Paul is a senior real estate lawyer with broad experience advising on varied aspects of commercial property for a diverse client base.
His particular experience lies in investment acquisitions and disposals, development work, leasing for landlords and tenants, security transactions and the provision of general property tax advice. His clients come from both the private and public sectors, and include pension funds and other property investors, property companies, developers, high-net-worth individuals, high-profile companies and PLCs with operational and occupational requirements and banks and other funders. Having worked for both landlords and tenants, Paul understands the requirements of both parties, where tensions may lie, and how to resolve them.
He is a member of the British Council for Offices, and of the Investment Property Forum Scotland.
- Advising the Public Sector Pension Investment Board and AviAlliance GmbH on the Scottish real estate aspects of their £1.53 billion acquisition of AGS Airports, the owner of Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Southampton Airports from Ferrovial and Macquarie.
- Advising British Airways Pension Fund on the site assembly, forward purchase and funding of the Grade A office development at The Silver Fin Building, Union Street, Aberdeen, and all subsequent lettings, including pre-lets of various floors to national occupiers and the major letting of the remaining 100,000 square feet to Shell, which was the largest UK office letting at the time, and all subsequent asset management.
- Advising British Airways Pension Fund on the purchase of St Magnus House, Guild Street, Aberdeen, let to Canadian Natural Resources, all subsequent asset management and lease re-gears and ultimate sale of the building.
- Advising DWS (part of the Deutsche Bank group) on the purchase of the mixed-use retail and Grade A office development at Edinburgh Quay One, Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, and all subsequent asset management of the development, including new leases, lease re-gears, rent reviews, licences for works and others and ultimate sale of the development.
- Advising DWS on the forward purchase and funding of the mixed-use retail and Grade A office development at 110 Queen Street, Glasgow, the leases of various floors within the building to national retailers and office occupiers, and all subsequent asset management including lease re-gears and new lettings.
- Advising Canada Life Investments in the forward funding of the SSE Hydro car park in Glasgow, including negotiation of a forward funding and development agreement with Scottish Exhibition Centre, under which CLI took title to the site under a ground lease, with pre-let to Glasgow City Council, which currently operates the car park.
- Advising Canada Life Investments on the purchase and leaseback of Dundee House, Dundee, and lease back to Dundee City Council as one of the Council's administrative buildings.
- Advising an offshore private investor on the lease of 98 Buchanan Street, Glasgow, to Lush and subsequent sale of the building to a private investor.
- Advising an offshore private investor on the purchase of the mixed-use retail and Grade A office development at 124/125 Princes Street, Edinburgh and all subsequent asset management, lease re-gears and new leases.
- Advising an offshore private investor on the conditional sale of several residential development sites at Western Harbour, Edinburgh, to a major housebuilder.
- Advising a private investor on the purchase of the Residence Inn by Marriott, Quartermile, Edinburgh, and on its initial financing and subsequent sale and long-leaseback and refinancing and all advice in connection with the hotel management agreement with Marriott and various addenda to it.
- Advising Medical Properties Trust on the purchase of private hospitals in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Stirling, financing and refinancing the real estate assets and all asset management and lease regears with the hospital operator.
- Advising a clean energy investor and developer on the Scottish real estate aspects of its corporate purchase of a solar farm development at Kincraig (one of three developments, the other two located in England).
- Advising CalaChem on its real estate requirements in respect of its operational site at Grangemouth, including plot sales, lettings, options and various title and lease queries.
- Advising Viridor on all aspects of their Scottish real estate interests, particularly in respect of their various Energy from Waste sites in Scotland.
- Advising Whyte and Mackay on all aspects of their Scottish real estate interests, including in respect of their distilleries, maturation sites and administrative offices, extending to the purchase of a steading for office conversion, lease regears and new lettings, plot sales and leases to utilities operators and general title advice.
- Advising Tarmac on all aspects of their Scottish real estate interests, including in respect of their various quarries, asphalt plants, RMX plants and recycling centres, extending to lease regears and new lettings, options and general title and lease advice.
- Advising Franklin Templeton Global Investors and Martin Currie on all aspects of their Scottish occupational leases, including regears, sub-lettings and renunciations, and Martin Currie’s relocation to Franklin Templeton’s offices following their merger.
- Advising various high-net-worth individuals on their real estate investments, whether held personally, in companies or in their pension funds, extending to purchases, lease regears and new leases, option agreements for prospective residential developments, title enquiries and title reorganisations (amongst family members).
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