Giorgia acts for institutional investors, occupiers and lenders on a variety of transactions including the acquisition and disposal of property, landlord and tenant matters and property financing. She trained and qualified at Shearman & Sterling and most recently worked at the Cambridge office of Bircham Dyson Bell.
Giorgia’s arrival follows the appointment of Andrea Nicholls, a senior property litigation lawyer who joined the office earlier this year to advise on commercial and residential property disputes, as well as agricultural matters. The Cambridge real estate team, which was established in 2015 by partner Sarah Coates, has also welcomed social housing partner Mark Sellers, associate Jessica Harris and paralegal Becky Lund within the last 18 months.
The team’s momentum reflects the wider growth of the firm’s real estate division at a national level, which has recently appointed highly regarded property consultant Simon Allan and planning partner Tim Johnson to the real estate investors team in the London office, as well as associates Sarah Jordan and Fiona Mills to the Guildford and London offices respectively.
Simon brings with him over 30 years’ experience of large-scale, high profile real estate development work, having acted for private sector developers, investors and funders as well as central government on a range of major projects. Tim is a planning law specialist with particular expertise in large-scale strategic development projects. His practice encompasses all contentious and non-contentious planning and infrastructure matters.
Partner Sarah Coates commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Giorgia to the firm. She is a highly talented lawyer and a great fit for our team and clients in the Cambridge region. Her arrival comes at an exciting time for the wider real estate division as we look to capitalise on recent successes. The Cambridge team will play an increasingly important role and in particular, I will be working closely with Tim Johnson our role in relation to the development of the Oxford-Cambridge corridor, which has been the subject of active discussions in recent months”.
Real estate is a key strategic sector for Penningtons Manches, representing almost a quarter of its fee income. The division’s various practice areas, including the real estate investors and commercial property teams, are highly rated by prominent legal directories Chambers UK and The Legal 500.