I have an unusual mix of pure property development work, environmental expertise and commercial sector property experience which has particularly come to the fore with the growing importance of mixed use and inner city regeneration schemes. I act for both Housing Association and commercial clients, providing advice and assistance on the whole range of property issues they face in acquiring and developing land. A typical day sees me…actually there is no typical day. One of the great things about my job is that each site is unique, each scheme is different. My job is to ensure that the unexpected is anticipated and resolved before it becomes a problem – so my client can get on to site and develop with the minimum of nasty surprises.

• I am acting for one of the two consortia selected by the London Borough of Southwark to regenerate the Elephant & Castle’s social housing stock. The consortia will be entering into development obligations with Southwark by way of building leases over a number of sites. There will be associated nomination and planning agreements to be negotiated.

• I led Lewis Silkin’s team on the acquisition of a headquarters building for a computer company, including landlord’s development obligations. I ensured our client had the maximum available protection in connection with the design and construction of the building.

• I acted on the sale of a microchip factory. The process of decommissioning the facility so as to leave it clean and safe was complex. My team ensured that that process was properly documented in the sale agreement so as to give my client flexibility whilst it was being carried out and so as to shift environmental liability to the buyer on completion.

• I acted on the formation of the South London Preferred Development Partnership whereby a developing RSL undertakes the acquisition and development of housing sites for a number of RSLs. We needed to consider the needs of the different RSLs, document the development obligations and ensure that they could be translated into building contracts when the developing RSL came to let its construction contracts.

I act for a wide variety of housing associations and commercial clients.

Economics BA: University of Essex CPE (merit) LSFE

I was born in Stanford California but mainly brought up in Oxfordshire. I joined Lewis Silkin in 1990 and have been here since, except for a year travelling. During my year out I took the train from Waterloo International to Hanoi Central and then toured Asia, Australia and the South Pacific. Highlights range from taking "tea" (made from butter and yaks milk) with herders in Mongolia to gate crashing a New Year’s Eve party at a very nice house with gardens overlooking the Sydney Opera House. Low points (of which there were only a few) included falling off a mountain whilst lost in a tropical jungle and accidentally taking a taxi into the middle of a riot in Indonesia. My best moment was attending church on Easter Day on Easter Island where, due to a myth stating that people with red hair (of which there are approximately none on Easter Island) are descended from the Gods, I was extremely popular.