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Ashley Wright

Posted on: February 28th, 2023 by Natasha Cox

I am a Senior Associate in the Lawrence Stephens Banking team, having previously spent over half a decade working as a banking associate at international law firms.

To date, I have advised on hundreds of banking transactions from inception at term sheet stage, through the lifecycle of document negotiation, to signing and completion and managing any post-close matters. I aim to mix sensible legal advice on key risk points with an eye on the commercial imperatives and flow of a transaction.

My practice ranges from advising individuals and SMEs on smaller lending projects through to syndicated transactions for a club of investment banks. I enjoy working on a variety of lending products and getting to grips with the different pressures and markets for each deal.

Away from work, I enjoy all forms of sport (increasingly from the comfort of my sofa) and spending time with family and friends.

Experience highlights 

  • Acting for a family office on a £3.5m loan for a family office lender on land which included a vineyard
  • Representing a dental business on its corporate facilities (acquisition/capex and RCF) with a mainstream lender
  • Advising bridging lenders on numerous bridging loan transactions for predominantly UK-based real estate assets
  • Representing a number of mainstream banks on loan products, largely for UK-based property transactions
  • Acting for a private equity sponsor as borrower in respect of a €100m facility from a structured lender

Ajoy Bose-Mallick

Posted on: February 15th, 2023 by Natasha Cox

I joined Lawrence Stephens as Head of Banking in September 2022, having led the Real Estate Finance department at a Top 200 UK law firm for almost five years. 

I act for a wide range of different lenders, non-bank lenders, alternative lenders, entrepreneurs, private family offices, property companies, funds, sponsors, developers, joint venture vehicles, entrepreneurs and borrowers on real estate investment and development finance projects across the UK ranging from £100,000 to £75m.

The bulk of the transactions I advise on are between £1m and £50m and span a wide variety of asset classes including residential, office, PRS, student accommodation, mixed use schemes, hotel, retail and buy to let projects.  I also have extensive experience working on transactions which involve international elements and offshore jurisdictions and working for international based clients looking to invest in the UK on property transactions.

I enjoy working with a variety of different clients from the individual investor to the family office or corporate institution or variety of different lenders and no one client is the same.  I enjoy advising my clients on a wide range of issues (not exclusively related to just Banking and Real Estate Finance).  In addition to documenting and negotiating transactions, I advise on structuring deals and on real estate financing issues and have also been on secondment to a clearing bank.

Experience highlights 

  • Acting for a wide range of different bridging lenders, clearing banks, alternative lenders, private banks and non-bank lenders in respect of numerous investment and development facilities for numerous real estate transactions ranging between £250,000 to £75m for UK-based and international borrowers across different asset classes such as residential, PRS, commercial, office, student accommodation, retail and mixed use schemes
  • Advising a private equity fund in connection with a £200m investment in a UK development finance lending platform, to assist an alternative lender in providing development finance in the UK residential market
  • Advising a privately owned family property company based in the UK in connection with a £33m senior loan facility for a mixed portfolio of properties in Chelsea
  • Acting for a group of investors on the £5m bridging, £35m development finance, £35m investment finance and eventual sale of a 750 bed PRS scheme in North England to an international buyer
  • Advising the borrower on the £65m refinancing of an office development in the City of London and subsequent partial debt transfer to a senior lender
  • Advising a senior lender in respect of a £5m refinancing secured on a range of residential buy to let properties
  • Acted for an alternative lender providing a secured property finance facility for the development of a student accommodation block in North England with a gross development value of £20m
  • Acted for a lender in relation to the £20m refinancing of a student accommodation scheme in Bristol, which involved finance, real estate and construction advice
  • Advising various listed managed funds in relation to numerous financings totalling £500m with different lenders in respect of the purchase of over 100 properties ranging from residential, mixed use and commercial investments and developments in the UK
  • Advising a UK property development company in connection with a £5m term loan provided by a local authority to fund the forward purchase and development of an office building
  • Acting for a private family based property company on the £15m development finance of a student accommodation project with an alternative lender

Bola Kim

Posted on: February 10th, 2023 by Natasha Cox

I qualified as a Solicitor in 2019 having previously worked in the property department of a City law firm for a number of years.  I joined Lawrence Stephens’ Real Estate Finance department at the start of 2023.

I have experience in dealing with a variety of matters related to real estate, for both freehold and leasehold properties as well as new developments advising individual and corporate clients.  I have focused on working with regulated and unregulated banks for property refinances, bridging loans and secured lending. My experience includes acting on behalf of lenders as well as borrowers and strives to understand the needs of my clients.

In my spare time, I enjoy travelling and exploring new cultures and foods and, in particular, a nature walk around the Cotswold’s.  I also love a friendly game of squash or tennis with my friends.

Experience highlights

  • Acting on behalf of various lenders for both purchases and refinances
  • Assisted in completing a large refinance deal with portfolio of 17 properties

Milana Katz

Posted on: February 10th, 2023 by Natasha Cox

I am a banking and finance senior associate specialising in real estate finance and corporate lending. My client portfolio comprises of major UK banks, alternative lenders, funds and borrowers.  

Since qualifying into the Banking team at Lawrence Stephens in November 2019, I have developed my real estate finance banking practice by acting for clients on term and bridging facilities on both a regulated and unregulated basis to enable the completion of purchases, refinances and developments across a variety of real estate asset classes including residential properties, hotels, student accommodations, nurseries and care homes. 

I have extensive experience in advising on bilateral and syndicated loans as well as funding lines and loan-on-loan facilities. I regularly complete deals with cross border elements where I instruct lawyers in jurisdictions such as the BVI, Jersey, Guernsey, Scotland and RAK ICC to provide capacity and authority legal opinions.

On the corporate lending side, I continue to assist lenders and borrowers alike on revolving credit facilities and other financial arrangements to help meet the businesses’ expansion plans and working capital requirements.

I have also undertaken a client secondment to OakNorth Bank Plc where I advised on a broad range of finance deals spanning both the UK and the US.

Lastly, I pride myself on being responsive, commercial, reliable and taking a solutions focused approach to my transactions.

When I am not getting deals over the line, I enjoy spending time with my two children, Leo and Goldie, as well as my husband (in that order).

Experience highlights 

  • Completed a £40mil investment loan facility for a UK challenger bank to assist their borrower in the acquisition of several residential properties with a pre-let in place to registered care providers and to also fund minor refurb capex for properties as required
  • Acted on behalf of a bank to provide loan facilities in the aggregate amount of £7mil to a residential and nursing home for older people provider to enable them to acquire a number of care homes in the Counties adjoining Staffordshire and other key locations across the Midlands and South Wales, which was a deal that necessitated a collaborative approach from our corporate, banking and real estate finance teams
  • Advised a Danish limited partnership in relation to a £2.9mil refinance secured against a purpose built detached health and fitness centre currently operated by Nuffield Health
  • Advised a UK bank on a £7mil trading business loan facility secured against a prominent hotel in Nottingham operating under a franchise agreement to a Guernsey registered borrower with a number of international shareholders to refinance its existing debt and provide equity cash-out to the UBO
  • Acted on a circa £2.5mil loan-on-loan facility where I advised both the bank that was providing back-to-back financing and the lender that made the loan available to the ultimate borrower
  • Negotiated a £10mil uncommitted revolving funding line facility on behalf of an established bridging lender
  • Advised a bridging lender on a circa £12mil bridge loan to be used to purchase freehold land with vacant possession and finance development costs associated with the change of use from office to residential under permitted development rights with planning to provide 163 flats

Nisha Saigal

Posted on: February 10th, 2023 by Natasha Cox

With over 13 years’ experience in commercial real estate, I am a core member of my department representing property developers, investor clients, lenders and commercial landlords and tenants.

I have a particular focus on refinance work and act regularly for borrowers on single to large portfolio refinances.  I understand the pressures which some borrowers are faced with when refinancing, making timing critical to ensure that the new facility is completed coterminous with the redemption of the outgoing loan.

I also act for a variety of lenders including commercial lenders, bridging lenders and digital mortgage lenders.

Irrespective of the value of the transaction, I am always driven to secure the best results for my clients.  This is achieved by taking the time to understand my clients’ business and  effectively ‘stepping into their shoes’.

I value the importance of working relationships with clients, brokers and agents, regarding these relationships as integral to the progression, efficiency and outcome of my transactions.

When not at work, I spend quality time with my two daughters.  As well as cooking and listening to music, ‘pounding the pavements’ and exploring the sights on a city break are my favourite ways to relax. I have also rediscovered my netball skills by joining the firm’s netball team.

Experience highlights 

  • Acting for Monument Bank and the borrower on a £4.1m refinance across a portfolio of eight properties
  • Acting for the borrower on the refinance of a 44 unit residential development including the subsequent sale of each unit
  • Acting for a challenger bank on a development loan of £3.8m which completed in nine days consisting of multiple tranches
  • Acting for a challenger bank on a £7m loan to refinance a well-known hotel chain in Nottingham
  • Purchase of various residential and commercial units for an investor client with the assistance of a bridging loan and the subsequent refinance under a term loan