Gillian 's expertise

 Real Estate

Lewis Silkin is involved in a broad range of real estate transactions.  My role includes acquiring land and buildings often involving conditional contracts and overage, negotiating planning agreements and advising on funding issues.  When there is some time before redevelopment, transactions might include a lease back to the seller e.g. whilst they are looking to relocate. I also deal with disposals of properties as part of  stock rationalistion exercises and buying portfolios of tenanted properties as transfers of a going concern. This involves co-ordinating due diligence and advice on various issues including housing management, tax, supply contracts and TUPE.

 Real Estate Development

Our clients are involved in significant development projects.  My work mainly relates to housing led mixed use and mixed tenure schemes including site assembly often involving conditional contracts and overage, negotiating planning agreements and advising on funding issues; negotiating development agreements and building leases. Larger schemes will include a series of complex agreements covering not only the initial development process but also ongoing landlord and tenant and management issues.

 Healthcare

Lewis Silkin acts for a variety of clients providing care and support services as well as housing. A number of schemes I am involved with include the provision of supported housing, sheltered accommodation and extracare services. Our cross departmental team is able to advise on the complex issues ranging from financial to regulation, nominations, tenancies, leases and agreements for care services, in addition to the bricks and mortar aspects.

 Housing & Regeneration

Lewis Silkin has long held a leading role advising the social housing sector and advises a range of clients working on significant and high profile housing and regeneration projects. Creating sustainable communities is the goal of a successful regeneration project. Being able to achieve this in a timely manner can be a challenge given the number of stakeholders and parties involved and complex legal issues. Our team members understand the commercial as well as legal issues facing those involved in delivering and financing major projects whether providers of housing, contractors, developers, funders or local authorities.

My role includes working on housing led regeneration schemes e.g. council housing estates, and also large developer led projects providing offices and retail space, education, health, community and leisure facilities, and private residential and affordable homes element e.g. regeneration of inner city 'brownfield' areas. Larger projects would typically involve partnering or joint venture arrangements and tricky procurement issues. Aside from redevelopment, housing led projects often involve wider issues such as resident consultation, decanting and rehousing.

Our clients range from long established charities and the first housing associations set up in the 1960s to newly formed registered providers.  We also act for housing co-operatives.  My work covers all aspects relating to registered providers advising on governance, corporate structures, regulation, funding, vires, housing management as well as property acquisition and development projects.

Having had several years' experience as a board member of a housing association I know what it is like for board members to be faced with legal advice on complex issues or lengthy agreements and ensure that advice provided by our team is in a form accessible to all.