Browne Jacobson boosts Real Estate Built Environment offering with specialist partner hire

UK & Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson has strengthened its real estate offering with the partner appointment of Mark Lee into its Real Estate Built Environment team based in its Birmingham office.

Mark joins the firm’s 100+ real estate practice from Fieldfisher where he had been a partner since 2015. His appointment brings the total number of partners across the firm’s national real estate practice, which operates across six of the firm’s seven offices to 24.

With over 30 years’ experience specialising in investment and development work and a background as a Chartered Surveyor, Mark has extensive experience in advising a diverse range of clients on investment acquisitions and disposals, commercial development, promotion agreements, option agreements and conditional contracts where his surveying experience has proved invaluable.

National Head of Real Estate, Sarah Parkinson said of the appointment: “Our real estate team has had another incredibly busy 12 months which has seen us receive repeat big-ticket instructions from national clients cutting across various sectors, including regeneration, private sector development, house building and registered providers. This is in addition to the increase in instructions we are seeing from new and existing clients that are based in the West Midlands region, so we are delighted to have Mark on board with us.

“Mark is a talented and highly experienced real estate lawyer, who has a fantastic market reputation and is well connected. Over the last 20 years Mark has worked on a number of significant and high-profile commercial property transactions so his wealth of expertise will be a real asset to the team.”

Michael Sadler, Lead for the Construction & Real Estate Sector at Browne Jacobson said: “We are delighted to welcome Mark to the firm who will support the growth strategy of our construction & real estate sector. His deep technical knowledge of the industry and the challenges that the sector is facing, coupled with his background as a surveyor is a great example of where we are bridging the gap between lawyer and sector expert. He is a great fit for the firm and our clients.”

On joining Browne Jacobson, partner Mark Lee added: “I am proud to be joining Browne Jacobson’s national real estate practice. The firm has a rich client portfolio and is known for supporting its clients on matters that are at the forefront of society and helping them to spot opportunities that are right for their business, and I am pleased to become part of that offering.”

Browne Jacobson’s national Construction & Real Estate sector practice is made up of specialist advisers at the forefront of modern legal solutions for the future of the built environment and offer expertise and solutions to the biggest issues facing the sector, such as digital transformation, the drive to carbon neutrality, modern methods of construction, and the advances in property technology. The practice works with a stellar client portfolio which includes developers, retailers, transport & logistics, major corporates, education organisations, local authorities, social care organisations, fire services, government agencies, housing associations and health trusts. They have expertise on all points of the supply chain and the team of lawyers have a unique insight of public and private and third sector matters and advise on planning, construction, funding, tax, litigation, commercial dispute resolution, ground-breaking infrastructure and regeneration projects and major mixed-use schemes.