Search and find what you need faster.

Anna Christou

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

Ausra Triantafyllidou

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.

Gregory Palos

Posted on: February 10th, 2023 by Natasha Cox

I am a Director and Head of the Lawrence Stephens’ multi-disciplinary Financial Institutions sector group. I am a leading adviser to banks and other financial institutions on the provision of relevant legal services and have over 30 years’ experience advising them in both the regulated and non-regulated sectors.

I have over 30 years’ experience working for clients within the UK and internationally in the acquisition of property investments, development sites and owner occupier acquisitions and leases.

The Lawrence Stephens Financial Institutions teams represents banks and other financial institutions in the regulated and non-regulated sectors.  We have extensive experience in real estate, secured lending, bridging and property finance acting for a wide range of companies, developers and investors.  

Highlights to date include acting on behalf of a bank in respect of a £30m facility to a renowned hospital charity, a £28m facility secured against 115 properties and acting for a borrower in respect of £30m senior debt facility.

Prior to joining Lawrence Stephens, I ran my own practice in the West End of London, which eventually merged with Lawrence Stephens in 2004.  I am married with three children, five grandchildren and live in North London.  My interests include cooking, fine wines, eating out with friends, country sports, golf and supporting Arsenal.

Experience highlights

  • Acting on behalf of a financial institution in respect of a facility of £20m to a national charity acquiring a mixed use property in West London for £40m
  • Advising a property developer in connection with the acquisition of a mixed-use block for £9.5m, assisting with the application for permitted development to convert five floors of offices into 35 apartments and the application for planning permission for the construction of five duplex apartments on the top floor of the building, the extension of the retail element and the construction of 12 mews houses at the rear of the building
  • Acting on behalf of a bank in respect of a £30m facility to a renowned hospital charity
  • Acting in the administration of a national fashion retailer with an estate of 250 retail units, disposing of 125 commercial units and assisting the administrator in the disposal/management of the remaining units
  • Acting in the acquisition and financing of the roof and airspace above a block of flats, the construction of eight apartments and their off-plan sale (with a GDV of £4.5m)