Overview

Our award-winning real estate lawyers provide a full range of transactional, advisory and dispute resolution real estate services in both commercial and residential property. We advise corporates, private clients, public sector bodies and conservation organisations operating in many of the UK’s industry sectors including the real estate, energy, banking, transport and food and farming sectors. Within the team are lawyers qualified in all three UK legal jurisdictions (England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) and a specialist team handling all aspects of rural property and land estates.

Our team is recognised for providing strategic and practical legal advice on developing, investing in and occupying all forms of UK property. Our services include the following:

  • Advising on property holding structures.
  • Strategic land acquisition and promotion advice.
  • Real estate aspects of infrastructure and energy projects.
  • Buying and selling land, including option and future profit sharing arrangements.
  • Assisting with Compulsory Purchase Orders.
  • Providing planning law advice.
  • Managing and mitigating environmental contamination risk.
  • Unlocking property development potential.
  • All aspects of landlord and tenant work.
  • Property portfolio management.
  • Property disputes resolution.
  • Lending secured on real estate assets.
  • Assisting with recoveries for lenders when borrowers default.
  • Enabling regeneration schemes.
  • Property tax planning advice.
  • Buying and selling high value residential property for investment or owner occupation.

Uniquely we also have a dedicated team which represents The Crown Estate in the administration of freehold property which becomes subject to reversion to the Monarch in right of the Crown under the common law prerogative of escheat.

 Our team operate across the UK including in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Experience

Acting for two family trusts on the grant of a hybrid strategic land agreement over land to the north west of Cardiff, now allocated in the local plan for the development of 7000 homes. We also concluded a landowners' agreement with a third landowner whose land forms part of the proposed development.

Advising a US Senior Debt Fund in relation to the refinance of a portfolio of 30 commercial and residential properties in London to an Isle of Man borrower.

Advising Skanska on the pre-let and sale of its flagship commercial office development, 66 Queen Square (pre-let to KPMG and Handelsbanken and sold to Aviva -shortlisted for Estate Gazette’s Deal of the Year 2015).

Advising London Underground/Transport for London on the real estate elements of the Metropolitan Line Extension project.

Advising the Greater London Authority on the procurement of a development partner for the £1 billion regeneration of the Royal Albert Docks site – a Chinese developer that plans to create London’s ‘Third Business District’ after the City and Canary Wharf.

Acting for the Co-operative Wholesale Society on the sale, for £249 million, of its Farmcare business together with 17,000 acres of land in England and Scotland, with rights to farm a further 21,000 acres.

Advising Temporis Capital on the debt funding of Blue Energy’s 52.9 MW wind farm at Black Craig in Scotland.

Acting for John Lewis Partnership and Waitrose on their UK property portfolios and advising The Crown Estate on its St James's Portfolio including high profile lettings to luxury and premium brand retailers, restaurants restaurateurs and office occupiers.

Advising a BVI based private equity fund in relation to their investment in UK real estate through Jersey SPV's. Providing tax advice on these investments, covering the whole spectrum of tax including income tax, artificial transactions in land, land dealing, corporation tax, central management and control, permanent establishment issues, VAT, stamp taxes, capital allowances and withholding tax advice.

Acting for local authorities in connection with the compulsory purchase of land needed for a number of major highway proposals in England and Wales including successfully promoting the South Bristol Link, 5km of new road South of Bristol.

Meet the team
Colin Ligman

Colin Ligman Partner

  • Real Estate
  • Banking and Finance
  • Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency
Emma Folkes

Emma Folkes Partner

  • Head of Rural Property
  • Estates and Land
  • Food and Farming
Euan Bremner

Euan Bremner Partner

  • Energy and Utilities
  • Head of Scottish Real Estate
  • Head of Northern Irish Real Estate
Matthew Sims

Matthew Sims Partner

  • Real Estate Services
  • Retail
  • Real Estate
Paul Browne

Paul Browne Partner

  • Head of International Trade
  • Real Estate
  • Nuclear
Philip Beer

Philip Beer Partner

  • Real Estate
  • Transport
  • Energy and Utilities
Richard Clark partner

Richard Clark Partner

  • Offices
  • Retail Property
  • Industrial and Logistics
Richard Owen

Richard Owen Partner

  • Landowner
  • Bona Vacantia and Escheat
  • Real Estate
Richard Read

Richard Read Partner

  • Head of Real Estate
  • International Real Estate
  • Hotels, Leisure and Tourism
Robert Forman

Robert Forman Partner

  • Head of Scottish Real Estate 
  • Real Estate Advisory
  • Real Estate Investment
Ross Polkinghorne

Ross Polkinghorne Partner

  • Built Environment
  • Development and Regeneration
  • Infrastructure
Ross Simpson

Ross Simpson Partner

  • Real Estate
  • Estates and Land
  • Food and Farming
Sally Jupp

Sally Jupp Partner

  • Real Estate Finance
  • Corporate Turnaround and Insolvency
  • Real Estate Investment and Development
Will Woodall

Will Woodall Partner

  • Energy and Utilities
  • Infrastructure
  • Healthcare
Headshot of Paul Clark

Paul Clark Director

  • Real Estate
  • Real Estate Finance
  • Scottish Real Estate

What others say...

A top class law firm, staffed with excellent lawyers who offer extremely commercial advice in a very user friendly manner.

Chambers UK Legal Directory

Burges Salmon careers

We work hard to make sure Burges Salmon is a great place to work.
Find out more