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

Often collaborating with other core practice groups, including banking and construction, the ‘very knowledgeable, professional and accessible’ team at Hugh James remains a very popular choice among a balanced mix of public and private sector stakeholders across a wide array of commercial property matters. Team head Peter Hurn is a very well-known figure in the market and continues to advise an impressive roster of housebuilders on residential development projects, as well as advising developers on renewables matters. In the social housing sector, Caroline O’Flaherty provides ‘a very comprehensive, considered and constructive service’ to a multitude of Wales-based housing associations (as well as a growing number in England) on their property needs. Leveraging her broader planning expertise, senior associate Shelley Thomas is also a key member of the team and regularly advises on large-scale residential and mixed-use projects.

Highly attuned to the specific needs of an impressive roster of Wales and England-based housing associations, as well as conversant with governmental decision making, Hugh James provides ‘clear and solutions-focused advice’, which ‘takes into account the bigger picture while also being focused on the individual commercial needs’ of the client. Richard Macphail, who oversees a multidisciplinary offering (which draws from property, corporate, employment and litigation practice areas), has deep experience in the sector and continues to be at the forefront of large-scale development projects for housing associations. The ‘exceptional’ Caroline O’Flaherty is ‘well respected’ as a result of her vast commercial property expertise, which regularly sees her involved in acquisitions and development matters (including for major regeneration schemes), as well as in the attendant funding of these projects. Recognised as a ‘leading expert in housing law’, Bethan Gladwyn displays a ‘pragmatic approach’ to housing management matters.

Deploying a multi-disciplinary service that leans into the firm’s impressive full service credentials, including a number of lawyers who have former in-house expertise, the team at Hugh James is well-positioned to provide ‘responsive and reliable advice’ to central and local government, health boards, and education bodies across the full scope of their social and commercial requirements. Regulatory work remains a strong driver to the firm’s offering, with department head Martin Jones  continuing to advise Social Care Wales across a myriad matters. Along with Justin Davies, who himself specialises in fire safety work, Jones is also pivotal to the firm’s work for a myriad non-police prosecutors throughout Wales and England. ‘Industrious, uncompromising and hugely intelligent’ newly promoted partner Sara Tomaszewski continues to excel in the social care sector, regularly representing South Wales-based local authorities in safeguarding cases, often undertaking her own advocacy. The firm also handles 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 frequent engagements on contentious and non-contentious matters for core firmwide clients including Natural Resources Wales.