Freeths LLP’s practice is led by the firm’s national head Nathan Holden, who specialises in procurement, subsidy control, compulsory purchase and governance matters. Co-leading alongside Holden is Birmingham-based Mitchell Ball, who handles real estate matters, in particular, with expertise in regeneration and planning-led development cases. Regeneration, infrastructure, and public sector projects all feature in the team’s workload, and it harnesses capabilities to advise on procurement, subsidy control, planning, environmental matters, and complex development structures.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- We were impressed with Freeths' ability to blend public law and procurement expertise with finance and banking law. They have worked flexibly and at pace in constrained circumstances to reach solutions with us. They are pragmatic and well-informed about the sector and developments in the law.
- Good access to partners and work at a pace, pragmatic, and cost-effective.
- We primarily worked with Mohammad Sajjad and Julie Scheller at Freeths LLP. He was a pleasure to work with and had a remarkable ability to explain complex legal concepts in a clear and accessible way for officers unfamiliar with the terminology. Mohammad was always available by telephone and responded quickly to queries.
- Nathan Holden is the partner I have worked with on several cases. He is approachable, pragmatic, insightful, and easily contactable. He has provided workable solutions to complicated problems in a professional manner.
- The individuals we work with stand out for their consistency, responsiveness, and depth of expertise. Having a dedicated main point of contact throughout has made a significant difference, providing continuity, quick responses to emails and requests for advice, and a strong understanding of our project needs. They are proactive in offering guidance, clearly explaining complex topics in a straightforward way, and bringing in specialist expertise when required. Everyone we have engaged with has been friendly, knowledgeable, and consultative, which has given us confidence in the advice received and distinguishes them from competitors. Our main contact has been Mohammad Sajjad.
- Nathan Holden stands out as a highly experienced local government lawyer who is both very capable and very pleasant to work with.
Key clients
- Sefton Council
- UK Atomic Energy
- Winchester City Council
- Boston Borough Council
- Alliance Leisure Limited
- East Lindsey District Council
- Brighton and Hove District Council
- Kirklees Council
- South Holland District Council
- Maldon District Council
- Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
- Leicester City Council
- Royal Borough of Greenwich
- Middlesbrough Borough Council
- Nottinghamshire County Council
- Wigan Council
- Walsall Council
- Peterborough City Council
- Nottingham City Council
- The Cornwall Council
Work highlights
Advised Wigan Council on delivery of its £130m town centre regeneration, steering complex development agreement conditionality, land assembly triggers, funding obligations, procurement and governance compliance.
Acting for Derby City Council on the compulsory purchase order to unlock its c.£100m Castleward housing regeneration: drafting the CPO and Statement of Reasons, advising on acquisition strategy and compensation, instructing Counsel, supporting a public inquiry, and now advising on vesting and compensation post-confirmation.
Advised the client on the procurement and establishment of a £196m Public Health Framework: drafted the framework agreement and procurement suite, defined structure, terms and evaluation, and supported pre-award, award and mobilisation (including mini-competitions and call-offs).
Practice head
Nathan Holden; Mitchell Ball