Simon has over 20 years’ experience specialising in real estate investment and development, acquisitions and disposals, landlord and tenant law, secured lending, and real estate aspects of corporate transactions (mergers, de-mergers, acquisitions and disposals). Simon advises a broad range of core and non-core real estate clients comprising high-net-worth individuals, SMEs and large corporates and FTSE 350 businesses across multiple sectors including logistics, automotive, manufacturing, self-storage, retail, offices, education, health (primary and secondary care) and charities.
Simon understands the importance of a deadline and will go over and beyond to deliver a positive outcome. He is responsive, helpful, attentive to detail and technically solid.
Roey Cahany
Legal Counsel, Caesarstone UK Limited (Manufacturing)Advice that you can trust, offered with you the customer in mind is critical to our business. We have worked with Simon since 2008 – he is prompt, efficient, courteous and thorough. I have no hesitation in recommending him.
Sam Goodhart
Managing Director, Bon Coeur Fine Wines Limited (Retail)I engaged Simon on a number of York St John University’s largest, most prestigious, multimillion-pound development schemes. Most of these projects had extremely challenging completion timescales. Simon is extremely knowledgeable, efficient, skilled and tenacious; as a result, he always achieves the client’s required outcomes.
Colin Parkin MBE
Honorary Fellow, Director of Estates (retired), York St John University (Education)Simon gives sound, commercial legal advice with great service delivery at competitive rates – it has been a pleasure to work with him.
Ed Sanderson
Commercial Director, Stephen Sanderson Transport Limited (Logistics and Distribution)
Expertise
- Investment acquisitions and disposals
- Landlord and tenant
- Leasehold portfolio management
- Corporate occupiers
- Sale and leasebacks
- Pension fund property
- Development transactions
- Secured lending
- Property insolvency
Experience
Commercial Property
- Led the project team in the £26.6m acquisition by a global institutional investor of 85 Gracechurch Street, London.
- Acted for a specialist EV battery engineering manufacturer in its acquisition of part of the Silverstone Technology Cluster.
- Acted for a leading global engine assembly and remanufacturing business in its acquisition of the property and assets of Mahle Powertrain Limited.
- Advised a major investor/developer in the £23.6m acquisition of St Marks Place Shopping Centre.
- Acted for a listed property company in the £14.1m disposal of Switch Island Leisure Park, Liverpool.
- Advised a significant regional logistics and distribution company in the acquisition and funding of Sallow Road, Corby, from the BlackRock UK Property Fund.
- Advised a Swedish automotive start-up in its premises acquisition proposals for the UK trading arm at Silverstone Business Park.
- Advised an automotive and mechanical engineering business in its acquisition of industrial and storage premises at Stansted 600 for the operation of an executive chauffeur airport transfer business.
- Advised a global food flavourings business in the purchase and re-development of Denington Road, Wellingborough.
- Advised York St John University in the 232-room student accommodation re-development of Grays Wharf, York.
- Acted for an SME beverages supplier and distributor in the development and pre-lets of multiple B1/B2/B8 units.
- Acted in the purchase conditional on planning of a B1/B2/B8 mixed-use scheme from acquisition through to structuring the development, multiple disposals of part and developer exit.
Charity & Not-For-Profit
- Acted in the joint venture development of an £8M medical research centre and a £4.5M PET-CT scanning centre involving an NHS Trust and a significant cancer charity.
- Advised a major ecclesiastical charity in the conditional disposal and re-development of a London-based Baptist church.
- Acted for a regional hospice charity in the day-to-day asset management of its retail property portfolio.
- Acted for York St John University in the 232-room student accommodation re-development of Grays Wharf, York.
- Acted for the MS Society in the grant, surrender and re-gear of leases of residential care settings and retail outlets.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Ranked as “a highly recommended leading lawyer in real estate” who is “always proactive in service delivery and competitive on price”. Chambers and Partners UK
Career
Simon qualified as a solicitor in 1999. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2019, he worked at the following firms:
- CMS Cameron McKenna
- Olswang
- Hempsons Solicitors