Caroline O'Flaherty > Hugh James > Cardiff, United Kingdom > Lawyer Profile

Acting on its own, as well as being able to effectively leverage resources from other firmwide complementary practice areas, Hugh James is well-equipped to provide ‘a good service’ for a varied mix of public, private and third sector clients. ‘Excellent’ team head Peter Hurn has nurtured a particularly acclaimed development-side offering, both in relation to commercial property as well as for numerous high-profile housebuilders on large-scale residential developments, including on land acquisitions and disposals. The social housing space also remains a fertile source of instructions for the team, with Caroline O’Flaherty regularly advising a myriad housing associations on their property needs, including an increasing number of mandates involving sustainable goals. ‘Knowledgeable and diligent’ senior associate Shelley Ikram is a ‘very calm and shrewd negotiator’ and is effectively able to bring her broader planning expertise to bear for large scale consortiums on major developments.

Drawing upon an ‘excellent understanding of the Welsh landscape, the funding regime and the regulatory environment’, Hugh James is a very popular choice among domestic housing associations to provide advice across the panoply of their legal requirements, from core management and real estate matters, as well as across other complementary areas of law including employment and corporate. The firm has also been at the forefront of the Renting Homes Act, taking a key role in ensuring RSLs were equipped and fully aware of the huge changes in Welsh landlord and tenant law ahead of the implementation date. Bethan Gladwyn  has been pivotal to the training provided with the regard to the legislation and is also noted for her ‘clear and concise advice’ as it relates to anti-social behaviour issues. As well as her strategic advice to Wales-based RSLs, including on large-scale regeneration schemes, Caroline O’Flaherty has been central to the firm picking up an increasing volume of mandates for English clients in the sector. The team is headed by Richard Macphail , who excels at development work in the sector.

Drawing upon a ‘strong collaborative working’ arrangement, both from within the firm (across a range of practice areas), as well as with the instructing clients, Hugh James provides ‘highly knowledgeable expert advice’ to central and local government, education and healthcare providers. Regulatory advice informs much of the firm’s workflow, with ‘consummate professional’ Martin Jones particularly noted for his social care expertise, where he combines an ‘authoritative approach with humility and pragmatism’ for local authorities in relation to safeguarding matters. Jones is also adept at representing non-police prosecutors throughout Wales and England, as is ‘exceptionally knowledgeable’ senior associate Justin Davies, who ‘has built a unique practice in regulatory work and in particular fire safety prosecutions’. The firm is also engaged in a significant amount of property-related public sector mandates, including Caroline O’Flaherty‘s work for Welsh and English registered social landlords, and construction partner Ioan Prydderch‘s regular engagements on contentious and non-contentious matters for core firmwide clients including Natural Resources Wales.