights to light, seeking possession from protected tenants and easements, as well as contested joint venture agreements and shareholder disputes. I enjoy being asked proactively to problem solve situations for my clients and the personal relationships that I have managed to develop with them. I also regularly assist clients to protect their property portfolios and, through this, have developed a deep understanding of a broad range of property management issues including possessions, arrears, dilapidations and contested consents. I represent clients in court, tribunals, arbitrations and adjudications and particularly enjoy engaging in complex settlement discussions, thinking laterally and sometimes outside of the main issues in dispute to find a commercially acceptable resolution to clients’ problems. The Fladgate personal approach to service and client base really appealed to me when I decided to move firms. It fits in identically with the way I like to act for clients, which presents a very exciting opportunity going forward. The firm already has an outstanding reputation in the market and I am delighted to have identified such a strong internal culture too. With that backdrop, there can only be even greater opportunities to deepen relationships as our clients’ trusted advisors. Outside of work I spend my time with wife and young family, and I am a keen runner. Having never run a marathon before, I took the opportunity to use lockdown to train for my first ultra-marathon, a 100km race from London to Brighton, to raise money for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

I specialise in property disputes, advising and litigating the full range of commercial and residential property and land disputes. For over 16 years, I have represented ultra-high-net worth and high net-worth individuals, private investors and small to medium size property companies. I am often instructed early on to discuss my clients’ commercial objectives, devise a strategy with them and then implement it, sometimes with litigation. I am often asked to advise on development issues such as restrictive covenants, rights to light, seeking possession from protected tenants and easements, as well as contested joint venture agreements and shareholder disputes. I enjoy being asked proactively to problem solve situations for my clients and the personal relationships that I have managed to develop with them. I also regularly assist clients to protect their property portfolios and, through this, have developed a deep understanding of a broad range of property management issues including possessions, arrears, dilapidations and contested consents. I represent clients in court, tribunals, arbitrations and adjudications and particularly enjoy engaging in complex settlement discussions, thinking laterally and sometimes outside of the main issues in dispute to find a commercially acceptable resolution to clients’ problems. The Fladgate personal approach to service and client base really appealed to me when I decided to move firms. It fits in identically with the way I like to act for clients, which presents a very exciting opportunity going forward. The firm already has an outstanding reputation in the market and I am delighted to have identified such a strong internal culture too. With that backdrop, there can only be even greater opportunities to deepen relationships as our clients’ trusted advisors. Outside of work I spend my time with wife and young family, and I am a keen runner. Having never run a marathon before, I took the opportunity to use lockdown to train for my first ultra-marathon, a 100km race from London to Brighton, to raise money for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

Amanda Hado-Bodfield

I specialise in acquisitions and disposals, with a focus on development and development financing of commercial multi-assets and mixed-use schemes. I also advise on all aspects of lettings, pre-lettings and asset management. I advise clients on a wide range of real estate issues, ranging from investment acquisitions and disposals to development schemes and development finance and leasehold portfolio management and corporate work. My clients operate across a range of sectors including industrial, hotels, student accommodation, retail and office properties. Working for a wide range of clients provides me with broad expertise, which I apply to the work I do for my clients. I am known for giving commercial, pragmatic, big picture advice whilst being thorough and diligent on the detail as my recent deal list demonstrates. I promote and engender a great degree of teamwork and collaboration (with my clients too) and am committed to the promotion of Team Fladgate and the delivery of an effective, quality service on time!

I am a Competition, Regulatory and Commercial lawyer advising companies in technology driven sectors on their day-to-day commercial and regulatory needs. I advise many start-up and high growth companies on their legal requirements and in obtaining outside investment to scale-up their businesses. I act as a trusted advisor to my clients, an extension of their internal team. I'm not just there for specific legal matters as they arise, but to help companies and their shareholders/investors develop a strategy which minimises and deals with any legal risk. In practical terms, I advise on competition issues raised by commercial agreements, behavioural practices, acquisitions and joint ventures; regulatory and broader commercial matters in the Media, Technology, Telecoms, Sports, Pharmaceuticals and Education sectors; and structuring, commercial and IP matters affecting entrepreneurs and investors in growth companies. I am a regular contributor to the written and spoken press on legal issues affecting technology based companies. I am passionate about using my knowledge and contacts to help industries navigate legal and regulatory challenges. I am an active board member of industry trade bodies, including LawinSport, and the Association for Interactive Media and Micropayments (AIMM).

I specialise in venture capital, private equity and M&A, advising high-growth, early-stage companies and investors on capital raises, acquisitions, exits and joint ventures. I am a multilingual lawyer with an international practice that focuses in particular on western and central Europe.I represent innovative start-up and scale-up companies and their investors across all areas of the venture and growth capital ecosystem. I am constantly amazed at the array of original business ideas and talented, passionate founders that I encounter in this work, and I am privileged to be able to play a part in helping them to achieve success. I particularly enjoy the challenge of structuring transactions in order to strike the balance of alignment of interests between founders and investors that is so crucial to success. I also enjoy bringing the diverse range of expertise within Fladgate to bear in order to help our clients to achieve their goals. I act for a range of investors including VC funds, corporate venture divisions, family offices and HNWIs, and understand the particular dynamics that each investor type brings. A lot of my work is international and I enjoy working with clients and lawyers in other countries to deliver complex cross-border projects.

I specialise in advising developers and property investors on planning and related development issues such as rights to light, compulsory purchase and land contamination. I advise on both non-contentious issues and contentious matters. I have been advising clients for over 30 years and joined Fladgate from Essex County Council more than 20 years ago. Planning has been in a state of constant change since I was a trainee solicitor, as has the expectation of clients. I make sure that I really understand what my clients are trying to achieve, what their priorities are and how they like to work (some clients prefer to read everything, others next to nothing). I draw on my experience in both the public sector and in private practice to give advice that is user friendly, commercial and practicable. My clients range from large house builders and commercial developers to private clients and public institutions.

I specialise in helping clients to structure and execute complex acquisitions, disposals and fundraisings in both the public and private markets. I look after a diverse group of clients, ranging from established multi-nationals and high-growth disruptors, through to alternative asset managers, UHNWIs and their family offices. While I have developed deep expertise across a range of sectors including, notably, in the Energy & Industrials; Consumer; and Real Estate spaces, a significant part of my practice is focused on the Technology sector and I find that the driving forces of technological change and disruption are common threads which run through the majority of the situations which I advise on. Although I quickly learnt as a trainee solicitor that the job didn’t involve anything like the level of glamour that I had lead myself to expect, from the moment I helped to close my first corporate transaction (a reverse takeover), I was hooked on the buzz of the deal and the amazing sense of satisfaction that comes from working with a team of like-minded people to achieve a common goal. While that same buzz and sense of satisfaction has kept me enthused and coming back for more ever since, I am lucky enough to have worked on a broad array of transactions across multiple sectors and jurisdictions over the years and I have found that this variety of experience has been invaluable in developing the balance between due care and a pragmatic and solution oriented approach to getting the job done which my clients value. I’m a great believer in the importance of education for all, so outside of work, I sit on the board of governors for a federation of four schools in my local area.

I am a debt finance lawyer advising largely on fund finance, corporate lending, acquisition finance, real estate finance and debt restructuring. I am a Partner in Fladgate's Funds, Finance & Regulatory team. I qualified in 1997 and have extensive experience of debt finance transactions and relationship management in the funds, asset management, private equity, insurance, lending, technology, telecommunications, utilities, infrastructure, commercial real estate, hotels, health and care areas. I recently joined the FF&R team to work with colleagues who advise on what are the main aspects of my practice: debt finance, usually involving investment funds and invariably within a regulated sector. As do I, those colleagues act on domestic and cross-border matters in a variety of fields. In advising through a number of upturns and downturns and also stabler periods, I have developed and maintained a broad practice so as to be able to offer clients several potential ways to achieve their commercial aims. Structuring transactions, as well as executing them, has therefore become an important part of my work. I have a keen interest in sport which has refocused over the years from participating to spectating and encouraging my children, though I still play tennis and run a fair bit. As an exile to London from the North West of England, I remain a devoted fan of the football, rugby and cricket teams I grew up supporting!

I specialise in corporate and commercial law often with international (cross-border) elements, such as M&A, joint ventures, IT and supply chain contracts, agency and distribution networks. I am qualified as a solicitor in England and a Rechtsanwalt in Germany. My job is to assist the clients to get deals done, be it an acquisition or sale of a business or the negotiation of a contractual trading relationship with customers or suppliers. I act for a number of UK and international clients across industries ranging from manufacturing companies to service providers in the online business sector. My clients range from SMEs to large international companies and groups, including the Knauf Group, Carl Zeiss and DZ Bank. As I am qualified as a solicitor in England and Germany, my practice has a particular focus on cross-border transactions and matters involving the German speaking countries of the EU and the UK. My experience spans more than 20 years of advising clients in connection with national and international transactions and agreements. I enjoy providing my clients with both legal advice as well as strategic guidance on negotiating tactics and skills. I am a contributor to various legal publications and a frequent speaker at conferences and events.

I am an experienced transactional lawyer specialising in commercial property, leading negotiations on complex projects involving town centres, retail parks, logistics and industrial properties, shopping centres, nursing homes, hotels and other leisure properties, major office developments, data centres, petrol stations and mixed user schemes. I advise on reconstructions, debt-acquisition and other schemes in a variety of structures and have also advised on asset sale and corporate transactions on cross-border European deals. My clients include US, European and UK property investors and funds and has an intuitive understanding of the needs of family offices in relation to their transactions as well as their succession planning and strategic development.

I am a specialist in investment, corporate occupier and landlord and tenant real estate work. I qualified in 1996 and have worked at Berwin Leighton (now BCLP), subsequently becoming a partner in 2007 at Olswang and then CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang. From 2000 to 2004, I was a lawyer at a US investment bank. I joined Fladgate in November 2018. I specialises in commercial real estate, advising investors and corporate occupiers. I have particular experience and expertise in investment work (especially complex portfolio transactions, sales and leasebacks, and complex pre-lettings), and landlord and tenant work (acting for both landlords and major corporate occupiers). I thrive on strong personal relationships with my clients, and seek to work with them in a way that suits them individually. I have enjoyed working with most of them for many years. I use my experience as a client from when I worked at a US bank as a constant reminder to see my work and approach transactions through a client’s eyes. I enjoy the contrast and need to adapt between the often purely commercial approach of investor clients and the often highly bespoke and personal practical requirements of a corporate occupier.

Mythily Katsaris

I lead the India Desk with Sunil Sheth, and I am the head of the Luxury Assets Group, and I am our Inclusion and Diversity partner. I am dual-qualified in England and Wales as well as India. I am recognised by Legal 500, Chambers and the India Business Law Journal for my specialism in cross-border acquisitions and joint ventures. I have particular expertise in advising entrepreneurs on a variety of business interests, including real estate, manufacturing, hospitality and leisure. After qualifying as a lawyer in India, while working for a former Solicitor General, I came to London to study at the LSE. I then joined Fladgate as a newly qualified solicitor, where I rose through the ranks to become the youngest female partner at the firm in 2013. My clients include Indian companies and HNW individuals from the Indian diaspora. I also advise companies wishing to do business in India. I have a pragmatic approach when advising clients who appreciate my handling of difficult situations with tact, calm and a positive, can-do attitude. I provide innovative commercial solutions to a wide ranging client base. I have particularly enjoyed advising on the sale and purchase of container ships, private jets, helicopters, vintage cars, boutique hotels, restaurants and more. When not lawyering with my clients, I am busy being a trustee of Sense UK, a charity for people with complex disabilities and a member of their Finance and Audit Committee. I am also a trustee of Kamal India Foundation UK and a member of the Development Committee of PAN Intercultural Arts.I was shortlisted in the professional category for the Women of the Future Awards 2017, and have since been an ambassador of the programme. I speak Hindi, Tamil and Greek.

I specialise in advising on corporate transactions including M&A, joint ventures, private equity and venture capital investments as well as restructurings. I have extensive experience in advising on cross-border transactions with a particular emphasis on Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and the Benelux and Nordic countries. I am first and foremost a transactional lawyer who specialises in advising on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance transactions of all kinds, as well as on corporate joint ventures. I feel lucky that I am able to say that I enjoy what I do. My enjoyment comes from advising and helping clients and, in doing so, working with driven and talented people. My practice has a strong international element. For my international clients, I act as extension of their legal team in relation to their UK businesses, advising on legal issues that their business or investment may encounter in the UK. As their first point of contact, I coordinate the response within our firm and ensure that the client gets exactly what they require, within the timeframe they need it in. As a native German speaker, I am particularly well known for advising clients from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We have a fantastic team of German speakers in the firm who can advise clients from the German speaking regions in all core areas of English law. We understand the differences between business and legal cultures home and abroad and are adept at bridging these, thereby delivering real added value to our clients’ UK businesses.

I have been with Fladgate for over 30 years, for about half of which my main specialism was real estate disputes. Work for a corporate client led me to diversify into broader civil and commercial disputes, though often (but by no means always) with real estate at their heart in one way or another. As my clients’ businesses grew so has the breadth and depth of my practice. Over the years I have acted in a wide range of challenging disputes, and has extensive experience of the full range of processes, whether court claims, arbitration, expert determination, mediation and always negotiation whenever possible. Different cases and clients require different approaches, but the common objective is to resolve the problem in the best way for the client. A win is terrific. Still as the song goes, you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime you find, you get what you need (with thanks to the Rolling Stones for that piece of wisdom).

I am a multi-national corporate lawyer with over 35 years’ experience helping dynamic and innovative Israeli clients navigate corporate and commercial activities in the UK. I specialise in managing complex transactions across capital markets and lower-mid market M&A with deals ranging from £5-100m. I am qualified to practise in England and Wales, Israel, New York, New Zealand and Victoria Australia. My client base is a blend of corporates, family offices and high net worth individuals. I pride myself on collaborating closely with my clients, putting myself in their shoes and supporting them from deal inception to completion. My approach is relationship-centric, building strong and long-lasting relationships with my clients. I have many clients for whom I have been acting for over 30 years and in some circumstances, in relation to some of these families, I am now acting for the third generation. Born in the United States, I was raised and educated in Israel where prior to attending university I completed three years national service. Upon my discharge I attended the Hebrew University where I firstly graduated in politics and international relations and subsequently, in 1985, I graduated in law. Following graduation I then trained under two Supreme Court judges (Justices Bejski and Barak) which included working on a commission of enquiry known as the Bejski Commission into the collapse of the banking system in Israel. My journey then took me briefly to New York where I passed the bar, and then for family reasons I moved to the United Kingdom where I was employed at a small multi-national law firm based in London with branches in New York and Auckland. Shortly thereafter I moved to Fladgate on 1 May 1989 and I have been happily practising here ever since. When I joined Fladgate it was a small practice of some 20 partners and over the years I have made an integral contribution to its growth into the large and successful practise it is today.

I am a specialist investment funds lawyer and head of the Funds, Finance and Regulatory team at Fladgate. I have particular expertise in alternative asset classes including debt, renewables, infrastructure, and venture capital. I am also an expert in Islamic Finance, advising on e.g. commodity Murabaha and Ijara lease transactions. I joined Fladgate in 2003 bringing my investment funds and Islamic finance capability. I love working with first time fund managers who are absolute experts in their asset class. They need my help with structuring in the best way possible, to achieve a successful fundraise and an attractive IRR for investors. I always want to know about their ambitions first: when they look back in 5 to 7 years what will be an excellent result for them? When I understand that, I can point out, and help them step round, any pitfalls. Accomplishing the art of the difficult together with my clients is my aim. Making sure that the next generation has all the benefits of a first class education is extremely important. I sit on the Council of Clifton College in Bristol, I am an active member of two grant giving educational charities and chaired the PACT Educational Trust board for over 10 years.

I specialise in mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, private equity and the structuring of transactions in the hotel and leisure, renewables and real estate and co-working sectors. Since 2019 I have combined a busy practice with being the firm’s finance partner.Currently I am an active partner in our corporate and mergers & acquisitions practice, as well acting as the firm's Finance Partner, and between September 2019 and March 2021 I held the role of acting Chief Operating Officer. My practice now focuses on the hospitality sector, in particular advising on hotel acquisitions, disposals, funding, joint ventures & structured real estate transactions as well as general mergers & acquisitions particularly for management owned and controlled businesses. My experience and expertise comes to the fore when I am advising the entrepreneurs and decision makers behind any deal.I have acted on the sale of numerous family owned and management controlled businesses. I have considerable experience of structuring and negotiating joint ventures especially in the property development space. Whilst working at Betterware I structured and negotiated a joint venture with Avon Products the well-known global direct selling business. We established ventures in Central and South America and Eastern Europe to sell housewares using the Betterware territorial based direct selling system. I acted for Tomkins selling off most of their industrial businesses in the UK. More recently, I was instrumental in finalising negotiations between a family office client and the GLA for a major residential-led riverside development in London.In addition to practising law in private practice, I have also spent four years running a high net worth private office, whilst acting as Group Legal Counsel to the family controlled listed business Betterware PLC. Subsequently, I was one of three directors who then took Betterware private in a £126m deal with funding from Bridgepoint and CSFB. This unique combination of experience allows me to fully understand the client perspective (having been one for 8 years!) and I bring my unusually diverse experience to the table to close transactions calmly and efficiently.

I specialise in all aspects of commercial real estate work, particularly in acquisition and disposal work, both freehold and leasehold, primarily in relation to the retail and leisure sectors and with general landlord and tenant matters. My additional areas of expertise include investment, secured lending, telecoms, development and portfolio management. I am very passionate about real estate and the wider property market and have always enjoyed working collaboratively and positively with my clients, colleagues together with the other side and their professional team to ensure a positive outcome for everybody. The beauty and satisfaction of a property transaction is that in the main it is non-confrontational and both parties therefore have similar objectives to achieve a desired result with which they are both happy. I also really enjoy the fact that I operate in such a fast moving and ever changing sector and have the opportunity to regularly help my clients to get their real estate deals done. I find it immensely satisfying on deals to be able to regularly see the buildings that formed part of those transactions as there is no doubt that this gives you a real personal connection to those properties. I act for clients ranging from family offices, private banks, entrepreneurs, private investors (both onshore and offshore) and quoted companies to leading operators in the retail and leisure sectors . I have always had a real interest in the leisure market whether it be restaurants, gyms, bowling alleys, cinemas or casinos and am a member and director of the Leisure Property Forum which is the leading industry body.

Helena Luckhurst

I specialise in tax and legal issues affecting family wealth holding vehicles, inheritances and estate planning. I have over 20 years’ experience advising on family wealth holding vehicles (wills, trusts and corporate entities) and related issues. I also help plan family wealth transfers and inheritances. My clients are individuals, trustees, personal representatives of estates and attorneys/families with incapacitated family members; UK based and abroad; sometimes relocating in or out of the UK. My work often has an international angle. Inheritance Tax mitigation is a particular interest; an issue affecting many of my clients. It’s so rewarding helping my clients find answers to tricky questions affecting their own, unique circumstances. Law and tax in this area can be extremely complex and bemusing. I help my clients evaluate their options in order to reach the right conclusions. It’s a personal process, sometimes conducted in difficult circumstances. I aim to provide timely, sensitive but cheerful assistance, delivered with a commercial eye.

Michael McCartney

I am an experienced employment law specialist, working with clients across a range of sectors on all aspects of employment law. I have a particular specialism in cross border and high value High Court disputes and I am qualified to practice in both the UK and Ireland. I have been an employment lawyer for over 20 years spending the majority of my time helping corporate clients to have worthwhile and mutually beneficial relationships with their employees and workers. My focus is primarily on avoiding disputes with employees or resolving them when they occur. I have a background in litigation and my practice, although broad-based in employment law, encompasses a particular specialism for high value High Court disputes. I have both defended and prosecuted multiple team move cases involving damages of up to $100m. I have an interest in cross border employee disputes, including anti-suit injunctions, multi-jurisdictional claims, and have previously litigated claims in India, the Isle of Man and the Republic of Ireland. I am a member of the Employment Lawyers Association, and the American Bar Association Labor and Employment Law International Section. I have been at Fladgate since 2015 moving from the London office of a Canadian law firm, where I was the UK Head of Employment.

I am a real estate finance lawyer who has a passion for getting deals done. I have a genuine interest and in-depth knowledge in the real estate industry and in clients’ businesses – drivers, crunch points and key issues. I really focus on the practicalities of a deal – cash flow, payment dates, what ifs. I insist on hands on project management, ensuring I am in top of all moving pieces of a transaction to make the process as seamless and efficient as possible. I work with lenders and borrowers in all areas of real estate investment and development deals. I have worked across a wide range of sectors - housebuilding, student accommodation, care homes, regeneration, hotels and leisure, industrial retail and data centres. I really value relationships, be it with clients, colleagues and contemporaries and enjoy having a strong network in this great industry. I have always enjoyed the headline industry events - MIPIM and the annual APL dinner – which provide wonderful opportunities to catch up with many friends and colleagues, shoot the breeze on what’s happening in the industry and just catch up (sorely missed in lockdown). I am privileged to have been consistently listed as a rated individual in Legal 500, Chambers and Best Lawyers. It is immensely flattering to get such a recommendation from clients and peers. I am an avid champion of fairness and equality, which has inevitably led to my heavy involvement in Inclusion and Diversity. l am proud to champion the firm’s LGBTQ+ Group, which we named “Without Prejudice” – a form of commitment in itself. I am also proud to chair the firm’s CSR platform, with three sub teams focussing on Philanthropy, Environmental and Give Back and am thrilled to see engagement and proactivity in this key area.

My job is to help people raise finance or lend against assets, no matter how unusual the asset class nor how challenging the circumstances – I am here to assist you and achieve your aims. My 20 years’ industry experience and proactive, ‘can do’ attitude means that I will always be a valuable member of your advisory team. I am experienced, engaged, hard working, available, responsive and genuinely lead from the front. My aim from the outset is to understand your needs and pressures and work with you side-by-side to meet those needs and alleviate those pressures – your problem will most definitely become mine until we find a solution.

I specialise in investment funds, indirect real estate investment vehicles, joint ventures, club deals and management arrangements for property investment and development as well as M&A transactions for corporate wrapped real estate assets. I advise fund managers and sponsors, real estate companies, developers and investors in respect of investment funds, indirect real estate structures, joint ventures, club deals and management arrangements for property investment and development as well as M&A transactions for corporate wrapped real estate assets. Ultimately, I help clients achieve their objectives and find solutions to problems which may arise along the way. I work with a wide range of domestic and overseas clients and have advised asset management companies such as Aviva Investors and Schroders; sovereign wealth funds such as ADIA and ADIC, real estate companies such as Land Securities, Segro, Hammerson, Grosvenor and GPE; pension funds such as APG, Alecta and the BP Pension Scheme; real estate private equity managers such as Mitheridge, Brockton and Mansford as well as many HNWIs and family offices. I have a broad experience which has ranged from the establishment of £500m+ real estate fund launches and advising clients in respect of some of London’s most well-known buildings such as Park House Oxford Street, 100 Bishopsgate, 30 St Mary Axe (Gherkin), Bowater House (now One Hyde Park), Camden Lock, 120 London Wall (Moor House) and 20 Gracechurch Street and on the most expensive residential sale in the UK through to establishing £10m first time funds and advising clients on simple asset management agreements, and most things in between.

I am a specialist in debt finance, with a particular focus on sports & media, green energy & cleantech, projects & infrastructure. "Focus on the solution, not on the problem.” Jim Rohn I like to help people raise finance or lend against assets, no matter how challenging – by having the vision to understand the right route to the solution. I also like cycling and coffee (not necessarily in that order). The pandemic has changed the landscape and we are feeling our way out of it. These are challenging times for everyone. With over 20 years’ experience in helping clients debt finance a broad range of difficult asset classes, I realise the need to be adaptable. To understand and embrace new technologies and to help others find solutions, to see around corners. My clients include a variety of lenders, debt funds, PE houses, investors, HNWIs, family offices and turn-around specialists. A common theme is they are entrepreneurial. My mantra is to be personal, agile, clever, enterprising. I like to call it the Art of the Difficult. Helping you raise finance or lend against assets, no matter how challenging. Asset classes include sports & media, green energy & cleantech, projects & infrastructure, art and other high value assets, growth capital.

I am a partner in the real estate department with over 30 years’ experience in property litigation matters.I specialise in all aspects of property litigation, vendor/purchaser disputes, rights of light issues, easement disputes etc. but have a soft spot for commercial landlord and tenant disputes and in particular, those involving the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 - It's just one of those acts - it makes me smile. I like leases – short, long, old or new. I do not discriminate. I have over 30 years’ experience of them and, of course, all other types of property disputes. I give strategic, often innovative, commercial advice. I have been told I am the funniest lawyer people know – I’m never sure that’s a good thing – although whilst I put up an excellent fight when necessary, I’m keen to resolve the issues between parties to facilitate their often ongoing relationship - settlement with a smile. I act for a wide range of clients - large corporations to entrepreneurs, both landlords and tenants, those in retail, hospitality, entertainment - those involved in office space and those dealing with industrial sheds. Notable clients are Odeon, Origin Housing, Penguin Random House, YO! Sushi and Beaverbrooks The Jewellers.

I am a trusted adviser to clients in the real estate sector and specialises in the acquisition, disposal and management of real estate investments, real estate development and corporate headquarters (HQ) relocations. I offer clients a solution focused, commercial approach often acting on complicated transactions with competing stakeholders (such as large scale development transactions involving local authorities on master plan developments, joint venture partners and/or development managers). My client’s include leading property funds and asset managers including Capreon and Ares Management and real estate developers, advising on transactions covering a variety of asset classes such as office, retail, leisure and industrial properties and large residential development schemes. As investors increasingly look for greater returns in a competitive market I work hand in hand with clients to manage and deliver transactions often involving bespoke and novel arrangements aligned to their funding and exit strategy. In addition to advising real estate investors and developers I also act for household names advising on their occupational requirements, with a particular expertise for HQ relocations and the inherently personal nature of such transactions. I practiced for a number of years at a leading City law firm before moving to Fladgate LLP in 2018.

I specialise in a range of commercial property work for clients based in the UK and also overseas. The matters I handle for clients include investments, developments, finance and co-ventures. To paraphrase from Legal 500 2021; I am regarded as a “superb lawyer”. What makes me stand out within the industry is my highly commercial and entrepreneurial approach both to legal advice and to relationships. From a deal point of view, it is my creative approach that helps navigate through tricky roadblocks. From a relationship point of view, I will see potential business connections between clients and contacts and make them happen. This brings an enormous amount of additional value to clients and, I think, colleagues. I have worked in the world of real estate for over 36 years. My clients are based in the UK as well as overseas. Some are private families (or individuals) and others are institutions. They carry-out a range of transactions – commercial and residential; development and investment; lenders and borrowers; short-term and long term strategies; principals and their investors. I understand my clients and their objectives and make myself available to my clients to talk about and guide them through the issues and opportunities that arise.

I use my legal skills and experience to prevent or solve problems in a variety of business areas. I can help with most commercial contracts, IP issues, GDPR compliance, e-commerce terms, consumer terms or technology contracts. I have been a lawyer for 30 years and I have spent half of my career at Fladgate. I hope I am not as crusty as that sounds. I still get a buzz out of working with clients to help them achieve their business plans or sort out an issue that may be causing them to lose sleep. I have experience and expertise across a wide range of commercial legal issues, and I deliver my advice with a healthy dose of pragmatism and ‘gut feel’. And jokes of dubious taste. Many people are surprised to learn that I started out as a disputes lawyer; I began to specialise in intellectual property issues, and from there gained experience in other areas that often go hand in hand with IP, such as commercial contracts and technology issues. Since I joined Fladgate, I have picked up considerable experience in hotel industry contracts. All of these areas are often intertwined in a business context, and I enjoy the fact that in many cases I can provide a practical way forward which ticks lots of specialist boxes.

Charles Proctor

I specialise in regulatory matters for banks and investment firms. I am also active in various specialised banking transactional fields, including asset-based lending and Shariah-compliant financing structures. I have extensive experience in the banking and financial sectors, especially in matters with an international dimension. My background includes some nine years working in South East Asia. During the financial crisis, I acted for numerous banks that were facing the insolvency of their counterparties – frequently, other banks! I made a speciality of the Greek debt crisis and the risk that the drachma might be revived. I have always believed that problems are eternal, and that the future belongs to those who seek to solve them. I have helped banks and others with the challenges of post-Brexit financial regulation and how to maintain their services. I have advised banks on the abolition of the LIBOR benchmark and the options for its replacement. I believe that problems are the constant of our world, and that the future belongs to those who fashion the solutions!

I specialise in advising clients on complex and strategic workplace employment and partnership matters including contract negotiations, resolving workplace issues, reorganisations, exits and post-termination disputes. I have spent over 20 years helping clients to achieve their people-related business aims or sorting out people issues causing them concern or trouble. The area has become increasingly complex over time, is constantly involving and my role is to help clients clearly navigate the issues to achieve the best outcome for them. I act for a wide range of clients from multi-national corporations who are household names to start-up businesses and directors/senior management, particularly those in the media, technology, financial services and professional services sectors. A common theme in the issues I advise on is that they are personal, often-urgent and sensitive and have to be handled at pace with clients wanting a practical and clear way forward. I have experience in all aspects of employment law from data protection issues, contract negotiations, business acquisitions and disposals, outsourcing, international and domestic reorganisations to disputes (including whistleblowing and discrimination) and protection of confidential information and post termination restrictions.

I specialise in real estate development and finance, investment work and corporate occupiers. I am here to help clients find solutions to their problems and to deliver their transactions. My approach is to look for pragmatic answers and to implement them with as little complication as possible. Clients need a calm and reassuring helping hand as they engage in deals which can be very stressful for them. I collaborate with lawyers across the firm to provide this and deliver inventive and practical solutions.

I advise wealthy individuals, their families and the institutions that advise them in respect of their private wealth. I have particular expertise in advising business owning families. My formative years as a lawyer were spent with a London based global law firm; this provided an experience of company and commercial law that allows me to provide advice to individuals and families in a way that takes into account the commercial aspects of clients’ affairs much more than would otherwise be the case. Private clients often think of their business and personal assets as very closely connected and understanding their interaction is important in order to advise comprehensively. Entrepreneurs form a large part of my client base and frequently they have an international element to their affairs. A lot of my work concerns the transfer of business interests from one generation to the next in a way that is tax efficient and meets their commercial and personal objectives. Helping a client’s business and their family in this way can be hugely satisfying work. There are many clients I look after that I admire; many are successful as result of pursuing their goals and hard work. They have then used their wealth creatively for the benefit of others whether in business or otherwise.

I specialise in equity capital markets and in both public company and private company mergers and acquisitions (M&A). In over twenty five years at Fladgate, I have acted on numerous initial public offerings (IPOs) on the London Stock Exchange’s Main Market and AIM Market, including dual listings, as well as secondary fundraisings and other transactions for both listed companies and their financial advisers. I have advised on takeovers, both by way of offer and scheme of arrangement. My clients like to break new ground and I enjoy the legal challenges that brings. As a result, I have acted on: the first cryptocurrency company to list on the LSE, Argo Blockchain; the first esports business to list on the LSE, Guild Esports; and the first pure-play FMCG cannabinoid listing on the LSE, Cellular Goods. My private company M&A practice spans many sectors but I have particular experience in publishing (both books and journals) I acted for Random House on the acquisition of the majority shareholding in BBC Books and for Penguin Books on the sale of The Rough Guides.

I am a specialist in development, and bespoke transactions and financings involving real estate. I am passionate about all things real estate, especially the impact on real estate investment, development and financing brought about by our changing world. I led the Fladgate Brownfield campaign to promote the opportunities for clients presented by brownfield redevelopment. My experience covers all areas of UK real estate (investment, development, landlord and tenant, financing, alternative asset classes, corporate real estate needs) but my niche is dealing with the bespoke and the complex. Drawing on the skill and support of our tight knit team at Fladgate spanning all specialisations needed to support complex real estate transactions, I really add value for my clients by delivering their transactions in an agile and efficient manner. My aim is to produce clever, commercial and practical solutions that cut through the issues quickly. My priority is providing my clients with a highly personal service to meet their specific business needs and anticipating their future requirements. I act for a number of developers creating bespoke solutions to assist them in maximising value from their assets and promoting efficiency of process. I have significant experience acting for lenders, especially alternative funders and private banks, working with their teams to support them in delivering the highest possible service to their clients by creating solutions which mitigate and quantify lender risk to enable deals to proceed at speed.

Julian Scharfer

I am a specialist in real estate investment, acting for investors and developers. I have been with Fladgate since 1997 having joined as a trainee and developed my practice and career at the firm. My expertise is in leading teams on large transactions and taking the stress out of the transaction for the client, making the transaction as pleasant and exciting a process as possible. Managing a multi-faceted team comprising expertise in real estate, tax, planning and construction in order to achieve results often in very tight timeframes is my speciality. My clients include seasoned investors and developers, most of whom are high net worth individuals and family offices, who clearly have enjoyed the experience and come back for more. I combine experience, ingenuity and not a small amount of humour to discover new angles, solve problems, and forge close relationships with my clients and their professional teams.In my “spare time” I am a full time dad, trustee of a number of charities and active within my local community.

Partner and Head of Insurance

I am a partner in Fladgate’s corporate team. I specialise in M&A, Joint Ventures and Investment Funds. I like to provide clear commercial advice to clients on transactions that are often complex, multi-faceted or cross-jurisdictional. I approach deals by thinking commercially, anticipating issues and solving problems, and I really enjoy working on complex deals with fast moving sophisticated clients. Legal500 has recommended me on several occasions. They have referred to me a "quick thinker with very good people skills" and as someone who has "an exceptional understanding of the nuances of transactions". I have written or maintain various publications, including: Fladgate’s Guide to “Doing Business in the UK” Fladgate’s M&A Tracker BVCA’s Guides to Real Estate Funds and Fund Restructurings Practical Law's Note on Real Estate Joint Ventures Mondaq’s Comparative Guide to M&A All of which are available on request.

I am Fladgate's Senior Partner, with overall leadership of the firm. This involves ensuring that the partnership achieves its strategic goals while focusing on engagement and communication both internally and externally. I also co-lead the India Desk with Mythily Katsaris, and I am recognised for my expertise in advising Indian companies, and overseas companies wanting to do business in India, as well as high net worth clients from the Indian diaspora. I have been dealing with companies and entrepreneurs in India since the mid-1980s, and under my leadership, Fladgate’s India team has established a market reputation as leading advisers to Indian companies and high net worth individuals. My clients benefit from my wider knowledge of international tax and estate planning, wealth management and private funds. I have a wealth of contacts in India, not just with intermediaries such as lawyers and accountants, but also with promoters and controlling shareholders of significant companies. I advise clients in sectors including financial services, real estate, infrastructure, hotels and hospitality. I am passionate about leveraging resources and influence to meet the needs of vulnerable people in societies, and have led major philanthropic efforts to do so. I have chaired the disability rights charity Sense International since 2011 and been a trustee since 2004. I am also the Chair of Anti-Slavery International, a UK charity established in 1839 and regarded as the oldest human rights organisation in the world. I am a trustee of The Hospice Biographers, a charity which offers terminally ill patients the chance to have their life stories professionally recorded on audio for their pleasure and relief, and for their families to hear their voices and memories for generations to come. I was a trustee of One World Media Trust and a trustee of Victim Support, where I acted as Vice Chair from 2007-2010 and was also Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee. I was also a Founder of the Society of Asian Lawyers, and was Chair of the organisation for many years.

I am a debt finance partner with over 22 years’ experience across real estate, corporate lending and leverage finance and has been involved in a number of restructuring transactions. I work as part of a wider Funds, Finance and Regulatory team at Fladgate which gives me access to the best specialist advice to fit any transaction together with the wider capabilities across Fladgate. It is more than just about the legal documentation for me, it is about understanding my clients' businesses and really getting into the commercial side. This enables me to be able to give advice rather than just the options. It is about finding the solutions not the problems and taking the work off my clients', invariably very full, plates! I advise lenders and borrowers on both domestic and cross-border transactions. My experience includes acting on structured mezzanine and senior debt financing, restructurings and investment and development financings for financial institutions, fund structures and corporate vehicles. I have particular expertise in the hotel, student accommodation and PRS sectors and involved in both development and investment financings. I also have experience in cross border financings including in Germany, Monaco and Switzerland.

I specialise in mergers and acquisitions including joint ventures, disposals, private equity, venture capital and corporate governance work. I have particular expertise in advising high net worth family offices, entrepreneurs and business start-ups on a wide range of global business interests including bridging finance, corporate real estate projects, hotels, leisure, retail, media and battery storage projects. I have acted for clients including Yoo Capital, Alternative Bridging Corporation, National Lighting Group, Gallery Direct, Angels Fancy Dress, Strawberry Star, Miroma Group and Sadita Group. I am a founding trustee of the London Legal Support Trust, a national charity that provides financial support to pro bono legal advice centres. I also sit on the boards of several other UK charitable foundations and was recently admitted to the Livery of The City of London Solicitors’ Company, and I am a Freeman of the City of London.

I advise on a wide range of private client law matters for individuals, families and trustees with particular emphasis on Inheritance Tax and estate planning for domestic and international high net worth clients. If I have a USP it is that I try to put myself into my client’s shoes. What do they want, what are they trying to achieve, how do we achieve it? My job is to find answers, not more questions, and to explain them in a straightforward way, to be able to understand the issue as the client sees it. My experience encompasses trust & estate administration as well as advising on ATED and CGT related issues in relation to property investment and acquisition. I provide a bespoke and holistic service to my clients – often including generations of families, private individuals, trustees and estates. I love what I do and I hope that passion comes out in my work. I am lucky to be surrounded by like-minded people and Fladgate has the best team around for private client work. Communication is key, both within the team and with the clients. I advise on the re-structuring of off-shore trusts, including the trusts inheritance tax liabilities, capital gains tax and stamp duty land tax issues. Typical assets include residential and commercial property in a number of jurisdictions, including the UK and the Common Reporting Standard. Advising the Family Office on Estate Planning for future generations and Philanthropic ideas. When not working I enjoy cycling, sailing and skiing, not all at the same time. As a golf widower I also have time to indulge my passion for building things. One kit car (a bonding exercise with my father - don’t ask), one racing dinghy and a model of HMS Victory.

I am part of our Growth Capital group and I advise on all aspects of mergers & acquisitions with a particular emphasis on venture capital funds. After qualification at the start of the first ‘dot com’ boom I spent 12 months outside of the law co-founding an internet start-up before returning to private practice. I also spent 12 months as a quasi-general counsel at Gordon Brothers after the financial crash in 2008 working on distressed investments. Working in-house gave me the understanding of how best to deliver legal services through the eyes of a client. It has provided me with the tools to be responsive to client needs and demands and, above all, to provide practical, pragmatic and thoughtful business advice. I have particular experience in technology and green energy and electric vehicle infrastructure. I was a very early adopter of electric vehicles since I acquired a GWIZ electric car in 2003! Range has certainly improved since the early days when I had to keep the radio and heating turned off to made sure I made it home. Inclusion & Diversity is highly important to me and I am proud to play a leading role in continuing to develop our I&D Policy and, in particular, gender equality where I act as a Male Champion for Change.

Senior Associate

I am a highly experienced tax adviser, specialising in tax planning for corporates and HNWI with business interests. An example of recent work includes completing a major reorganisation of a private equity group with significant business interests around the world. The planning resulted in a structure which should be tax efficient going forward and is acceptable to all stakeholders, including the tax authorities in the countries in which the business operates. I am recognised as an expert in tax law by both Chambers and Legal 500.

I am a specialist Employment lawyer, taking pride in providing commercial and pragmatic advice to in-house legal teams, HR departments and managers. I advise on the full range of employment issues including day-to-day advisory matters, M&A and other transactions and tribunal and civil litigation. I joined Fladgate in 2011 and have enjoyed being a member of the Employment team and wider Corporate department since. Having practised at a range of firms and across many sectors, it is rare that I come across a query that is totally new. I strive to apply my experience and knowledge for the benefit of clients - seeking to provide clarity and give useful advice that meets objectives. It sounds simple, but I have learned that it takes practice. Matters that I assist with include managing disciplinary, grievance and redundancy processes, advising clients on post –termination restriction issues (both on resignation and recruitment), TUPE transfers and employment tribunal claims. I work with clients of all sizes from start-ups to sophisticated, multi-national businesses and across a range of sectors – though I would say that I have a particular expertise in the retail, media and technology and hotels and leisure sectors. One of my more interesting clients at present is a space satellite broadband provider – some of their work is pretty exciting. I am a keen member of Fladgate's I&D Committee and in recent years have headed our sub-committee to increase ethnic diversity in the business.

I am a financial services regulatory lawyer with particular expertise in the investment management, private banking, fintech and cryptoasset sectors. I advise both UK based firms and overseas firms who wish to provide services to the UK market. I particularly enjoy the fact that my advice covers the full lifecycle of a regulated firm. My relationship with a client often starts with advising them about whether or not they require FCA or PRA authorisation and, if they do, I assist them in preparing and submitting applications for FCA or PRA authorisation, variations of permissions and change of control applications. Once they are authorised I advise regulated firms on their conduct of business requirements including the contents of their client documentation, financial promotions to clients or potential clients, anti-money laundering rules and suitability requirements. I also advise them on their internal obligations such as the senior managers and certification regime and the obligations the firm owes to the FCA, such as the FCA’s principles for business and the FCA’s reporting requirements. I also advise regulated firms on their regulatory obligations when they are sold or wound up. Although firms hope this will not happen too frequently I also help them when they have customer complaints (including Financial Ombusman claims) or face FCA investigations or enforcement action. I am recommended in Legal 500 for my advice to the investment management and private banking sectors. When I am not working or making the most of London’s restaurants and cultural life I love being outdoors with my family, particularly walking on Dartmoor and swimming off Cornish beaches.

I am the head of our Green Energy Group and I have been involved in a broad range of private company work including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and shareholder arrangements, corporate finance and debt finance across a range of sectors but with a particular focus on PFI, projects and infrastructure, renewables and project finance. During my career as a lawyer I have been involved in advising across a wide range of infrastructure projects. I have extensive experience of advising on issues that arise on projects and renewable assets during the construction and operational phases including variations to project finance documentation, the termination of projects and defaults occurring under project finance documentation as well as investment and M&A in this sector. A number of my clients in the infrastructure sector began during the course of the 2010s to invest in and develop renewable and low carbon projects. As a consequence, I have been involved in advising on a range of renewable and low carbon projects. It was through this initial exposure to renewables that I became increasingly aware of, and interested in, the wider green agenda. I have been able to combine my interest in the green agenda with my career by heading up Fladgate’s Green Energy Group. Climate change is already having a significant effect on the Earth, however, if we take action now, we can avoid the worst effects of climate change that will arise. I hope that through my work with Fladgate’s Green Energy Group I can contribute to the UK’s progress towards Net Zero by 2050 and help to protect future generations.

I am a corporate transactional partner with a particular focus on UK and European venture capital. My practice is built on providing commercial, pragmatic advice and efficient deal execution to all players in the European venture capital ecosystem. I have significant experience and expertise in venture capital transactions, having spent time both in-house and in private practice. My deal experience ranges from early/seed stage investments spanning the full life cycle of Series A-D and through to M&A and IPO exits for venture backed companies. I am recognised in the latest Legal 500 and Chambers guides as a leading individual in my field. I advise angels, founders, companies and many of the leading early stage and growth venture capital funds operating in Europe. My transaction history has covered a wide variety of sectors including fintech, gaming, medical and health tech, SaaS, ad-tech, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, consumer tech, cryptocurrency and blockchain. The investor side of my practice is particularly strong which no doubt can be traced to my 6 years as in-house counsel to a major European growth venture fund. I am often asked to act as ‘outsourced’ general counsel to many of my investor clients for transactions all over the world.

Partner – Head of Construction & Engineering

Alan Wetterhahn

I am a contract specialist with specific expertise in sports, esports, gaming, tech, ecommerce and data protection. I have been with Fladgate since 2008. I joined as a young lawyer, bright-eyed and with all of my hair. I have since become a partner at the firm. I still have bright eyes. My legal career began in South Africa and I have been lucky to work in areas of the law where I have a real interest. In the words of Gary Neville, I would have snapped your hand off if, as a student, you would have offered me the chance to work on Cricket World Cups, F1 sponsorship deals and high profile football transfers. The work I do is certainly interesting and I enjoy working closely with clients to understand their business and become a part of their team so that we can work successfully together to make the most of opportunities that arise and to overcome challenges and challengers.

I joined Fladgate in 2017, and I have 20 years of industry experience in leading immigration practices. As a UK immigration specialist, my expertise lies in assisting clients make their relocation dreams a reality, navigating the increasingly complex Immigration Rules to make the process as stress-free as possible, often handling complex and discretionary applications, as very rarely do an individual’s circumstances fit neatly within the Immigration Rules. I assist both individuals and businesses with a full range of immigration services and my work centres on providing bespoke immigration solutions, working alongside a host of advisers across the private wealth industry. When advising on the appropriate immigration solution, I adopt a holistic, strategic approach, ensuring that short term goals, business needs, family and financial considerations and long term intentions are all taken into account. Industry publications consistently recognise me as a leading lawyer in the field of immigration, including Chambers HNW Guide 2022, Legal 500 2022, Who’s Who Legal 2022 and Citywealth Leaders List 2020. I am an active member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (ILPA) and is often invited to speak at industry events on the subject of immigration.

Jeremy Whiteson

I focus on corporate transactions for successful private companies (start-ups, development finance and sales/acquisitions); and restructuring transactions and advice for distressed businesses. After qualification I started dealing with insolvency work at a leading London firm. I then chose to broaden this with experience of general corporate, finance and commercial agreements. Throughout, I have taken a hands on approach and enjoyed broadening my knowledge of commercial law and transactions. I have been recognised in legal directories in M&A, insolvency and finance work as well as contributing to text books or publishing articles in a number of these areas. I can now draw on the breadth of this experience to find the best way to address clients’ needs. Whether the issue starts as a new start up, acquiring or disposing of a business, raising funds, or going through a restructuring process, I enjoy helping businesses come up with creative solutions to their issues. In a fast changing environment this breadth of approach can open new options for clients. I try to find the order in apparent chaos. I regularly act for UK and overseas operating businesses, property companies, investors, insolvency practitioners and funders.

I deal with all aspects of real estate work including investment, landlord and tenant and development, and act for investors (both onshore and offshore), occupiers and developers. My particular sector specialisms are healthcare, retail/leisure and offices. I have always loved property! From my first property law lecture, I was hooked! And so it was no surprise to me when I also found I loved commercial real estate in practice. One of the main reasons for this is that there is such an obvious "end product" that you can go and see at the end of any transaction or inspect as part of due diligence. But I also really like people and my aim is always to be someone with whom people enjoy dealing, whether they are my client or another party. My aim with every client is to focus on what they want and to find a way to achieve that for them, efficiently, cost-effectively and always with a smile! To do this, I use my knowledge of our clients, the firm’s breadth and depth of expertise and couple this with clever and inventive thinking to reach solutions and pre-empt problems. I act for a number of UK and overseas investors and developers in relation to their property portfolios and provide advice on asset management and development matters. I also act for GPs, retailers/restaurant operators and corporate occupiers on their acquisitions of leasehold and freehold properties.

Alexander Wildschütz

Matthew Williams

I specialise in development and redevelopment advice relating to real estate assets, with a particular focus on living (anything with a bed in it: residential, private rented sector, student accommodation and hotels) and mixed-use schemes. Clients seek his input at all stages of an asset’s life cycle; from the acquisition and financing to the redevelopment and disposal; helping clients unlock and maximise value from their real estate. My decision to practice as a commercial real estate lawyer was made early on in my seat as a commercial property (as we called it back then…) trainee. I was drawn to the mix of commercial and strategic advice, law, tangible assets and the sector. As a junior lawyer looking for new challenges I was attracted to Fladgate’s reputation in commercial property. That was 16 years ago! I see a real importance in building personal relationships with the people I work with and I believe that clients value this. I strive to understand the ‘bigger picture’ for the client’s business; this can be the commercial rationale for a transaction or the strategic importance of advisory work. I often fulfil a trusted advisor role to clients acting as an extension of their team or their “de facto” in-house counsel.

I am a technology, sourcing and commercial lawyer with nearly 30 years' experience advising clients on their outsourcing, cloud, digital, technology and other commercial projects. I also work on a range of advisory and compliance projects including supply chain risk (modern slavery, conflict minerals, anti-bribery), crisis and continuity management, GDPR, and diligence. I joined Fladgate in 2019 to help grow the firm’s technology and outsourcing practice. I enjoy helping clients achieve outcomes and objectives by taking a strategic, measured and thoughtful approach to contractual negotiations which typically result in long-term relationships between customers and their service providers. I have always enjoyed the international aspects of my work and count myself lucky to have worked on deals which have taken me to a number of countries including the US, Hong Kong, Singapore, Europe, India and the Middle East, and have enjoyed working with a wide range of companies such as AXIS Capital, BHP Billiton, Chevron Tech Ventures, Dr Reddy's, Fyffes, GlaxoSmithKline, Goldman Sachs, Ocado, Old Mutual, Prudential, Resolution, Royal Sun Alliance, The Cooperative Group, and UBS, as well as a growing number of technology start-ups and growth companies. I count myself lucky to work for great clients, doing exciting things at the intersection of business, technology & regulation, covering a wide-range of projects including information technology and business process outsourcing; facilities management outsourcing, data centre, colocation and real estate services, supply chains contracts, warehousing and logistics; system integration and ERP (e.g., Oracle, SAP); joint ventures, collaboration & alliance agreements; public procurement and supply; software/application development and licensing; data processing/data sharing; e-commerce and online platforms; web development and hosting, and SaaS and other types of cloud computing.