Noel Ainsworth

1 July 2025

Noel is a Partner in our Commercial Real Estate team, where he leads our real estate funds offering.

A seasoned practitioner with over 20 years’ experience in the private investment funds industry, he has a strong track record advising clients on establishing real estate, real asset, debt, renewable energy, infrastructure and private equity funds and other investment structures. Noel also represents institutional investors on their fund investments, co-investments, and secondaries.

Delivering a combination of excellent technical knowledge with deep sector understanding, he works closely with colleagues across the different facets of our Commercial Real Estate team, as well as with our Tax, Corporate and Banking and Finance departments to deliver a holistic service for clients. He is known for his pragmatic and commercially astute approach, working closely with clients to deliver practical solutions that align with their strategic objectives.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Alex Greenwood

10 December 2024

Alex is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where he has extensive experience across a myriad of commercial real estate transactions. His practice includes acquisitions, disposals and complex asset management transactions, with a particular passion for development projects and forward fundings. Alex covers a variety of sectors but has a focus on industrial and logistics and a keen interest in data centres.

He has acted for a range of clients such as charitable organisations, livery companies, large institutional investors and developers, advising from heads of terms stage through to acquisition contracts, options, lettings, fundings and finally disposals.

Having worked in-house, Alex has a marked understanding of the requirements of the client and the role that legals perform as one of the many components of the client’s business. This enables Alex to provide legal advice that is commercial and adds real value to the client and their business.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Alex Harrison

14 October 2024

Alex is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where he advises on all areas of commercial real estate, including development schemes, acquisitions, disposals, financings and asset management. His practice focuses on the offices, industrial and logistics and retail sectors.

His client base is diverse, ranging from high net worth individuals to large investment funds and developers. For all clients, he has a pragmatic and commercial approach and works proactively to close deals as efficiently as possible. He prides himself on working collaboratively with the firm’s specialist groups to provide a comprehensive and joined up approach to every transaction. This often sees Alex work with our Corporate and Banking teams too.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Claire Nash

8 October 2024

Claire is a Knowledge Development Lawyer in the Commercial Real Estate team and is responsible for keeping the team’s knowledge and resources are up to date in accordance with the latest legal and market developments.

Before joining the knowledge team, Claire worked as real estate fee earner and also as an in-house solicitor working on large scale infrastructure projects, which has helped her to develop an excellent understanding of the technical side of the law as well as client’s commercial needs and concerns.

She provides training, support and advice to a full range of colleagues within the Commercial Real Estate team at all levels. She particularly enjoys working across the various sector groups in the Commercial Real Estate team which gives her a good understanding of the real estate market as a whole.

Claire has a particular interest in the developing legal technology market and investigating which products can contribute to efficiency within the team and enhance the client experience.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Commercial real estate

3 October 2024

With one of the largest dedicated real estate practices in the market, our team of over 120 lawyers is renowned for delivering high-quality, seamless service. We take pride in our partner-led approach, tackling complex issues and working closely with our clients throughout the entire asset lifecycle. Put simply, our clients are at the heart of everything we do and by building closer connections with them we achieve exceptional results.

Our diverse client base includes institutional investors, private and publicly quoted property companies, funders, developers, occupiers, rural and urban estates, charities, high net worth individuals, and landowners involved in all types of commercial real estate matters. Some of our esteemed clients are BA Pension Fund (via their asset manager, BlackRock), Fiera Real Estate, General Projects, Knight Dragon, LaSalle Investment Management, Octopus Real Estate, Swiss Life Asset Management, Notting Hill Genesis, Patrizia, PLP, Schroders and The Crown Estate.

We are a go-to firm for overseas investors looking to enter or expand their presence in the UK market. Our combined strengths in property and wealth management enable us to offer a fully integrated service to both private and institutional investors. Our sophisticated clients expect comprehensive, tailored advice across all real estate services, consistently delivered at the highest level. Whether advising on high-value investment assets, complex mixed-use development projects, joint ventures, corporate structures or large corporate occupational requirements, our breadth and depth of experience set us apart from the competition.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Nyasha Kalombodza

26 September 2024

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Mary Jacobsen

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Sadia Latif

26 September 2024

Sadia is a Paralegal in the Commercial Real Estate team where she assists the team on a variety of matters including landlord and tenant work, asset management and transactional deals, alongside working on large retail clients.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Kai Spink

26 September 2024

Kai is a Paralegal in the Commercial Real Estate team where he deals with asset management matters, both from a landlord and tenant perspective, alongside assisting the team with a variety of other matters such as sales, acquisitions and development work.

He is particularly experienced in wayleave agreements, both from a landowner and occupier perspective.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Lauren Willis

26 September 2024

Lauren is a Paralegal in the Commercial Real Estate team where she focuses on asset management matters, primarily in the retail, leisure, offices and industrial and logistics sectors.

She advises on a variety of transactions, including leases, assignments, licenses and wayleaves. Her practice often involves working with landlord clients where she helps to maximise the potential of their assets.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Jake Wingrove

26 September 2024

Jake is a Paralegal in the Commercial Real Estate team where he works across a range of property matters, including leases, licenses, sales, purchases, wayleave agreements and refinances. He primarily assists with reporting, drafting, negotiation and project management.

His practice often involves creating and managing data sites, and handling the post-completion aspects of transactions such as drafting Land Registry applications and submitting SDLT returns.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Candice Johnson

26 September 2024

Candice is an Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team and has a broad range of experience in acquisitions and disposals, development, funding and asset management covering most property sectors.

Working across the entire property lifecycle, Candice has gained a wealth of knowledge in the industrial and logistics sector, and has a keen interest in development work. She has represented a variety of clients, including developers, landlords and tenants and borrowers.

Candice takes a keen interest in understanding each client’s objectives, and prides herself on providing clear and comprehensive commercial advice.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Giles Littlewood

26 September 2024

Giles is an Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where he principally advises on acquisitions and disposals, lettings and general occupational matters.

He is dedicated to providing clear, practical advice and support to his clients, ensuring their real estate needs are met efficiently and effectively.

Giles’ knowledge of the commercial property market and his commitment to client service help him navigate transactions effectively to provide his clients with the service that they need.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Florence Connell

26 September 2024

Florence is an Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where she acts on a wide range of transactions including acquisitions, disposals and asset management work.

She focuses her practice in the office, retail and Central London estates sectors where she acts for property companies and institutions.

Florence is passionate about understanding her clients’ objectives and goals in order to find them commercial solutions in an efficient manner.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Tom Quayle

26 September 2024

Tom is an Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where he focuses on the acquisition, management and disposal of residential and mixed-use development for affordable housing providers.

This often involves advising on the due diligence for, and negotiation of, the acquisition of development sites, lease agreements relating to onsite commercial lettings, infrastructure agreements and other ongoing asset management matters.

Tom has previously acted for a broad range of clients including private developers, PLC housebuilders, land promoters and affordable housing providers, giving him an overarching appreciation of the key commercial, regulatory and legal considerations of his clients.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Sam Delahay

21 September 2024

Sam is an Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team and advises on a range of real estate matters including acquisitions and disposals, commercial development and asset management.

He acts for a variety of clients including property developers, pension funds and other institutional investors, and prides himself on providing clear and comprehensive commercial advice.

Sam is a regular volunteer at the South Westminster Legal Advice Clinic, advising on all property matters.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Sherihan Khalif

21 September 2024

Sherihan is an Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where she has experience advising on acquisitions, disposals and asset management transactions.

Her practice focuses on acting for landlord clients in the retail sector, where she advises clients in respect of major shopping centre developments through to the day-to-day asset management stages of the investment.

Sherihan has experience representing a diverse clientele, from high street brands to institutional investors.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Shannon Oyemade

21 September 2024

Shannon is an Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team specialising in landlord and tenant matters, including refinancing projects, sales and purchases and shared ownership schemes. Her expertise includes undertaking title due diligence, lease reporting, drafting and negotiating commercial agreements and providing commercial management advice.

She primarily acts for large institutional funds and registered providers and works in the retail, industrial and social housing sectors.

Confident and proactive in maintaining client relationships, Shannon provides regular and actionable updates to ensure transparency and keeping clients well-informed at every stage of their transactions.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Susan Church

21 September 2024

Susan is a Chartered Legal Executive in the Commercial Real Estate team where she advises on landlord and tenant and estate management matters. She primarily acts for clients with large property portfolios carrying out management work, including licences to alter, underlet and assign, deeds of variation, surrenders and supplemental leases.

Susan has vast experience in dealing with utilities connections to both new properties and for upgrades to older established premises, where she handles deeds of easement and substation leases. Her practice also includes dealing with documenting franchising matters such as new leases and surrenders.

Susan takes a great interest in her clients, taking time to understand their needs and expectations together with their aims and ambitions for the business; she enjoys translating this knowledge to offer tailored advice and support for each client.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Nyasha Kalombodza

21 September 2024

Nyasha is a Paralegal in the Commercial Real Estate team where she assists with drafting and negotiating legal documents, legal research, due diligence and post-completion matters.

She has a wide range of experience on real estate transactions including acquisitions, disposals, lettings, financing arrangements, investment properties and development sites.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Nikki Link

21 September 2024

Nikki is a Consultant in the Commercial Real Estate Team, working closely with our Banking and Finance team. She specialises in real estate finance (having acted for a wide variety of major UK lenders and financial institutions as well as for challenger banks and borrowers) as well as having a broad range of experience within commercial real estate with particular emphasis on real estate investment, and corporate occupiers, including the acquisition, management and disposal of commercial real estate, landlord and tenant matters.

Her practice focuses on the industrial and logistics, retail and office sectors, alongside some hotels and leisure, care homes and student accommodation work.

Nikki takes pride in drawing upon her commercial experience and excellent grasp of the commercial realities of the property sector (having worked in the property profession since 2005 in a commercial capacity prior to completing her legal qualification at a major city Real Estate practice in 2013), which serves to enhance not only her legal skills, but also ensures that overseeing client relationships and project management are key strengths of her day to day practice.

Outside of her day to day role, Nikki is a keen musician and has been involved in the renowned “Law Rocks” charity battle of the bands since 2009, enjoying success both in London and internationally.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Molly Haynes

21 September 2024

Molly is an Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where she acts on a wide range of transactions across the property lifecycle, including acquisitions, commercial development, asset management matters and disposals. Her practice focuses on the industrial and logistics and office and business space sectors.

She represents a variety of clients including pensions fund and other institutional investors, property developers, landlords and corporate occupiers.

Organised and proactive in approach, Molly is committed to progressing transactions efficiently and ensuring clients are kept updated at every stage.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Louise Irvine

21 September 2024

Louise is a Senior Knowledge Development Lawyer in the Commercial Real Estate team where she keeps the team’s knowledge and resources up-to-date in relation to legal and market developments. Working as a fee earner for ten years before moving into the knowledge team, Louise has an excellent understanding of both real estate and the commercial challenges faced by clients.

She frequently provides legal training to all levels within the Commercial Real Estate team, alongside providing support on the wider skills needed by lawyers such as drafting, grammar and psychological safety. Taking pride in being approachable and responsive, Louise enjoys working with many teams across the firm and finding pragmatic solutions that allow clients to achieve successful transactions.

Louise has a strong interest in sustainability and provides training both internally and to clients on sustainability legislation and trends and on green lease drafting. This often sees her collaborating with clients and suppliers to work towards mutual net zero carbon goals. She also follows the latest legal technology trends and enjoys looking at how to eliminate risk and improve efficiency within the team.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Mairead Hannon

21 September 2024

Mairead is a Solicitor in the Commercial Real Estate team and has also qualified as a solicitor in 2024. Her focus is mainly on commercial residential property transactions acting both for private developers and social housing providers with particular emphasis on newbuild leases; shared ownership leases and advising on the preparation and set up of developments for off plan sales and managing the onward disposals of both freehold and leasehold properties.

Mairead has specialist expertise in all aspects of residential leasehold law advising in respect of voluntary and statutory lease extensions, the right of first refusal and collective enfranchisement and also acting for social housing providers in respect of tenants exercising their right to acquire and preserved right to buy.

Confident and pro-active in maintaining client relationships, Mairead is committed to providing an efficient and practical service to clients, delivering creative solutions to meet their needs.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Mark Prevezer

21 September 2024

A Senior Statesman, Mark works closely with both our Corporate and Commercial Real Estate teams.

He joined Forsters as a senior consultant following a successful career at both international and City law firms, where he held positions including that of managing partner, senior partner and global head of real estate.

Mark is extremely well connected and known for offering his clients commercial, proactive advice in the capacity of trusted advisor.

For some 40 years he has advised global institutional clients, sovereign funds, family offices and global investors, especially from Asia and the USA, on high premium cross border corporate and real estate projects,

With strong, and proven, networking and business development skills, Mark is well known for giving strong pro-active advice, and for being hands on. A lateral thinker (he is a well known amateur chess player who has played the world champion Magnus Carlsen on 3 occasions), his skills are combined with a proven strength in developing strong personal and working relationships.

Transactions include, but are not limited to, trophy assets in gateway cities, mixed use developments, experiential based large projects, hotels, large student or senior housing portfolios, infrastructure, and substantial sole or joint venture developments.

Frequent and experienced speaker, and chair of panels, for international corporate M&A and real estate conferences.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Kirstin Temple

21 September 2024

Kirstin is an Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where she deals with all aspects of commercial property transactions, such as the acquisition and disposal of investment sites, ongoing asset management work and landlord and tenant matters.

Her practice focuses on the retail, restaurant and office sectors in and around London’s West End, alongside a keen interest in the life sciences sector where she keeps up to date with developments and creates thought leadership pieces for the market. She acts on behalf of a diverse pool of clients from major institutional investment funds, leading property investment businesses and high net worth national and international investors.

Kirstin is committed to providing an efficient service to her clients. Combined with her commercial mindset to solving problems, her personable approach helps to liaise and negotiate with other parties to get the best outcome for her clients.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Georgia Homatas

21 September 2024

Georgia is an Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team. She advises clients on capital instructions in the market and acts for landlord and tenants on all aspects of freehold and leasehold transactions. Her practice focuses on properties held by livery companies, charities and funds which include retail, industrial and office assets.

She acts for investment managers representing institutional investors, charities that hold investment properties and livery companies, and has also acted for major shopping centre owners and pension funds on large shopping centres across the UK.

Georgia aims to deliver consistently high levels of service to her clients by anticipating their needs. She remains friendly and proactive throughout matters and is dedicated to maintaining good relationships with all parties in a transaction.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Hugo Davis

21 September 2024

Hugo is an Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where he represents a diverse range of clients, including institutional investors, pension funds and developers, advising on landlord and tenant matters, sales and acquisitions and commercial development.

He has expertise in industrial and logistics, offices and business space and the retail sector where he predominantly acts for landlords. He has also assisted on the roll out of sustainability initiatives for numerous clients and is often leading the negotiations in this area.

When advising clients, Hugo takes pride in tailoring his legal advice to meet the specific needs of each client, ensuring he provides commerciality to all deals.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Ella Nealon

21 September 2024

Ella is a Paralegal in the Commercial Real Estate team where she focuses on commercial residential property transactions.

She acts on behalf of housing associations focusing on plot sales, particularly involving shared ownership leases. She also deals with lease extensions, assignments of leases and staircasing transactions.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Cameron Turnbull

21 September 2024

Cameron is an Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where he represents institutional investment funds, leading property investment businesses and ultra high net worth national and international investors on all aspects of the acquisition, development and disposal of commercial real estate investment sites.

His practice focuses on the industrial and logistics, life sciences and innovation, offices and business space, and retail sectors. He frequently collaborates with other teams across the firm to bring the best advice for his clients, including our dedicated Construction, Planning, Corporate, Banking and Finance and Private Wealth teams.

Cameron prides himself on efficient matter management for his clients, a commercial mindset, and the ability to create positive relationships with all parties involved with an asset.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Charlie Paddock

21 September 2024

Charlie is an Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where he generally focuses on the industrial and logistics sector, in addition to advising property funds on asset management and landlord and tenant matters. This often involves drafting and negotiating contracts, ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations and conducting due diligence to identify potential risks to clients.

His practice extends also to the sports sector, where he has supported on the real estate aspects of a high-profile football club. This saw Charlie advise on leasing arrangements for the stadium, football pitch and training ground, maintaining adherence to regulatory requirements and optimising operational efficiency.

For all clients, Charlie operates as a strategic partner, mitigating commercial pitfalls and maximising opportunities in a dynamic and competitive market.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Andrea Deslandes

21 September 2024

Andrea is a Conveyancer in the Commercial Real Estate team, where her experience is rooted in case management, dealing with a wide range of property matters for both UK and internationally established investors.

This includes joint ventures and charities, such as private developers, social housing providers on the sales of the development of land – for example plot sales, which include the creation of contract packs and associated transfers of part, leases, and shared ownership leases for both flats and houses.

In addition to working closely with our Commercial Real Estate team, Andrea also works on collaborating with other teams, such as Residential Property and Planning, as this affords a better enhanced legal service to her clients.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Anna Penn

21 September 2024

Anna is an Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where she advises on a variety of real estate matters including commercial development, acquisitions, disposals and asset management. Her practice primarily covers the industrial and logistics, office and business space, mixed-use asset and retail sectors.

She represents a variety of clients including pension funds and other institutional investors, property developers and corporate occupiers.

Striving to always progress transactions efficiently, Anna is proactive and remains focused on her clients’ commercial goals. She keeps in regular contact with clients and provides clear and tailored advice in a friendly manner.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Joanna Brown

29 August 2024

Joanna is a Partner in the Commercial Real Estate team where she specialises in landlord and tenant matters in commercial transactions, with a strong emphasis on negotiating commercial leases, including turnover rent leases and ancillary transactions.

With over 15 years’ experience, Joanna is highly specialised in advising on the asset management, redevelopment and refinancing of shopping centres, retail parks and industrial estates for commercial institutions.

Working in our Retail and Leisure team on commercial real estate matters, she largely acts for large-scale institutional landlords. Joanna has worked on the top 20 shopping centres in the UK giving her in-depth knowledge of the work involved in running and managing the asset management of a shopping centre. She also has vast expertise acting on the sale and acquisition and asset management for pension funds on various industrial estates and retail parks.

Joanna prides herself on providing clients with sound advice in an efficient manner. She prioritises understanding the client’s objectives and the need to get matters completed promptly whilst ensuring their position is sufficiently protected.

Passionate about upskilling our team, Joanna regularly delivers sessions to our trainees on the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 and has provided training to our wider Real Estate team on turnover rent leases.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Andrew McEwan

29 August 2024

Andrew is Counsel in the Commercial Real Estate team where he has a broad range of experience acting for developers and investors in a variety of real estate sectors, including those utilising external finance. He has advised on significant infrastructure projects, commercial, mixed-use and residential developments, alongside the acquisition and disposals of office, industrial and retail assets.

He has a particular focus on and expertise in relation to development projects across a variety of sectors as well as a keen interest in trends around sustainability and AI in both the legal and real estate industries.

A collaborative and enthusiastic professional, Andrew has a particular interest in complex, multi-party projects where his manner helps him work closely with colleagues in our Construction, Planning and Banking and Finance teams and harness the expertise of those in the teams. Clients recognise him as a calm and positive lawyer who takes time to understand them and their projects to provide pragmatic and commercial advice on their real estate matters.

As part of his role in the Commercial Real Estate team’s ‘Knowledge, Innovation and Tech’ group, Andrew reviews the latest developments and potential use cases for legal tech and AI and is involved in organising product trials and briefings for our lawyers. He also plays other key roles in the firm as a volunteer and mentor for the Social Mobility Foundation, as part of some of Forsters’ sports teams and as a supervisor for a number of junior lawyers in the Commercial Real Estate practice.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Jonathan Preece

29 August 2024

Jonathan is Counsel in the Commercial Real Estate team where his practice focuses predominantly on commercial property transactions with particular emphasis on the acquisition, development and disposal of complex fully residential or mixed-use sites for both social housing providers and private developers.

This often involves advising on joint venture structures, planning and construction issues, option agreements, overage, clawback and pre-emption arrangements, the negotiation of development agreements and land contracts, infrastructure agreements and the structuring of each transaction in the most tax efficient manner.

Jonathan has considerable experience advising on all aspects of commercial landlord and tenant, including leasing, licensing and strategic management advice across the retail, office, leisure and mixed-use placemaking sectors.

Throughout his career he has also represented numerous clients in various sectors on hundreds of lettings of commercial units and buildings. In recent years Jonathan has focused this aspect of his expertise on placemaking and commercial lettings within residentially-led mixed-use schemes owned by affordable housing clients.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Owen Spencer

29 August 2024

Owen is Counsel in the firm’s Commercial Real Estate team where he focuses on representing corporate occupiers. He has a broad range of experience and in particular he advises on complex office HQ relocations and lease disposals. He has a specialism of advising on the real estate aspects of film and television studios and has acted on some of the most notable deals in the UK.

As an expert in representing occupiers, Owen is able to use his experience to provide bespoke advice which meets each client’s exact requirements and circumstances. Getting involved in projects from an early stage enables him to provide a holistic service and help manage the transaction to a successful conclusion.

Owen also advises on the UK real estate needs of a non-profit intergovernmental organisation, whose focus is in developing the agricultural and environmental sectors of the developing world.

He also plays an active role in the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion committee.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Ryan Smale

29 August 2024

Ryan is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where he advises on all aspects of the property lifecycle, including acquisition, development, asset management and eventual disposal.

His practice typically includes advising institutional investors and developers, but he also acts on the lender side which ensures he is well placed to advise clients on any lender requirements. He has a particular focus on the industrial, out of town retail and leisure and office sectors, but also holds experience acting on the lender side for residential developments.

Ryan prides himself on providing clear and commercial advice alongside identifying effective solutions which allow for transactions to progress smoothly. Within the firm, he also takes a keen interest in the development of junior solicitors where he has taken on the role of trainee supervisor.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Sarah Somerfield

29 August 2024

Sarah is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where she has over a decade of experience handling a wide range of commercial property maters, including development projects and investment transactions within the office, industrial and retail sectors.

Working closely with our specialist teams, notably planning, construction and tax, she has advised a diverse client base, ranging from multinationals and investment funds to developers and high net worth individuals. She is particularly focused on the retail sector, acting for retailers and developers alike, where she has a decade of experience in dealing with acquisitions and lettings for high profile clients.

Combining her breadth of experience with a practical, solutions-focused approach, Sarah helps her clients to realise their goals. She prides herself on her ability to collaborate effectively with our specialist teams, clients and other parties, with the aim of driving deals forward to achieve the client’s desired results.

Sarah also plays a key role in nurturing the next generation of solicitors, delivering frequent training to trainees, supervising juniors in the team and contributing to our firm-wide mentoring.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Daniel Steele

29 August 2024

Daniel is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where he has developed a breadth of experience across a range of transactions and a variety of clients. His practice focuses on development projects, asset acquisitions and disposals, general landlord and tenant matters and real estate finance, with a particular focus on offices, funds and the industrial and logistics sector.

This often involves him working through the entire lifecycle of a property, from the initial purchase to the development of the property and then, lastly, on the client’s exit strategy, be that via lettings or the eventual sale of the property.

He advises a variety of clients including major landlords and institutional and developer clients in relation to assets across London and the UK. He also works closely with our Banking and Finance team, acting on commercial real estate matters for both borrowers and lenders relating to development or refinancing transactions.

Daniel is a member of our Industrial and Logistics team which aims to develop strategy and actions to further expand the firm’s presence and capabilities within the sector, for both existing and potential clients.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Rebecca Tonkin

29 August 2024

Rebecca is a Senior Associate in our Commercial Real Estate practice and has a wide range of experience in the real estate disciplines with particular focus on real estate finance, investment acquisitions and disposals, landlord and tenant matters and development.

Rebecca has considerable experience in real estate finance and works closely with other departments within the firm to deliver the best possible service to our clients. She has also worked extensively in the retail sector, acting for both landlord and tenant, and advising on general occupational matters.

Rebecca acts for institutional pension funds and investors, financial institutions, property companies and high net worth individuals.

Rebecca is passionate about diversity and inclusion, she sits on our Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is a member of our Race Support Network and Working Parents and Carers Group. Rebecca is committed to supporting junior lawyers in the firm, and is a mentor on our trainee solicitor mentoring scheme.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Tina Strong

29 August 2024

Tina is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team who has a broad range of experience acting on acquisitions and disposals across the retail, industrial and logistics and leisure sectors. Her practice focuses on acquiring development sites for the leisure industry on both a freehold and leasehold basis and dealing with portfolio transactions.

Having worked in the retail, industrial and leisure sectors for over a decade, Tina has a wealth of experience to draw from when confronted with unusual sites or requirements. She acts for both landlords and tenants and has an acute understanding of the needs and constraints of both parties. She now has a particular specialism in the acquisition of leisure sites and has a proven track record in closing both pre-let and freehold acquisition deals successfully.

Tina is regularly complimented on her responsiveness and ability to negotiate effective solutions to unlock deals in a timely manner by her clients.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Jessica Wheeler

29 August 2024

Jessica is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where she works on a broad spectrum of property matters, such as advising on acquisitions and disposals and high value landlord and tenant work. Her practice also has a particular focus on development projects.

She is experienced in advising a wide range of clients including institutional landlords, REITs and developers and has acted for both landlords and tenants. Jessica has led pre-let deals for Central London developments and also has expertise in the renewable energy sector, advising developers at the pre-planning stage.

Jessica strives to distil complex legal matters into commercial advice, tailored to her clients’ goals and objectives. Throughout her career she has committed to mentoring young talent, having held various mentoring roles and running workshops for aspiring lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Lauren Melachrino

29 August 2024

Lauren is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team. She is currently on maternity leave.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Patrick Feeney

29 August 2024

Patrick is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where he has experience of a wide range of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions and disposals, negotiating lettings, financings and development transactions, and the real estate aspects of corporate transactions.

He advises a variety of clients, with a focus on institutional funds and investors, across a range of asset classes. Patrick has a particular interest in the industrial and logistics sector and has worked on a number of major logistics portfolio transactions.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Mary-Anne Twomey

29 August 2024

Mary-Anne is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team with over ten years’ experience acting across a range of sectors, including industrial and logistics, offices and business space, retail, funds and build to rent. Alongside advising on the entire property lifecycle, she also provides support on real estate finance, corporate and banking matters.

Whilst holding a broad range of experience, Mary-Anne specialises in acquisitions, disposals and asset management work, where she advises a variety of clients including major landlords, and institutional and developer clients in relation to assets across London and the UK.

Responsive and proactive, she is committed to providing advice to her clients in a clear and time efficient manner. She enjoys working with our specialist Real Estate Disputes, Planning and Construction teams to provide her clients with the full property service.

Mary-Anne is an active member of many Forsters initiatives including her role as a trainee supervisor which sees her deliver training to more junior lawyers, her position in the Working Parents and Carers network which saw her work on maternity leave returners’ initiatives and her commitment to our charitable lunch club programme.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Natalie Parsons

29 August 2024

Natalie is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team and acts on a range of property transactions including acquisitions, disposals, landlord and tenant matters and asset management. She represents a variety of clients including institutional investors, pension funds, property developers and retail occupiers.

Her practice includes working across the office, industrial and retail sectors where she is well-equipped to advise on every stage of the lifecycle of property assets, from the initial acquisition, subsequent asset management matters and ultimate disposal.

She has a particular focus on the later living sector where she has experience in the funding, development, letting and disposal of care homes. This interest stemmed from her degree in Politics where she studied the wider political context of the real estate industry; something that is particularly relevant now in her later living work where government policy and spending decisions have a direct impact on the development of the sector.

Natalie prides herself on approaching transactions with a commercial mindset and a focus on achieving the aims of her clients in the most efficient way possible. She enjoys getting to know the wider commercial impact of the transactions she advises on, and the commercial motivations and sensitivities of the clients she acts for.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Nicola Copsey

29 August 2024

Nicola is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team and is experienced in a wide range of matters, with a particular focus on development projects and investment transactions within the office, industrial and logistics, and retail sectors.

She advises a diverse client base, including investment funds, developers and overseas investors, and provides her clients with practical advice in an approachable and collaborative manner.

She has a particular focus on student accommodation developments, advising clients on corporate and asset acquisitions and advising throughout the development, including operational structuring and development management agreements.

Nicola is a pillar of support to our future solicitors of the firm in her position as trainee supervisor, where she allocates work, provides feedback and conducts reviews for our junior lawyers. She also supports our community by being an inaugural volunteer supervisor in our Lunch Club, where we provide a hot meal and warm welcome to refugees, migrants and those without resource to public funds.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Paul Grayson

29 August 2024

Paul is Counsel in the Commercial Real Estate team where he holds over ten years’ experience in the UK property industry. His practice covers the full scope of commercial real estate matters, but specialises in development, strategic land matters and real estate finance.

This often involves advising developers, institutional investors and private equity houses within the industrial and logistics and strategic land sectors. For all clients, Paul prides himself on his responsiveness and commitment to offering commercial and pragmatic advice.

A key player in our industrial and logistics sector, Paul led Forsters’ successful ‘Outside of the Box’ campaign which surveyed professional investors and developers in UK real estate assets about their experiences in competing for land, investment and occupiers while adapting to the current market shifts.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Alexandra Ringrose

29 August 2024

Alexandra is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team with extensive experience in commercial property transactions, including acquisitions, development, disposals, funding and asset management.

She operates across multiple sectors such as industrial and logistics, retail, office and business space and Central London estates. Known for building long-term client relationships, Alexandra focuses on understanding their business goals to deliver tailored commercial solutions.

Alexandra values an open, friendly and authentic approach in her interactions with clients, intermediaries and colleagues.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Laura Haworth

29 August 2024

Laura is Counsel in the Commercial Real Estate team. She is currently on maternity leave.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Katie Hibbs

29 August 2024

Katie is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where she manages all aspects of commercial property transactions, such as acquisitions and disposals of mixed use investments and freehold and leasehold properties. She also deals with on-going portfolio management and all other landlord and tenant matters, including management agreements and secured lending.

Acting on behalf of a variety of clients from high net worth individuals to institutional funds, family offices and overseas investors, Katie works closely with her clients both throughout the transaction and post completion to ensure their assets are maximised moving forward.

She has a particular focus on the restaurant and retails sectors in and around London’s West End, but supports a variety of clients with a number of assets across a broad spectrum of uses. She holds over ten years’ experience in the prime Central London property market so uses that experience to tailor advice to a clients’ specific needs.

Katie is passionate about training the future solicitors of the firm and has become a trainee supervisor, seeing her allocate work, provide feedback and conduct reviews.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Louise Marin-Bataller

29 August 2024

Louise is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team and holds a broad range of experience across commercial property transactions including acquisitions and dispositions of high value assets, financing and refinancing of complex property assets, leasing and property management.

Her practice focuses on property development for residential, commercial and mixed use schemes acting for developers and landowners from initial land acquisition through master planning to eventual estate management or disposition. This often involves negotiating development agreements, options, overage, pre-emptions and property management agreements, alongside dealing with environmental constraints of contaminated sites and with the financing and refinancing of all property assts.

She works closely with clients on large projects for the duration of the development process and is able to provide her commerciality to see the wider picture. Having a good understand of a client’s business is key to Louise understanding their goals and providing an excellent service.

Louise has a particular focus on the Living sector, and is passionate about development and regeneration; she finds it fascinating from a legal perspective and appreciates the importance on a practical level.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Grace Cassidy

29 August 2024

Grace is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate practice where she has extensive experience in commercial property transactions, including acquisitions, development, disposals, funding and asset management.

She acts for institutional pension funds and investors, financial institutions and property developers with a particular focus on student accommodation developments.

Grace prides herself on her responsiveness and commitment to offering commercial and pragmatic advice to clients.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Charlotte Youngs

29 August 2024

Charlotte is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team and is experienced in a broad range of commercial property work, including acquisitions/disposals, development projects, real estate finance and leasing. Her practice focuses on the acquisition and development of large and complex mixed-use sites as well as the disposal of commercial or mixed-use sites for institutional investors, affordable housing providers and private developers.

This often involves advising on joint venture structures, development agreements, planning and construction issues, option agreements, overage and pre-emption arrangements, building and land contract negotiation, infrastructure agreements and the structuring of each transaction in the most tax efficient manner.

She has a particular focus on the affordable housing sector, understanding policy and funding considerations for registered providers as well as the regulatory matters they need to consider in their developments. In recent years, Charlotte has also started advising on the Building Safety Act 2022 to ensure compliance within the affordable housing sector.

She has a particular interest in sustainability within real estate, and she plays an active role in our internal committee that helps shape our client offering. This includes advising on green lease provisions, other environmental and energy drafting as well as legal provisions to support social and place-making initiatives.

Charlotte is hands on in supporting junior members of the firm by offering guidance and comprehensive training on a number of topics, including residential and mixed-use developments and building safety.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Claire Weaver

29 August 2024

Claire is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team with many years of experience in development and landlord and tenant matters, working for a variety of clients including developers, landlords and tenants.

Her practice focuses on retail parks and shopping centres in which she has developed a deep understanding of the changing face of how we shop, eat and relax. Her experience enables her to focus on solutions and work with all parties in a transaction to secure a positive outcome that is commercially viable.

Claire has a rich history with the firm where she was a young lawyer with us in our Frere Cholmeley Bischoff beginning. She was delighted to return to Forsters and experience the same collaborative ethos she fondly remembered. Claire now plays a key role in our EnaABLE network where she encourages equal opportunities for those with a disability.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Colin Brown

29 August 2024

Colin is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team and is experienced in a wide range of commercial property matters, including acquisitions, disposals and general landlord and tenant matters across the office, industrial and logistics, and retail sectors.

Within his sector practice, Colin excels at structuring and negotiating leases, acquisitions, and dispositions, ensuring his clients’ interests are protected while maximising the value of their assets. His comprehensive understanding of acquisitions, disposals, property management and market dynamics allows Colin to adeptly guide clients through the intricacies of a commercial real estate transaction.

With a keen eye for detail and a proactive approach, he is dedicated to safeguarding the interests of his clients while facilitating successful and mutually beneficial deals in the dynamic landscape of commercial real estate.

He has a particular passion for shaping the landscape of communities through property transactions and the establishment of commercial space for businesses. His commitment to sustainable principles underscores a broader perspective in his practice as a commercial real estate lawyer, with a particular focus on ensuring clients not only comply with regulatory frameworks but consider future proofing their portfolios.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Charlie Croft

29 August 2024

Charlie is a Senior Associate in our Commercial Real Estate team and offers a full service across the commercial property sector, with extensive experience in investment and development matters, as well as sale and leaseback deals.

He acts for institutional investors, developers, and joint ventures in a range of sectors, with a focus on industrial and logistics. His broad practice spans asset acquisition, development, management, disposal, financing.

Acting for developers, institutions, landlords, tenants, lenders and borrowers means Charlie can see the deal from all viewpoints and is able to identify key concerns and find commercial solutions to deal pinch points.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Lorna Dolan

29 August 2024

Lorna is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team and advises on a full spectrum of transactions, from acquisitions and disposals, financings, landlord and tenant, and asset and portfolio management. She acts for a wide range of clients from institutional funds to property companies, developers, tenant occupiers and individuals.

A particular focus of her practice is advising commercial occupier clients on their occupational property needs, notably within the media, publishing, professional services and banking sectors. This includes premises and HQ relocations, disposals, lease extensions, regears, major refurbishment projects and portfolio management. She has a keen interest in sustainability and green leasing principles.

With Lorna’s breadth of experience, she is able to bespoke her advice to suit her clients’ needs. Appreciating that real estate is not the main focus of many of her occupier clients’ roles, she enjoys the challenge of conveying specialist legal knowledge in an accessible, practical, strategic and understandable way. Lorna approaches negotiations in a commercial and collaborative manner, and has a solutions-focused attitude.

Having trained and qualified at Forsters, Lorna has now taken on the role of trainee supervisor and enjoys being able to develop the next generation of Forsters’ lawyers.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Edward Glass

29 August 2024

Edward Glass is Counsel in the Commercial Real Estate team and is experienced in a broad range of commercial property work, including acquisitions and disposals, development projects, real estate finance and leasing, where he advises across all property sectors. He also advises on the real estate aspects of corporate transactions.

He has a particular focus on sustainability trends in commercial real estate and contributes to various industry publications, such as EG and Property Week. In particular, he advises on green leasing, ESG regulation in the built environment and the co-location of renewable energy infrastructure with commercial real estate. Edward is also interested in the impact of technological innovation on the industry, particularly in the context of ESG factors.

Keeping abreast of trends impacting real estate sectors, Edward is able to advise his clients accordingly and ensure they are always ahead of the curve with industry developments. This is especially important with the ever-changing environment for sustainability and technological innovation.

Edward plays a key role in our graduate recruitment programme and mentoring trainees once they have joined the business.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Peter Selwyn

29 August 2024

Peter is a Partner in the Commercial Real Estate team. He joined the firm in 2010 and has a wide range of experience in all aspects of commercial property, including sales/acquisitions, mixed-use developments, landlord and tenant work, geared leases, rights of light and “sustainable” initiatives including electric vehicle charging deals.

Peter specialises in work for funds – in particular, Swiss Life Asset Management and Columbia Threadneedle – and Central London estates/endowment funds including The Mercers Company and The Corporation of Trinity House.

Peter has an ability to avoid ‘legalese’ and provide succinct ways around problems, whether in redevelopment, sales/acquisitions or traditional asset management. With 15 years of experience in the field on a wide range of projects, he is adept at finding solutions to any issues that might arise.

He has acted for clients on a flagship London redevelopment, and a range of logistics and mixed-use office and commercial projects.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Helen Streeton

29 August 2024

A Partner in the Commercial Real Estate team and Head of Build to Rent (BTR), Helen has lots of enthusiasm for real estate; she enjoys the industry’s tangible nature and working with a diverse range of stakeholders in the sector. She is proactive and a creative thinker who always endeavours to understand the client’s perspective, its strategic priorities and the risks it faces.

Helen constantly prioritises clear and succinct advice, while keeping deals and projects moving towards completion.

She has an extensive background in advising developers and funders of large-scale business, leisure and mixed-use projects, build to rent schemes and other complex development sites. Helen has worked on key developments and schemes in the UK, particularly in and around London. She has particular expertise in development.

Given the scale and complexity of matters that Helen routinely works on, she has become an adept collaborator, frequently working alongside colleagues, clients and other professional advisers to ensure that targets and desired outcomes are achieved.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Victoria Towers

29 August 2024

Praised for her ‘deep knowledge and understanding of the real estate sector’ Chambers 2024, Victoria is Head of the Commercial Real Estate team and Co-Head of Industrial and Logistics. She specialises in development, investment, acquisitions, pre-lets and complex forward fundings.

Ranked in all leading legal directories, Victoria provides her clients with a “high level of service and responsiveness’ Chambers, 2024. She likes to immerse herself in the deal and the sector she is working in. With extensive experience across the real estate sector, she has particular knowledge of industrial and logistics sector, acting primarily for developers and investors. Her involvement also extends to the office, restaurant and leisure sectors.

Victoria enjoys integrating herself into clients’ wider teams in order to fully understand their strategic thinking and objectives, ensuring that her advice is always clear and commercial.

At the forefront of industry trends, Victoria leads the Commercial Real Estate team’s sustainability offering, working and collaborating with clients to ensure their portfolios can achieve or exceed UK Government targets.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Adam Jones

29 August 2024

Adam is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team where he provides advice in respect of the full lifecycle of a property, from initial acquisition to development, asset management, financing and disposal. He acts for a range of clients including developers, investors, landlords and tenants.

He has a particular foundation in industrial property, offices and business space and retail, but also has experience working on hotels, student accommodation and social housing. This breadth of experience allows Adam to consider multiple perspectives on matters in order to effectively safeguard his clients’ interest and propose solutions where issues arise.

Working closely with clients, Adam understands specific requirements on each transaction so that he can assist in achieving the desired outcomes in an efficient way, whilst protecting the client’s position. He provides clear and commercial advice, and is proactive in identifying solutions that will allow transactions to progress smoothly.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Alexandra Burnaby

29 August 2024

Alexandra is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team and is an experienced and commercially-minded lawyer who advises on all aspects of non-contentious commercial real estate law.

She holds particular expertise in development projects and investment transactions within the retail and hospitality, industrial and logistics, offices and residential sectors. This often involves advising on the acquisition, disposal, development and asset management of commercial and mixed-use properties for family offices, high net worth individuals, developers, funds and property companies.

Alexandra works closely with our specialist Planning, Construction, Corporate, Banking and Finance and Tax teams, and enjoys collaborating to deliver the highest value to her clients – a mixed array of corporate buyers/sellers and borrowers/funders within the full spectrum of real estate asset classes.

Alexandra’s practice comprises all aspects of the property lifecycle, from entry to exit. She can advise on every stage of the transaction, offering advice to meet not only immediate requirements, but with an eye to the longer-term asset growth strategy.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Alexandra Townsend-Wheeler

29 August 2024

Alexandra is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team with a broad range of experience covering the entire property lifecycle, including development, investment, acquisitions, disposals and management and real estate finance.

Her practice covers a range of property sectors including industrial and logistics, retail, offices and business space, hotels and student accommodation, where she has gained a deep understanding of each sector’s intricacies.

Having worked in real estate since 2007, Alexandra has developed a specialism in development work where she has advised many of the firm’s long-standing developer clients on acquisitions, pre-lets and eventual disposals. She prides herself on establishing and maintaining good personable relationships with her clients, making the effort to understand their businesses and how they evolve over time with a view to delivering targeted, pragmatic and commercial advice.

Alexandra is also a member of our internal sustainability group which overviews the strategy of our client ESG offering. Within this group, she has developed a particular focus on renewable energy.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Ronan Ledwidge

29 August 2024

Ronan is a Partner in the Commercial Real Estate team and heads up our Student Accommodation practice. Active across mainstream and alternative sectors, such as offices, industrial, student accommodation and build to rent, he leads multi-disciplinary teams acting for funds (institutional and private equity, domestic and offshore) and developers in relation to investment acquisitions and disposals, developments and financings.

He has particular expertise in high value investment transactions (including large portfolios and income strips) and complex development related projects such as forward fundings and forward commitments, as well as in the unique and thriving student accommodation sector. This stemmed his later interest in the wider living sector, where he has become an experienced advisor in the build to rent, later living, hotel and student accommodation sectors.

Having been with Forsters since 1998, Ronan has developed a deep understanding of the practice areas in our business and collaborates daily with colleagues from Construction, Corporate, Tax and Planning, alongside other teams in the firm. Paired with his pragmatic, commercial and technically astute advice, Ronan is able to guide his long-standing clients along every step of the way and acts as an extension of their own team.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Jade Metcalf

29 August 2024

A Partner in the Commercial Real Estate team, Jade has particular expertise in development work in the industrial and logistics sector and investment work across Central London estates.

She develops longstanding relationships with clients and prides herself on achieving their desired objectives as quickly and efficiently as possible. She has an approachable and friendly manner, and always strives to be commercial and proactive.

Jade regularly collaborates with colleagues across Forsters, including the Planning and Construction teams, to ensure projects run smoothly for clients. She is passionate about what she does and is often involved in the full lifecycle of a real estate development scheme, from land acquisition and funding through to construction, lettings and disposal.

Representing a variety of clients, including developers, property companies and institutions, Jade advises on a broad range of matters including structuring deals, development issues and pre-lets. She helps clients with strategies relating to their estates and portfolios, such as regearing existing leases, financing/refinancing their interests and other occupational property matters.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Glenn Dunn

29 August 2024

Ranked as a ‘Leading Individual’ in the Legal 500 2024, Glenn is noted as ‘proficient in business real estate requirements, including corporate headquarters relocations and lease portfolio management.’

He is a Partner in the Commercial Real Estate team and is Head of Corporate Occupiers and Tenants and Co-Head of the Studios Group. As such, Glenn leads one of the very few specialist legal teams in the UK acting predominantly for tenants.

Having spent many years representing both institutional landlords and corporate tenants, Glenn has particular expertise in the negotiation of leases and pre-letting agreements. He and his team also advise on planning, construction and lease exit issues, as well as real estate tax and commercial contracts, making them a one-stop shop to clients on any real estate project.

Glenn has worked closely with occupier sector leads in all the major UK commercial agency practices to create strong professional relationships which jointly support businesses. His depth of experience enables Glenn to provide a bespoke service to occupier clients, covering both commercial and legal perspectives.

His clients are spread across many sectors including financial and professional services, advertising and publishing, and pharmaceutical. Although much of his work is in the office sector, Glenn also has significant experience in the UK film and TV studios arena.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Smita Edwards

29 August 2024

Smita has many years of experience in acting for both developers and investors in relation to real estate development and investment. She understands the requirements of those involved in different roles, whether as funders/investors, developers or occupiers and her experience covers a wide variety of sectors including business uses, retail, leisure, residential and student accommodation.

Acting for a client base with diverse property interests has provided Smita with a well-rounded understanding of the real estate market from the perspective of all participants. Her breadth of knowledge and experience in the sector enables her to adopt a pragmatic and commercial approach in delivering projects for her clients.

Smita is client partner for a number of significant clients of the firm. Many of her relationships with clients have been built over a period exceeding 20 years. For those clients with multiple assets and/or complex requirements, Smita leads teams of real estate lawyers dealing with transactional and advisory work, working in conjunction with lawyers in specialist teams such as Construction, Real Estate Disputes and Tax. Her clients include Fiera Real Estate, Patrizia UK, Octopus Real Estate, McDonald’s Restaurants and Wrenbridge Land.

She is one of the leading investment and development lawyers of her generation. She has advised a range of high-profile clients in this area and is a sought out advisor on significant and complex transactions. She works closely with her clients, acting as a business partner, to really get into the detail of a deal. Smita’s ability to mobilise and manage large, multidisciplinary teams is a key reason why she is regularly appointed by her loyal clients.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Katherine Ekers

29 August 2024

Ranked as Band 4 Partner, Chambers UK 2025, Katherine is noted for her “high level” client care. Alongside her role as Partner in the Commercial Real Estate team, Katherine is also Co-Head of the Studios group.

Katherine has a background in complex real estate development work, specialising in “cradle to grave” schemes that take many years to assemble and build out. She deals with city centre and greenfield/brownfield sites, including industrial and logistics, office, film studios and mixed-use schemes. She has a strong focus on sustainability.

She is an empathetic problem-solver, who takes a proactive and decisive approach to real estate developments. Putting commercial objectives first, she takes time to develop a big picture view of the priorities and concerns of clients and other stakeholders.

Recognising the importance of tact and diplomacy in real estate developments, Katherine has a track record in maintaining solid relationships with all project stakeholders, including developers, investors and the wider project team. She has an ability to put her clients in strong negotiating positions, while recognising the importance of compromise where necessary.

Katherine frequently leads and coordinates large advisory teams, involving multiple teams within Forsters as well as other professional advisers and consultants.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Amy France

29 August 2024

Amy is a Partner in the Commercial Real Estate team and heads up the Later Living team at Forsters. She prides herself on being approachable, commercial, collaborative and committed to driving deals forward. Amy takes a pragmatic and common-sense approach when delivering projects for her clients.

She is passionate about the built environment, its tangible characteristics and its ability to positively impact society. She has developed deep knowledge of the care home and later living sectors, believing that tailored and purpose-built housing can be transformational for those in the later stages of their life and their families.

Amy has a broad range of experience across the real estate disciplines, including development work, acquisitions and disposals, financings and landlord and tenant matters. Her extensive experience in later living covers a range of real estate matters, including advising funders and investors on all property aspects of acquiring, financing, managing and disposing of sites. Amy also advises operator clients on acquisitions and lease negotiations.

She enjoys the friendly, supportive and fun environment at Forsters and has forged long-standing and strong relationships with colleagues across the firm, including those in the Construction, Planning, Corporate and Tax teams. This allows Amy to leverage the expert knowledge across the firm and pull together specialist teams to deliver the very best service for her clients.

Amy has co-led the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee since 2022, and relishes working alongside her co-lead, Charlie Miéville, and the other members of the Committee to drive forward the D&I Strategy. Amy believes that it is essential to foster a culture where every single person at Forsters feels welcomed, included and valued.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Howard Gill

29 August 2024

Howard is an immensely experienced commercial real estate practitioner. He has been a partner at Forsters since 1999 and was Head of the Commercial Real Estate team for ten years.

With his extensive knowledge and intimate understanding of the market, Howard advises a range of domestic and international funds, investors and developers in relation to sales and acquisitions, development funding agreements, joint ventures as well as asset management.

He is passionate about building relationships, teams, reputations and about connecting people to advance positive outcomes. As a senior member of the Commercial Real Estate team, Howard manages key client relationships for Schroders and LaSalle Investment Management. In addition, he leads the Forsters team focusing on Asian real estate investment in the UK and regularly travels to Asia to see clients and develop new business relationships.

Howard has been with Forsters since it was founded in 1998 and has spent the majority of his career investing in the firm’s success. He is committed to supporting colleagues and helping them to develop their careers. Howard also enjoys the team dynamic at Forsters, frequently working alongside colleagues in the firm’s Private Client, Corporate, Banking and Tax, Real Estate Disputes, Construction, Planning and Residential Property teams.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Anthony Goodmaker

29 August 2024

Anthony is a Partner in the Commercial Real Estate team. He prides himself on being a generalist who can turn his hand to any type of commercial property transaction, but when pushed he would say his specialisms lie in development and complex asset management work, particularly within the thriving industrial and logistics sector. In recent years, he has also taken a keen interest in the student accommodation sector.

Awarded Property Lawyer of the Year at the YN Property Awards 2024, Anthony is committed to understanding his clients’ requirements and delivering against their objectives, ensuring that deals are executed on budget and in a timely fashion. Anthony was also listed as a ‘key lawyer’ in the latest Legal 500 directory for commercial property development.

He is passionate about effective collaboration, working with clients and their professional teams on a variety of deals and projects. Internally he frequently teams up with colleagues in the Construction, Real Estate Disputes, Planning and Tax departments, among others.

He is also the firm’s pro bono partner for commercial real estate and has advised a number of charities on recent property matters.

Having trained at Forsters himself, Anthony is passionate about developing the next generation of lawyers at the firm. He is responsible for looking after all of our trainees, a role he takes great pride in fulfilling.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Magnus Hassett

29 August 2024

With over 25 years working in the London legal market, Magnus brings a wealth of experience to the Commercial Real Estate practice. As Group Managing Partner for Commercial Real Estate, and Co-Head of Industrial and Logistics, he has led on all manner of deals, with a particular focus on industrial and logistics, offices, life sciences and strategic land.

Across his career, Magnus has advised the full range of clients from UK institutions and US private equity to high net worth individuals, occupiers and leading developers. He is the client relationship partner at Forsters for clients including The Crown Estate, Canmoor, LondonMetric, H.I.G Realty and The Christ’s Hospital Foundation.

The expertise Magnus has developed over many years allows him to deliver fuss-free, commercial and cost-effective advice, while his particular knowledge of industrial and logistics ensures he is right up to date with the latest trends in one of the best performing real estate sectors over recent years.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Sara Branch

29 August 2024

Ranked in the Chambers UK Guide for over 17 years including 2024, Sara is praised for her expertise in the acquisition and development of mixed-use sites.

Sara is a Partner in the Commercial Real Estate team and is Head of Affordable Housing. She has a strong real estate development and regeneration practice with extensive experience working for both public and private sector organisations.

In the affordable housing field, Sara acts for registered provider clients on a range of projects from complex projects involving multi-party joint ventures, profit-sharing arrangements, development and construction documents, and disposals including build to rent, to the acquisition of the affordable provision under section 106 agreements. She also frequently advises on transaction structuring as well as strategic acquisitions and disposals.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Ben Brayford

29 August 2024

Ben is a Partner in the Commercial Real Estate team, which is ranked Band 1 in the Chambers UK 2024 Guide. He is Head of Hotels and Leisure.

Ben has extensive experience across the real estate world, including with developments, acquisitions/disposals, lettings, funding and joint venture work. He has particular expertise in long-term and complex development projects.

Technically strong, pragmatic and proactive, Ben enjoys the intellectual challenge of development work, which often requires bespoke solutions for the many issues that arise. His work often involves coordinating and overseeing input from across the firm, including the Planning, Construction, Finance, Corporate and Tax teams.

Ben works regularly with both developers and landowners throughout the entire lifecycle of developments, from initial acquisition through to planning, funding, development and disposal.

He has advised on a wide variety of matters including commercial, residential and mixed-use schemes of all sizes. Amongst his many projects, he has worked on one of Europe’s largest urban regeneration schemes at Greenwich Peninsula in London since acquisition in 2012.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Andrew Crabbie

29 August 2024

Andrew is a Partner and was previously head of the firm’s award-winning Commercial Real Estate team which is ranked Band 1 in Chambers UK. His unparalleled expertise in the real estate market makes him the go-to voice for insightful market commentary and is often quoted in leading real estate publications.

Working principally on commercial real estate transactions, he specialises in development, mainstream investment and occupier work, advising clients from a broad range of industries. Andrew also has particular expertise in the areas of extra care housing and build to rent.

Proactive and commercial, Andrew seeks to provide clients with solutions to real estate transactional challenges and works closely with colleagues in the Construction, Tax, Planning, Real Estate Disputes and Corporate and Commercial teams, among others.

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Mary Jacobsen

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Andrew Denye

29 August 2024

A Partner in the Commercial Real Estate team and Head of Retail, Andrew has over 20 years of experience helping institutional clients with the full lifecycle of their retail and leisure assets. Described by clients as ‘commercially astute’ and ‘efficient’, he is also noted as being skilled at, ‘working through unusual situations where pragmatic and innovative approaches were required.’

Andrew believes that success is built upon strong partnerships and open communication. He promotes a collaborative environment to help clients overcome challenges and seize opportunities for growth. Mitigating risks by providing strategic guidance and tailoring legal services to meet specific needs and objectives of each asset, is key to his team’s success.

As part of a multidisciplinary team, Andrew shapes and delivers clients’ asset strategies and provides commercial and practical legal advice in a collaborative manner to move transactions to completion. He has an acute understanding of the unique dynamics and challenges faced by primary shopping centres, drawing on his own extensive experience and the resources of his team.

His longstanding relationships with leading landlords and asset managers enables him to help clients maximise the potential of their assets. Fostering fruitful reciprocal relationships, he regularly transacts with all the major retailers and leisure operators and their lawyers.

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Mary Jacobsen

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