Posted on: January 15th, 2024 by Yvonne Uzoka
I joined Lawrence Stephens as a Solicitor in 2024, bringing with me extensive experience in real estate finance. With a diverse background representing bridging lenders and borrowers ranging from first-time buyers to high net-worth individuals and property developers, I possess a deep understanding of the nuanced needs and challenges inherent in bridging, refurbishment and development loans.
I love a challenge and being able to find solutions to problems or simplifying a complex issue for a client to give them the understanding to be able to proceed with confidence as issues arise. I also adopt a pragmatic approach, working with all stakeholders involved to ensure a seamless and timely completion to the benefit of lender and borrower alike. Lender clients have also relied on me to assist them with creating and improving upon their loan documents leading to better protections for lenders and faster turnaround times leading to a more timely completion for the borrowers.
Outside of the office, I enjoy swimming, trying new foods and spending time with my family.
Experience highlights
- Completing a complex £2.4m bridging finance transaction involving five security properties including a dwelling house, residential flats, partially completed dwellings and a HMO which required extensive negotiations and overcoming a multitude of obstacles
- Completing a finance transaction secured over a portfolio of 21 properties being acquired by the borrower
Posted on: November 6th, 2023 by Yvonne Uzoka
I am a Senior Associate specialising in high-volume, fast-paced bridging transactions for mid-market lenders, dealing with both regulated and unregulated loans.
My experience includes advising on all types of loans from simple closed bridges to large-scale development loans and high-value portfolio refinances, with complementary knowledge in property issues, banking, planning and trust matters. I also consult on complex registrations, unregistered land and registration errors.
I am typically instructed on complex loans, as clients have confidence in my ability to navigate through a myriad of issues, explaining the risks to them in a clear and concise way enabling them to make commercial decisions.
Prior to working in law, I spent 14 years in the West End working as a sub-editor, designer, and production editor for various financial, business and IT magazines, including The Guardian and Observer newspapers. Given my background in journalism, I am a keen writer of online law articles and have written games reviews for magazines.
Outside of work, I promote careers in law by regularly exhibiting at careers events for young people. I also enjoy travelling with my family and spending time in the garden.
Experience highlights
- Acted on the refinancing of three aparthotels in central Liverpool, secured by three cross-collateralised loan facilities with a combined loan amount of more than £4m. The three loans raised a number of particularly complex issues, due to the involvement of a SIPP fund, mental capacity aspects, trust issues and the refinance of a fluctuating credit facility
- Acted on a £8.6m development funding for the demolition and rebuilding of houses on the Chelsea Embankment. The number of neighbouring properties benefiting from rights over the development site made for a tricky title reporting job
- Acted on an acquisition and refinance of a number of shopping arcades, including ‘The Quadrant’ in Romford
- Acted on a £3.4m refinance of a Grade II listed building in York with planning consent for conversion to mixed use retail and aparthotel, while the borrower looks for development funding. This included negotiation of a deed of priority with mezzanine lender, and reporting on a flying freehold and defective title insurance
Posted on: October 4th, 2023 by Yvonne Uzoka
I joined Lawrence Stephens in 2023 and I am currently with the Real Estate Finance team having finished my first year with the Commercial Real Estate, Banking and Family teams.
Having previously worked at a regional law firm dealing with all aspects of commercial property, I then moved in-house to the legal team of the UK’s fastest growing electric vehicle charging network.
Outside of work, when I’m not passing time riding and working on motorbikes pretending to be a Hells Angel, I enjoy travel, wine and a heartfelt devotion to Stevenage Football Club.
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
Posted on: February 10th, 2023 by Natasha Cox
I joined Lawrence Stephens as a Partner in September 2019 and contribute over 35 years of legal experience to our Real Estate/Secured Lending team.
Over the years, I have established a proactive, can-do attitude to meeting clients’ objectives and offer a level of service which, given my number of repeat clients, has clearly proven attractive.
I act for a range of leading UK specialist bridging finance lenders, providing extensive advice on property finance, landlord and tenant and commercial conveyancing matters. As well as advising on the acquisition, disposal and letting of commercial property, I have a large number of private property investors to whom I provide all types of commercial property management advice.
My clients are predominantly made up of established lenders in the bridging finance or property lending market and long standing private property investors. These range from clients with large Central London holdings to those with portfolios of shops, offices and industrial units. The variety offers a significant volume of work, but also provides the opportunity to establish close personal relationships with individual underwriters.
Lawrence Stephens’ cohort of long-suffering Spurs supporters welcomes me with wide open arms, though I also enjoys tennis, cricket and bridge, and am an avid cinema and theatre-goer. When I’m not working, I involve myself in charity work to provide holiday opportunities to under-privileged children.
Experience highlights
- Acted for the sale of a private property investor in relation to the sale of a portfolio of 18 tenanted properties at a price of £5,162,500
- Acted for the bank in relation to a loan of £1.25m secured by a mixture of first and second charges over six freehold and leasehold properties
- Acted for the executors of an estate in relation to the sale of two linked flats in St Johns Wood for £2.65m with enquiries from both buyer’s and lender’s solicitors
- Acting for borrower and lender in relation to 9 separate loans on a mixture of freehold and leasehold residential properties having a total loan value of £1.7m
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
Posted on: February 10th, 2023 by Natasha Cox
I joined Lawrence Stephens in 2016 as an Associate and became a Director in Lawrence Stephens’ Real Estate Finance department in 2020. I qualified as a solicitor in 2011, having previously worked in the commercial world of sales and marketing.
As an integral part of the team, I act and advise both lenders and borrowers in relation to secured lending matters that, in many cases, involve multiple properties.
I regularly act for lenders in a variety of sectors including retail, hospitality, commercial and healthcare. With a broad knowledge of those areas, my advice is valuable in providing both the lender and borrower with a quality professional service.
Experience highlights
- Acting for a borrower in relation to a £27m refinance secured against 119 properties
- Acting on behalf of a lender in putting in place security over new and existing properties under a revolving £25m LMA loan facility
- Acting for a client dealing with property aspects for a client selling multiple companies with a combined property portfolio of circa 200 properties
- Acting for a borrower in a £33m refinance of a residential block of flats recently converted from offices
- Acting for lender in a £8m refinance secured over 9 properties
Posted on: February 10th, 2023 by Natasha Cox
I joined Lawrence Stephens as a Solicitor in the Real Estate Finance department in August 2022, having qualified in 2021 at a boutique firm specialising in property.
I have experience acting on secured lending transactions for both lenders and borrowers. I have also worked on acquisitions, disposals and refinances of both freehold and leasehold properties, mostly mixed-use and residential for both residential and commercial clients.
I am from an international background, having come from Korea and lived in Poland for a few years. I am a travel enthusiast and also enjoy outdoor hiking and trekking adventures.
Experience highlights
- Acting on £6.5m refinance to be securing four multi-unit commercial properties
- Assisting on acquisition loans for multiple mixed-use properties
Posted on: February 10th, 2023 by Natasha Cox
I am experienced in acting on a full range of real estate finance transactions. I also have a wealth of experience in managing high-value refinances of property and property portfolios.
My clients include a broad range of borrowers and lenders – from individuals to high-street banks and bespoke private funding platforms – all of whom trust me for my ability to work efficiently within tight timescales and to drive deals over the line at pace.
Always relishing a challenge, I like to get to grips with the details of each matter and the needs of each party to ensure a successful outcome is achieved for everyone involved.
I am proud to be the firm’s lead on our Women in Real Estate Finance (WREF) initiative, which seeks to bring together bright female leaders in real estate finance, celebrate their successes and provide them with the tools needed to flourish in the industry.
Outside of work, I spend my time looking after my twin girls, and also enjoy boxing and lifting weights.
Experience highlights
- Acting on a term loan within bridging deadlines to secure a £13million lend over two multi-let sites
- Acting for a bank on an £11million term loan on a mixed-use scheme in central London
- Acting for a private lender on a £4.8million finance of a let property on Harley Street which went from instruction to completion in five days
- Acting for the borrower on the development finance and sale of part of a residential development in Central London which included a CBILS loan, a second lender and management company set-up
- Acting for a lender on the contemporaneous financing of two complex commercial sites in Manchester involving sub-underleases and a claim for adverse possession
- Acting for the landlord on the grant of a high value lease of a bowling alley complex
Posted on: February 10th, 2023 by Natasha Cox
I joined Lawrence Stephens as a trainee solicitor in September 2022 and qualified in the Real Estate Finance team in September 2024.
I studied at the University of Exeter, graduating in 2020 and subsequently completed the LPC LLM the following year. I previously worked as a paralegal in real estate finance and wider commercial property matters such as advising lenders on the security of their lending, acquisitions and disposals and landlord and tenant work.
I am a keen netball player and am also passionate about music and enjoy going to concerts and watching musicals at the theatre.
Posted on: February 10th, 2023 by Natasha Cox
I am a Director in the Real Estate Finance Department having joined Lawrence Stephens in 2011.
I have a wealth of experience acting for leading UK buy-to-let lenders, bridging lenders, challenger banks and building societies, dealing with both regulated and unregulated loans on commercial and residential property portfolios.
I am by nature a people person. I build strong relationships with my clients by investing time in getting to know them and their business needs, thereby ensuring that my advice is always commercial, practical, and forward-thinking.
I work closely with brokers and other professionals on every deal as I believe that collaboration and clear communication are the key to efficiency, consistency and maintaining an excellent reputation in the long term.
Whilst I enjoy the thrill of completing complex deals to tight timescales, I am also invested in supporting my clients on a broader level be it through improving legal understanding with regular seminars or being agile in my approach and style to support rapid growth.
Outside of work, I am kept busy by my three amazing daughters and their social calendars. I love cooking, baking and fitness.
Experience highlights
- Acting for a buy-to-let lender on a £7m loan secured over 10 new build flats.
- Being a key member of the team that assisted a banking client grow a loan book from £60m to £2.5bn in a little under three years.
- Acting for borrower on an £8.5m refinancing of a site in central London in a matter of days.
- Acting for borrower on an £18m refinancing of a portfolio of 120 residential properties
Posted on: February 10th, 2023 by Natasha Cox
I act for lenders and investors on all facets of real estate financing across residential and commercial sectors.
My primary focus is on secured lending transactions including investment and development finance matters. I have considerable experience acting for a number of well known and smaller bridging lenders – working under pressure and to strict deadlines has become second nature.
I advise clients on landlord and tenant matters that include a wide range of transactions. The versatility of my expertise allows me to provide service that is tailored to my clients’ needs including acquisitions, disposals, lettings, transfers of portfolios to corporate structures and finance transactions. I therefore act for a number of long-standing investors with large commercial, residential and mixed use portfolios.
With experience in a wide range of sectors, I adopt a proactive and commercial approach to all transactions.
