Eleanor James > Trowers & Hamlins LLP > Manchester, England > Lawyer Profile

Trowers & Hamlins LLP‘s ‘highly reliable’ banking and finance practice is led at national level by London-based Adrian Carter, with housing finance specialist Neil Waller leading from the Manchester office. The group’s client list is comprised of notable housing group and property development companies including Jigsaw Homes Group. Social housing finance experts Melanie Comer and Eleanor James stand out in the team.

Trowers & Hamlins LLP boasts a large team of finance lawyers, chaired by Adrian Carter, dedicated to the housing sector. The social housing finance practice advises on a wide range of loan facilities and other debt capital market arrangements. The team handles sector-significant transactions, including the Peabody and Catalyst merger, on which Eleanor James led. With an established reputation as a borrower firm, the team is broadening its lender-based practice and acts for key lenders, institutional and equity investors, and security trustees. Melanie Comer heads up the national real estate finance security team alongside Katie Dyer, who leads the London and Birmingham teams, advising for-profit registered providers on their property portfolios. The firm is a go-to for new entrants into the social housing finance sector, and the team has experience in the formation of for-profit registered providers. Green, social, and sustainable finance is another key focus area for the practice; the team acted on some of the first green private placements in the sector, led by Naomi Roper. The team’s national reach is solidified by Neil Waller, head of the Manchester-based finance practice, who specialises in housing finance and financing transactions for local authorities. Simon Valner was promoted to partner in July 2023.