Regional law firm Gardner Leader has strengthened its Real Estate practice with the appointment of two new partners as the firm continues its expansion across Oxford, the Thames Valley and the South East.
Charlotte Botham and Belinda Sinnott join the firm’s growing Real Estate team, bringing almost two decades of specialist commercial property experience each. The appointments form part of Gardner Leader’s wider growth strategy, which has seen the firm expand into Oxford and Swindon while increasing its workforce to more than 200 employees over the past five years.
The appointments come as commercial property activity across the Thames Valley remains resilient. According to Cushman & Wakefield’s latest Regional Offices MarketBeat report, office take-up across the region reached more than 706,000 sq ft during the first quarter of the year, with the Thames Valley recording particularly strong growth.
Botham joins from Horsey Lightly, where she was Head of Property. She has extensive experience advising clients on commercial property acquisitions and disposals, landlord and tenant matters, secured lending and the property aspects of corporate transactions. Her work has included advising institutional investors, pension funds and corporate clients on complex property portfolios.
Sinnott joins from Gateley Legal, where she served as Legal Director. She specialises in residential development, advising housebuilders, developers, landowners and land traders on the acquisition, disposal and promotion of development sites across southern England. Her expertise includes conditional contracts, option and promotion agreements, affordable housing disposals and associated development transactions.
Commenting on her appointment, Botham said she was attracted by Gardner Leader’s reputation for commercially focused legal advice and looked forward to supporting both existing and new clients.
Sinnott said the firm’s established presence in the commercial property sector and commitment to long-term client relationships reflected her own approach to advising developers and housebuilders.
Partner and Head of Real Estate Greg Humphreys said the appointments represented another important step in the continued development of the firm’s specialist property offering.
“The appointments of Charlotte and Belinda mark an important step in the continued growth of our Real Estate team,” he said. “Both bring a depth of experience and sector knowledge that will be of real benefit to our clients.”
Founded in 1895, Gardner Leader recently became a certified B Corp and now operates from offices in Oxford, London, Windsor, Swindon, Maidenhead, Newbury and Thatcham, providing legal services to businesses and individuals across the Thames Valley and South of England.
