Claudia advises on construction and property development projects, particularly in the student accommodation and hotel sectors. She advises clients in all areas of commercial property and construction law, beginning with the acquisition of development sites and site assembly, through to the planning process and the drafting and negotiation of various construction and engineering contracts and professional appointments.
Claudia works with a range of businesses, landowners, property investors and property developers.
Claudia is also qualified to practise in Germany and is admitted to the Duesseldorf Bar.
Expertise
- Commercial property
- Conditional planning acquisitions
- Property development
- Property investment
- Planning agreements
- Commercial landlord and tenant
- Construction and building contracts
- Engineering contracts
- Property development
- Student accommodation development
- Hotel development
Experience
General
- Advising a real estate investment client in respect of the acquisition and disposal of residential, commercial and mixed-use investments including acquisition finance.
- Advising a developer on the acquisition of a large-scale development site in Bristol.
- Advising a real estate developer in respect of the acquisition of an office building in central London with a view to residential development, including advice in relation to planning matters, drafting and negotiating the JCT contract and professional appointments.
- Advising a developer on the acquisition of a large-scale development site in Bradford.
- Advising a developer in a development joint venture with the Royal Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
- Advised a well-known UK food producer in negotiating NEC engineering contracts for the design and construction of a new food production plant and facility.
Student Accomodation
- Drafted and negotiated building contracts and consultant appointments for a development of B1 mixed-use student accommodation in South West London comprising 347 student beds and 2,100 square metres of office/retail space together with acting for developers on building contracts for other mixed student accommodation and retail unit developments including advice on development finance and subsequent onward finance.
- Providing advice to a student accommodation developer in respect of the development and construction of a mixed-use A1/retail development in West London including preparation of the construction tender documentation and negotiation of professional appointment documents including advice on development finance and subsequent onward finance.
- Dealing with the acquisition of a warehouse building in Leicester for the purpose of conversion and development of student accommodation including advice on development finance and subsequent onward finance.
- Dealing with the acquisition of a mixed-use office building in Nottingham and advice in respect of the development into a mixed-use A1/A2 and student accommodation including advice on development finance and subsequent onward finance.
- Acquisition of a former church building in Nottingham for a student accommodation developer, including advice on the development into student accommodation and development finance.
- Providing ongoing advice to a student accommodation investor holding investments in Leicester, Nottingham and Bristol relating to issues surrounding Landlord and Tenant matters, planning matters and ad hoc advice relating to land law queries.
Energy
- Advised a land owner in the negotiation of supply and installation of solar energy farms in rural areas and associated documentation in relation to feeding into the national grid.
- Advised developer/solar energy suppliers in the Turnkey Contract for the design supply and installation of roof-mounted solar energy panels and associated construction work at various sites in London.
- Advice to a landowner in respect of a land option to a solar energy provider to take a lease to feed into the national grid subject to planning permission.
- Advice to a petrol station company in respect of the acquisition of brownfield sites and development into Trunk Road Service Stations, subject to planning permission.
- Ongoing advice to a petrol station company in the taking of leases of forecourts and TRSAs.
- Dealing with the sale of a petrol service station portfolio to individual and corporate buyers.
- Advising a mining client in respect of an assembly of mining land and mining rights in Cornwall
Hotels, Hospitality and Leisure
- Advising a real estate investment client in relation to a conditional development agreement for lease for a central London office building conditional on planning permission for a hotel development.
- Advised a hotel developer on the acquisition of a hotel development site in Marylebone during construction.
- Ongoing advice to a West London hotel operator in respect of property-related issues.
- Acquisition of a hotel in West London on behalf of a purchaser new to the hotel sector including advising on the loan facility for the purchase.
- Assisting hoteliers in relation to hotel management agreements and joint ventures.
- Assisting hotel operators in relation to the refinance of a hotel portfolio.
International clients
- Represented a HNW KSA family on the purchase of UK hotels and residential investment properties.
- Advised an Iraqi owned investment company on the acquisition and proposed development of a site to become a large commercial unit with 59 flats above.
- Represented a Bahraini HNWI on the acquisition of various properties and land for the purposes of obtaining planning permission and selling on.
- Advised a high-profile Iraqi family on the acquisition and disposal of commercial development and residential dwelling properties throughout the UK.
- Ongoing advice to a Lebanese HNW individual (owning property via a foreign investment vehicle) on all commercial property matters relating to his English property portfolio.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Recognised by Best Lawyers (UK) in the practice area of Planning (2023-2025)
Claudia regularly teaches property and planning law for the MSc in Construction Law and Dispute Resolution at King’s College London.
Claudia is a member of the British German Jurists’ Association.
Career
Claudia qualified as a solicitor in 2003. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2021, she worked at the following firms:
- Kerman & Co (now Armstrong Teasdale)
- Healys LLP
- DMH Stallard
- Pemberton Greenish