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Laura Gill

Posted on: February 10th, 2023 by Natasha Cox

With over 15 years’ experience and exposure to a broad range of residential property matters, I joined Lawrence Stephens in November 2022 as an Associate in the Real Estate Team. I am now a Senior Associate.

My client base is varied – I support first-time buyers, investors (UK and overseas) and high-net-worth individuals. I undertake all residential property matters largely in central London and, in recent years, have thoroughly enjoyed acting for overseas investors on prestigious London new build developments. I am focused on providing a structured but personable service for my clients.

Away from the office, I am a keen foodie – passionate about all things related to food from fine dining and champagne brunches to street food and experimenting with new recipes.  I also enjoy hosting dinners, reading and running when time permits and am at my happiest when spending quality time with family and friends.

Experience highlights

  • Acting on a Nomination of Contract for an overseas investor to purchase a £2.2m apartment at the new Prince of Wales Drive development in Battersea Park
  • Acting for an overseas company in the sale of a £1.7m house in Harrow

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 £40million 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 £7million 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 £2.9million refinance secured against a purpose-built detached health and fitness centre currently operated by Nuffield Health
  • Advised a UK bank on a £7million 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 ultimate beneficial owner (UBO)
  • Acted on a circa £2.5million 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 £10million uncommitted revolving funding line facility on behalf of an established bridging lender
  • Advised a bridging lender on a circa £12million 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