Career
Stephen is a partner in our Manchester office and the head of our commercial real estate team.
He chairs the property committee for Manchester Law Society. He was also winner of the International Client Choice Awards: UK Real Estate 2015. In addition, Stephen was formerly a non-executive director of Central Salford URC. He is currently a board observer at a local outdoor pursuits charity which is controlled by one of the local Universities and takes part in a mentoring programme for a local school.
Notwithstanding Stephen's management responsibilities, he remains a fee earner with a significant client base and is the client relationship partner for many of our significant clients
Stephen specialises in advising on acquisitions and disposals of land, including complex, development and lease work. He acts for a wide variety of clients including individuals, charitable bodies and local, national and international companies. He has particular expertise in housing, commercial and mixed-use developments and also has significant experience in the sale and redevelopment of brownfield land in sensitive environmental locations. His clients include Evonik UK Holdings Limited, Salboy Limited (and related companies/entities), Urban Splash portfolio tenants, retailers such as Ellis Brigham Limited and several local developers, including Redwater, Cramant Homes and McCauls, many of whom have instructed Stephen on the back of recommendations.
Stephen is regarded as an “excellent lawyer” and ‘’very approachable and responsive’’ by sources (Legal 500 2019), who further describe him as “very effective with acute commercial awareness” (Chamber and Partners, 2017) and he is viewed as “very commercial and technically very strong” (Legal 500, 2017).
Stephen is a “Leader in his Field” in Chambers 2021