Richard is a real estate lawyer with wide experience of acting for banks, building societies and secondary lenders. It is in the area of enforcement, restructuring and recovery that he has gained a national reputation, providing project management expertise on large scale disposal projects and high value/complex real estate.

His approach is typified by assisting lenders early on with reviews of security and title to understand their available solutions and, where necessary, the enforcement options available. His experience means that he naturally considers the wider aspects, for example commercial or reputational impact.

Richard provides a full property service for lenders which includes refinance and security work. He has for many years provided a 24/48hr turnaround service for relationship managers on property queries and document checking (lease reviews, planning documents, sale contracts, etc).

He acts for insolvency practitioners and fixed charge receivers in both disposal transactions and asset management. He has successfully worked with stakeholders, IP’s and agents to provide considerable improvements on anticipated realisations and has also worked with many borrowers and their advisors on consensual work-outs and refinances.

Richard joined Shoosmiths' real estate practice in October 2016, joining the firm from Addleshaw Goddard Leeds. He is based in Leeds and works with clients across the UK.

His recent experience includes advising on high value projects, local and national:

• acting for Deloitte as administrators of the Angelic Portfolio, consisting 342 residential buy-to-let and a variety of commercial properties;
• advising RBS on a consensual work-out and plot sales of a large rural farm in the East Midlands which included residential and commercial buildings, telephone masts, large woodlands and arable land. Working alongside the finance litigation team to deliver specialist real estate advice;
• leading the property advice for KPMG (London) as administrators on a large commercial investment portfolio. Management and disposal involving a number of commercial retail properties and shopping centres. Involved detailed seller due diligence and presentation of documents via an online dataroom to improve transparency and ultimately realisation.
• sale of a number of former Southern Cross Care Homes, acting initially for Bank of Ireland and then CBRE as receivers, including lease variations, corporate support/business sales and development agreements;
• acting for Endless on a new lease, tenant option and pre-emption in relation to a large high tech distribution centre, office and retail space in Peterborough following the acquisition of the Kiddicare business from Morrisons. The early part of deal also dealt with the surrender of the leases on all of the retail outlets; and
• acting for Bank of Ireland and then O’Hara & Co as receivers on the club leases and disposal of Belle Vue Stadium, Wakefield over a period of six years.

Education
LL.B(Hons) - University of Huddersfield