Property

Michael has been in practice for over forty years and having resisted the pressure to deal with only one aspect of the law, he has been determined to remain a multi-disciplinary practitioner and as a result is very experienced in matters relating to property, litigation, insolvency and company commercial work.

Working with developers on sites with a GDV of up to £100m and dealing in litigious and insolvency matters often involving tens of millions of pounds, he brings his sense of humour to all situations and ensures that he does not take an hour to do ten minutes worth of work.

He is the ideal lawyer for clients who want a sharp commercial view delivered in a very straight talking fashion to let them know their position and their options going forward.

Michael and his family live on their 34 acre equestrian centre in north London with two dogs, two cats (plus four cats on the farm), fifty horses and three donkeys

Brenda leads our Property and Private Client department and has over 20 years practising experience, providing day-to-day liaison with clients and advising on the ever more complex aspects of property law.

Brenda specialises in residential real estate and commercial leases for investors and investment acquisitions for developers and private clients and her work splits 60 % commercial property, Landlord & Tenant, private client and licensing and 40 % residential matter. Renowned for priding herself in ensuring that your commercial or residential property transaction runs as smoothly and as stress-free as possible. Whether it is your business or your dream home she is your trusted adviser to make it happen.

She has established a highly–respected reputation for both speed and efficiency plus more importantly for keeping all parties (including lawyers, agents and brokers) fully appraised on an ongoing basis.

Brenda specialises in:

• entertainment industry licensing (all aspects of the Licensing Act 2003 on hotels, bars, pubs and night club acquisitions)
• freehold and leasehold conveyancing (including all aspects of sales, purchases and re-mortgages)
• commercial real-estate, including acquisitions and disposals for housing and mixed-use schemes, lease renewals and break clause
• transfers of equity and deeds of trust
• help-to-buy loans and ISA bonus scheme transactions
• advising on equity release schemes; and
• contentious landlord & tenant, including disputes, lease extensions, deeds of surrender and regrants

The complete service that she offers from acquisition through to development whether it is small sites, larger developments or the sales of completed homes or acquisition of off-plan plots, is often commented on following completion leading to referrals from clients, agents, brokers and lenders alike.

Brenda employs her technical and commercial expertise in a down-to-earth manner that clients appreciate – you just have to see the online client testimonials to understand why client return to Brenda time and time again. Client often comment on Brenda’s friendly personality, which means that she has the ability to quickly and effortlessly establish good personal relationships and understanding with her clients; as their trusted advisor.

Jonathan Gerber is a property specialist, with a particular expertise in commercial property and Mortgage lending for banks and for other lending institutions.

Working in Central London in an area of High Net Worth Individuals he also deals with high and middle value domestic residential conveyancing.

He manages our Equity Release Department (also known as Home Reversion).

He has strong contacts with relevant professionals, including architects, surveyors, contractors, valuers, Bankers, company service providers, agents and accountants.

He acts for a number of lenders as their solicitor.

Work Highlights

• Acting for many clients (both individual and corporate) over several years who seem to appreciate my ‘can do’ commercial approach to complete a transaction
• Acting for established property lenders
• Expertise in equity release
• Taking pro –active rather than reactive approach to my work
• Negotiating heads of terms on commercial transactions directly with agents
• Ensuring good communication with all parties throughout a transaction

Jerome has considerable experience in property law and associated fields. His aim and driving ambition is to support his clients, many of whom he has advised for many years, by representing their best interests with his determination to find practical commercial solutions to their legal problems. Jerome manages all his caseload and does not assign work to junior or assistant solicitors.

He handles residential and commercial transactions for both new developments and built properties. He has long experience in dealing with purchasers, acquisitions, borrowing advising on developments from site acquisition to ultimate sale. His practice includes the acquisition, loans, collateral securities, disposal, and development of investment portfolios, the acquisition of properties and/or companies holding property portfolios and negotiating and handling joint venture agreements and negotiations in relation to S106 Agreements, CIL negotiations and all planning issues. His wide experience enhances his ability to manage all aspects of real estate work and provides his clients with a one stop service. The aim is always to work in line with a client’s timeline requirements from start to end of a transaction whether expedited or not to keep the client regularly informed, being attentive to client requirements in real time.

He has a world-wide client base including the U.K., Africa, the Middle East , Australia and the Far East and the USA. Jerome has associations with a number of overseas law firms.

His representation of such a diverse client base has enabled him to establish strong contacts with relevant professionals including architects, surveyors, contractors’ lawyers and banks in several countries.

Rozia is a registrar in our Property Law department, with twenty years’ experience in matters such as:

• residential and commercial property;
• Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) and Land Transaction Tax (LTT);
• company secretarial services, including overseas entity registration;
• estate management; and
• corporate asset management

Rozia has particular expertise in resolving technical post-completion issues and finds solutions for every problem.

Outside of work, Rozia is currently a student ambassador for the Law Training Centre and a parent governor at her children’s school.  In her free time she likes to go for hikes, watch the sun set and listen to house music.

Natalie Amir is a senior property partner at SBP Law with a decade of experience in commercial/residential property transactions. Natalie brings a wealth of expertise to our team in all aspects of property law and takes pride in providing exceptional client care while ensuring a smooth and efficient transaction.

Natalie’s keen commercial awareness ensures that she quickly meets the business requirements of her company clients, as well as sensitively guiding individual clients through conveyancing transactions to make the process seamless and stress-free.

In her spare time, Natalie enjoys boxercise and spending time with her two sons.

Having qualified in 2019, Jazdeep specialises in all matters relating to residential and commercial property as well as secured lending. Jazdeep provides expert legal guidance and representation to all clients involved in buying, selling, leasing, re-financing and generally managing properties.

As part of his role Jazdeep ensures that property transactions are conducted smoothly and efficiently and keeps clients regularly updated in a simple and jargon free manner.

Karishma is a trainee solicitor currently undertaking a seat in our property department. Prior to this she completed seats in dispute resolution and corporate & commercial, gaining experience across a broad range of matters including commercial disputes, transactional work and employment issues.

Prior to obtaining her training contract, Karishma worked as a paralegal within the Dispute Resolution department at SBP Law for a year.

Outside of work, Karishma enjoys attending dance classes and has been a dedicated dancer since the age of five

Katherine advises developers, investors, lenders and private clients on a broad range of property matters across the residential and commercial sectors. Her practice covers acquisitions, disposals, refinancing, secured lending and commercial leases, with particular experience acting for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients investing in the UK.

In the residential sphere, Katherine assists clients at every level – from first-time buyers and new investors to experienced landlords and developers. She has handled a wide range of complex transactions, including multiple property flips, portfolio acquisitions and structured ownership arrangements.

Katherine has a leading role in SBP Law’s Eastern European and CIS Desk, supporting clients from Eastern Europe, the Baltic region, Russia and Ukraine with their UK property and investment matters. Fluent in Russian and Ukrainian, she ensures clear communication and an understanding of regional context within the framework of English law.

She has assisted many clients from the Eastern European community in acquiring and developing property throughout the UK, providing practical and reliable guidance from initial instruction to completion and onward disposals.

Outside work, Katherine enjoys art, travel, driving and sports shooting

With experience in property law, including commercial leases and both commercial and residential conveyancing, Sophia can assist across a broad range of matters. She also has experience in commercial, company and dispute resolution work, particularly in landlord and tenant disputes. Drawing on her wider legal knowledge, Sophia effectively applies insights from her commercial and company law experience to provide well-rounded, strategic solutions in her property and dispute resolution matters. She also regularly attends networking events to engage with potential clients and fellow professionals. Sophia’s focus is not only on the law but also on building strong, positive, lasting relationships with her clients.

“SBP have been exceptional, professional, efficient and genuinely supportive throughout.  Their expertise and clear communication made the whole process smooth and stress-free”  – commercial property client

“I found Sophia Guilfoyle very professional, thorough, hard-working and most importantly, logical.  I am lucky to find such a good lawyer” – property litigation client

A very experienced solicitor who, as is evidenced by his very large number of personal clients, an ability to quickly and easily to relate to them and their problems and give very practical and original advice.

The fact that in the days of non-specialisation he dealt in many fields has served him well in advising on the matters in which he now concentrates, namely conveyancing, both residential and commercial, landlord and tenant, wills and probate and to give at least initial non-specialist general advice as a result of his lateral thinking. He is always available to respond promptly, sympathetically and practically to clients’ problems.

Jonathan qualified as a solicitor in 2008. Bringing a wealth of experience to SBP Law, Jonathan specialises in commercial and residential property. With a robust skill-set Jonathan provides valuable advice and insight to his clients and ensures their desired outcomes are achieved.

Tim has been involved in varied property matters for several decades. Over the past twenty years he has facilitated the projects of some of the UK’s largest developers, particularly in the fields of industrial and office leasing and funding. Many of Tim’s clients are from Europe or further afield making their first foray into the English property scene.

Tim is accustomed to working on complex cases, especially those with difficult ownership or planning issues, and site assembly for commercial and residential development.

He says that he is still happy to act for clients buying their first house or flat and enjoys making the call to tell them that they can collect their keys.

Away from the office Tim is a scuba diver, choral singer, and rugby aficionado.

Stuart Pearson has practised for over 40 years and has both a national and international client base, with strong links in the Middle East.

With a broad knowledge of property law, both contentious and non-contentious, Stuart can spot potential problems before they arrive and bring matters to a satisfactory conclusion with a minimum delay and cost.

Work Highlights

• Acting for family businesses through three generations
• Dealing with the administration of foreign estates over several jurisdictions
• Representing leaseholders in blocks of flats in acquiring freeholds from reluctant or hostile landlords
• After concluding matters, being approached by parties on the opposite side with a request that henceforth he acts for them, rather than their previous solicitors.

Stephen Wegg-Prosser is a property lawyer who has established a British and international client base, especially in the Far East, acting in residential and commercial property acquisitions and sales. Stephen has over 40 years’ experience of representing Landlords and Tenants in the granting and renewal of business leases, in acting for Lessees and Residents’ Associations and in acquiring freehold interests in their properties and their management and administration after acquisition.

There are not many London lawyers who fit the image of the ‘family solicitor’ but Stephen’s work has involved legal advice support and administration of his client’s lives from cradle to grave.

Work highlights:

• acting for largest property and hotel company of Thailand in UK acquiring UK investments.
• acting for families over three generations since starting as an articled clerk in 1969 and still representing them as a consultant at SBP Law
• advising family trusts over several decades so as to achieve the best possible legitimate inheritance tax outcomes to pass assets in a tax efficient way to the next generation