Housing development expert joins Ward Hadaway

Mitch Brown joins the Top 100 UK law firm’s award-winning property department as a Consultant with more than 20 years’ specialist expertise in the housing development sector and related industries.

A specialist in housing and mixed scheme development and management, Mitch has advised national housebuilders, government bodies such as the Homes and Communities Agency and the Home Office, local authorities and national housing associations on a range of different issues.

His housing regeneration work has included leading the £374m Gateshead Evolution LABV project, providing housing input for the Olympic Village creation, and leading the Liverpool Housing Consortium initiative.

Mitch led the team that handled the tenanted housing stock transfer transaction for some 2,000 units of tenanted council housing units with associated neighbourhood retail and community buildings transferring from Newcastle City Council to Byker Community Trust.

He has also handled council housing stock transfers at local authorities in the North West and in London.

In the private sector, Mitch has advised on the acquisition of major private rented sector (PRS) portfolios for national property companies and the disposal of portfolios of housing stock for lenders including high street banks.

He handled one of the first major reversionary transfers of low cost home ownership housing and has dealt with the development and disposal of portfolios of supported housing for housing associations.

Mitch has wide experience of all forms of both commercial and residential disposals and acquisitions, forward sale agreements, options, overage and deferred consideration deals, and planning promotion arrangements.

He has been an ever-present in the top tier of experts rated by independent legal guides The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners over the past decade and is one of only two North East-based lawyers to be named in legal industry publication The Lawyer’s ‘Hot 100’ list of the UK’s leading lawyers.

Speaking about his appointment at Ward Hadaway, Mitch Brown said: “I’m delighted to be joining Ward Hadaway.

“Having spent much of my career in the North East, it is a firm which is very well known to me and one which I have always rated very highly.

“I am really looking forward to working with my new colleagues at Ward Hadaway and assisting the firm’s many clients in the housing development sector as they look to build the homes which the UK needs.”

Lesley Fairclough, Partner and Head of Development at Ward Hadaway, said: “It is terrific to be able to welcome Mitch to the team.

“His experience and expertise in the residential development sector goes before him and his addition to an already successful and high-performing team will add even further to the service which we can offer to our clients.

“Being able to attract someone of Mitch’s standing within the industry is further evidence of Ward Hadaway’s excellent reputation in the sector.”

Ward Hadaway was named UK Regional Law Firm of the Year for Real Estate in the Legal 500 UK 2017 Awards and has been shortlisted for Property Team of the Year in the 2017 Northern Law Awards, which are announced in June.