Gareth Lawson

Gareth advises lender and borrower clients on a wide range of real estate finance transactions and structures. Gareth's clients include UK, European and US financial institutions, insurers and debt funds who value his commercial and pragmatic approach to getting their deals completed.

Gareth regularly advises on the financing of complex real estate acquisitions and developments in both the UK and continental Europe with a particular focus on senior/mezzanine arrangements and preferred equity lending. He has extensive experience across the spectrum of real estate sectors including student accommodation, logistics, the private rented sector, hotels and leisure assets, retail schemes and large scale developments. Gareth is available to clients throughout to ensure that their transactions are completed swiftly and efficiently.

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Career

Since 2016	Partner, Taylor Wessing
2011 - 2016	Senior Associate, Taylor Wessing
2003 - 2011	Associate, Senior Associate, K&L Gates LLP

Education

2005	Admitted as a lawyer, England, Wales
2003	LPC, Nottingham Law School
2001	LLB degree, Manchester University

Publications

'We need to talk about mezzanine', Estates Gazette, 2013

Additional languages

English

Expertise

Services and Groups Banking & finance Real estate finance

Sectors Real estate Logistics & transport Hotels, hospitality & leisure Consumer & retail Student accommodation Living

Experience

Helaba on the new 5 year GBP292.5m loan facility to fund the expansion of MediaCityUK	Helaba, an internationally active German commercial bank, acting as coordinator and agent, alongside other co-lenders on the new 5 year GBP292.5m loan facility to Peel Media in relation to the refinance and expansion of MediaCityUK over the next decade. MediaCityUK is an international destination for technology and innovation, and is home to the likes of the BBC, ITV, dock10 and Ericcson.
R&F Properties on high profile development sites in London	Advising on real estate matters, site set up and disposals, construction, finance, planning, infrastructure, highways, and CIL matters across four major development sites. Work is ongoing on this impressive portfolio of developments. The total number of residential units is over 4,000, in addition to retail, office, hotel and leisure floor space uses.
A US insurance company	A US insurance company on funding of a GBP321 million loan facility to a family office secured against a central London office property

A US funder	A US funder on the funding of 3 UK student accommodation blocks structured by way of a corporate acquisition.
A US insurance company on its Euro-denominated loan to refinance the European headquarters of a global sports brand	A US insurance company on its Euro-denominated loan to refinance the European headquarters of a global sports brand. The transaction was part of a linked series of transactions with the sponsor and involved numerous European jurisdictions including the UK, Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg.

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Awards

Legal 500 UK 2017

Next generation - Real Estate: Property Finance: Finance partner Gareth Lawson ‘analyses complex transactions and concisely communicates potential resolutions in plain English’; he advised Helaba on the £191m financing of the King’s Cross Central development, and acted for MetLife on its £274m co-financing of the purchase of 123 and 151 Buckingham Palace Road by a Gaw Capital-arranged consortium.