Thirteen law firms win places on multi-million pound Homes England panel

The panel is for two years, with the option for the national housing agency to extend for two further years.

The successful firms were:

• Ashfords (Lot 1)
• Browne Jacobson (Lot 1)
• Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (Lot 2)
• Clarke Willmott (Lot 1)
• DWF (Lot 1)
• Eversheds (Lot 2)
• Hewitsons (Lot 1)
• Mills & Reeve (Lot 2)
• Pinsent Masons (Lot 2)
• Trowers & Hamlins (Lot 2)
• Veale Wasbrough Vizards (Lot 1)
• Walker Morris (Lot 1)
• Womble Bond Dickinson (Lot 2)

The lotting structure was as follows:

Lot 1

(a) Property: including Landlord and Tenant, plot sales, estate management, release of restrictions and consents;

(b) Commercial law: including grant agreements;

(c) Banking (development finance) and Restructuring (in the event of default e.g. reservation of rights letters);

(d) Mortgage enforcement and possession claims;

(e) Agricultural law;

(f) Environment Law

Lot 2

(a) Commercial Property: Property Finance, Major Infrastructure and Regeneration;

(b) Commercial law including Banking, Venture Capital, Loan Finance, Restructuring (including in the event of distress) and Insolvency;

(c) Company law: including SPVs and Joint Ventures;

(d) Intellectual Property;

(e) Financial Regulation and Taxation;

(f) Public/Administrative Law;

(g) Employment.

Mandatory services (both lots)

(a) Real Estate: including Acquisitions, Disposals and Building Leases;

(b) Housing including but not limited to Affordable/Social Housing;

(c) Procurement and State Aid;

(d) Planning: including CPO;

(e) Development and Construction;

(f) Contracts (goods, works and services);

(g) Litigation

Homes England was launched in January this year as the replacement to the Homes and Communities Agency, which had been established in 2008 as the government’s housing, land and regeneration agency, and the regulator of social housing providers in England.

The regulation of social housing has been hived off and established as a standalone organisation.