Browne Jacobson appointed to Adra legal framework as housing association launches 2030 vision

Browne Jacobson will support North Wales’ largest housing association in driving forward its ambitious development programme after being appointed to its legal framework.

The UK and Ireland law firm will assist Adra with its residential and commercial property work across two lots of the framework.

Adra, which manages more than 7,000 homes and provides services to over 16,000 people, last month launched its new corporate plan to invest £85m in its current housing stock and build 800 new homes across the region by 2030.

Richard Macphail, Partner in Browne Jacobson’s Cardiff office and Co-Head of Social Housing, said: “As the largest affordable housing provider in North Wales, Adra is already playing a crucial role in people’s lives and its ambitious development programme is another powerful signal of its intent.

“As a firm dedicated to supporting clients at the forefront of society’s biggest issues, affordable housing is at the top of the agenda and we’re excited to have the opportunity to support Adra in its mission of building homes for those most in need.

“This contract award represents a significant success on a personal level given this has been our first appointment to a Welsh housing association framework since Francesca Smith and I joined the social housing team in our Cardiff office last year.

“The firm has an established reputation as a market-leading legal adviser to registered providers in England, and this appointment to Adra is key to our commitment to serve housing associations in Wales. We now act for five Welsh housing associations alongside a wide range of English housing association clients that collectively provide homes to more than a million people, illustrating our deep expertise in this sector.”

Browne Jacobson’s social housing team is part of the wider real estate team, which comprises more than 100 people. Its client roster includes some of the most actively developing registered providers in England, as well as a growing number of housing associations in Wales.

The firm’s Cardiff office has grown from seven members of staff when it opened in July 2023 to 36, including seven partners and two legal directors.

The team covers Browne Jacobson’s full range of departments and sectors, including planning and environmental law, health advisory litigation, corporate transactions, education, real estate, social housing, construction, and regulatory matters. We’re aligned with the key Welsh economic drivers, with specialists in technology, energy, green infrastructure, health, education, aerospace and devolution.

Tim Edds, Partner and Head of Cardiff at Browne Jacobson, said: “The ability to attract major clients like Adra was exactly the reason for opening our Cardiff office to build on our proven track advising the Welsh public sector for more than 25 years.

“The provision of high-quality and affordable housing is one of the foremost issues in Wales right now and we’re proud to be supporting a growing number of housing associations in delivering this.”