David is a Scottish-qualified property/corporate lawyer with a distinct specialism in structuring and promoting tax-efficient property transactions. He is well known for his expertise in Enterprise Zone syndicates, BPRA LLPs and capital allowance strips.
David advises numerous hotel and data centres investors, tending to focus on specific asset classes. He acts for a number of promotors of tax-efficient private equity investment into property either directly or indirectly through SIPPs and SSASs. David is familiar with all manner of SPVs from formation, trading through to dissolution and distribution.
Expertise
- Private equity investment into property
- Property development
- Purchase and sale of properties
- Forward funds
- Refinancing
Experience
- Advised on the purchase and forward fund of two data centres in England and Scotland (combined development cost of £430m).
- Advised on the purchase, forward fund, refinance and sale of Ecocampus, the UK’s first carbon-neutral speculative office development.
- Advised on the forward purchase of hotel developments in multiple UK cities including Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, Belfast, Newcastle, Liverpool and Cardiff.
- Advised on the acquisition, pre-let and forward sales of two separate hotel developments in York.
- Devised innovative schemes for local authorities to take advantage of Business Premises Renovation Allowances in relation to the refurbishment of their own portfolios.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Career
David qualified as a Scottish solicitor in 1991. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2019, he worked at the following firms:
- Charles Russell Speechlys
- DLA Piper