Stuart is the partner responsible for managing the Witney office. He is an experienced property lawyer and has broad range of expertise in both commercial and residential property transactions. He brings with him a wealth of experience and connections.

Stuart has a reputation for being a straightforward, effective and positive solicitor who works hard to achieve the desired outcome for his clients. Stuart trained at Bower Bailey and qualified in 1998.  He became a partner in 2000.

Areas of expertise:

  • Acquisition, sales and refinancing of freehold & leasehold commercial premises
  • Acting for banks in the financing of commercial premises
  • Advising and negotiation on commercial leases (grant, assignment and termination)
  • Business sales involving property
  • Developer land acquisitions and plot sales
  • Conditional contracts and option agreements
  • Residential freehold purchases and sales
  • Residential leasehold purchases and sales
  • Residential re-mortgage work, transfers of equity and declarations of trust

Recent work:

  • Acted for the owner of a crocodile zoo in the grant of a new lease in West Oxfordshire. Subsequent grant of two further leases of adjacent premises required due to the success and expansion of the zoo.
  • Conditional contract for sale of part of development site to housing association to satisfy local authority’s affordable housing requirements. Subsequent residential plot sales of the remainder of the site for a local award winning developer (102 units in total).
  • Acquisition of freehold units on a trading estate for use as offices and warehousing by an electrical engineering company. One of the units was purchased subject to an existing commercial lease (as a transfer as a going concern); the other with vacant possession. Purchase completed with the aid of bank financing.
  • Acted for a large bank in respect of the funding of a customer’s purchase of a long lease for café and restaurant premises in a large retail development. Undertaking appropriate due diligence for the bank and ensuring their security was perfected.
  • Acted in the sale of three newly built freehold properties in a development in North Oxford. Each transaction required quick and detailed responses to purchaser’s solicitors’ enquiries to achieve the required sales timescales.
  • Acted in the sale of large Cotswold freehold residence. The main house was sold with vacant possession but the property included an annexe that was being sold subject to an existing tenancy. The buyers owned a number of properties and needed to complete prior to the change to the Stamp Duty regime for second properties.

Personal interests:

Stuart is a keen cyclist, runner and rugby fan. He is currently trying to learn how to play tennis.