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Our expertise
gunnercooke brings together experienced lawyers across all corporate and commercial disciplines. Every gunnercooke partner has minimum of 10,000 hours’ practising experience, which ensures that every client is advised by a trusted advisor or a team of trusted advisors who understand how to help them to navigate their legal issue. We call it delivering ‘peace of mind’.
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Our story
gunnercooke is a challenger law firm. It challenges the way that legal services are delivered to clients. It challenges the way that lawyers balance their lives. It challenges the way our communities are served by those of us more fortunate. Most of all, it gives lives back to our lawyers and enables them to design their life as they wish to live it – which we believe enables them to deliver a brilliant service to their clients. And it works. Today we are one of the UK’s leading commercial law firms, as measured by our clients, with a Net Promoter Score of on average +84.
Read more about our business and its culture here.
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Our group
Strength in numbers
gunnercooke operates as a group of associated firms and non-profits. Each member in the group brings a distinct character and set of aims; from consulting and training to connecting businesses with aligned charities. Find out more about the gunnercooke group.
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Get in touch
For further advice please contact us for a consultation.
UK Contact
+44 (0)3330 143 401 info@gunnercooke.comGermany Contact
+49 30 220 131-000 centralservices@gunnercooke.dePartner
Real Estate Partner
Testimonials
‘Excellent responsiveness and great to deal with. Simon is diligent and commercial.’
Duncan Walker
ex-Helical Plc‘Simon has always offered honest, straightforward and direct advice that as a growing business we found thoroughly enabling. Proactive and cutting to the points that matter, Simon has always risen to the many challenges and provided workable solutions. He has also always been generous with his network to the real benefit of our business.’
Nick Robinson
Director, Expresso Property Limited‘Simon has the most fantastic innate intelligence that inspires confidence in his work and his recommendations. He has that unique ability to distil complex legal arguments into succinct advice. Add to that a warm, personable demeanour and you have a wonderful all-round package that I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone seeking expert legal advice in the field of UK property.’
Michael Moran
COO, 2020 Developments‘Simon helped us throughout our journey, since start up in 2004, and backed us to succeed during the GFC and even brokered our first deal in Romania and gave us commercial and legal advice on many of our UK deals. He combines being an excellent commercial lawyer with strong use of his UK property network to our advantage. Most of all he has always been there when we have needed him to help us succeed.’
Keith Pullinger
MD, The Light CinemaExpertise
Simon is a dual-qualified real estate lawyer with 35 years’ experience in the sector, working on the coordination and delivery of a range of complex property transactions across the UK.
He has been instrumental in establishing a leading practice in Scotland offering UK cross border real estate services. A wide range of deal experience allows him to help clients beyond just legal advice.
Simon is known for the rapid building of trusted relationships with clients and being a driven, innovative deal doer. He is very well connected across the UK property industry.
Simon deals with retail, leisure, office and shopping centre investment and developments, strategic real estate advice to corporates, joint ventures, residential developments, inward investment for overseas clients, all forms of commercial leasing (for landlords and tenants), land option arrangements, large scale transaction management, and business development. He has been involved in the generation and conduct of £5,000m+ of real estate investment and funding deals since 2003.
Simon has been ranked by both the Legal 500 and Chambers UK directories as a key practitioner in both England and Scotland.
Simon Advises
- Investors and Developers
- Corporates, Small Companies and Business owners
- Specialist Infrastructure clients
- Commercial and Industrial clients
- Retail, Hospitality and Leisure clients
- Cinema Operators
Experience Highlights
- Advising on multiplex cinema chain developments across England and Scotland.
- Advising on a three-way JV development of Pacific Quay Business Park, Glasgow for the Miller Group / Grosvenor / CTP.
- Advising Scottish Media Group on HQ, printing and television studio developments.
- Advising Land Securities plc on its purchase of Buchanan Galleries and Overgate Shopping Centres
- Advising Helical plc on the purchase and sale of multiple shopping centre and industrial assets
- Advising on the site structuring, development and construction of a £20 million chemical plant.
- Strategic land value capture agreement advice and support in relation to the re-opening of a modern passenger rail line in England.
Career History
Previous Law Firms
- Real Estate Partner, Dentons UK and Middle East LLP (2017–21)
- Real Estate Partner, Maclay Murray and Spens LLP (2013–17)
- Real Estate Partner, Semple Fraser LLP (1990–2013)
- Real Estate Assistant Bird Semple Fyfe Ireland WS (1987–90)
Education
- University of Edinburgh, Law LLB (Hons) (1980–85)
Interests
Off duty, Simon’s passions are skiing, sailing, books and wine (all enjoyed with his family) … and fixing things.
Get in touch
For further advice please contact us for a consultation.
UK Contact
+44 (0)3330 143 401 info@gunnercooke.comGermany Contact
+49 30 220 131-000 centralservices@gunnercooke.de