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Martin Gunson
Partner

Qualifications and Career History
• Moved as Partner to BWB in February 2004
• Partner at West End firm Reid Minty for 7 years
• Worked on qualifying at Clifford Chance for 14 years
• Trained as a solicitor in Bromley Kent

Experience

• Commercial property and finance
• Occupier work, lettings, disposals and acquisitions
• Property and finance aspects of business and M&A transactions including large public to private
• Insolvency aspects of property and general work for lenders, insolvency practitioners, companies, individuals and stakeholders 
• Contamination and environmental property knowledge
• Expert in rights to light
• SOLT and VAT knowledge

Significant Transactions
• Acquisition on long geared lease for own occupation and subletting of part of trophy St James's Square building for international shipping line and subsequent buying in of freehold
• Acquisition and debt financing via Delaware LLC of Knightsbridge investment for US investor, then subsequent sale by disposal of shares in the LLC
• Site assemblies and development of greenfield and brownfield sites including under conditional contracts and options subject to planning and overage
• Russian PLC, US Insurance Company, US Private Equity firm, Russian Bank and French Media firm all taking premises in Mayfair/West End/City of London some for the first time
• Lease and pre-emption for Russian metals company of factory in the Midlands including dealing with contaminated land issues
• Acting for large Union exclusively in acquisitions, disposals, rationalising its portfolio and related issues
• Reorganising a City building for a number of related charities in order to create valuable property interests for each of them and related Charities Act issues
• Administration and disposal of several West End restaurant businesses and dealing with the Landlords [including the Crown] owed substantial arrears
• Subletting in difficult markets of surplus space and procuring consents from reluctant landlords
• Jermyn Street, Sloane Square and Outlets Centre shops for well known Italian menswear retailer as first forays into the UK
• Acting for national employers association on amalgamation of nine regional organisations including rationalising their varied portfolio and stamp duty land tax mitigation and subsequent trophy building acquisition
• Assisting manufacturing company deal with difficulties it had with regional development body over its land and then several years later advising on a pre-pack administrative receivership to save the business
• Advising lenders and grant givers on their policies and how best to structure security over projects whilst streamlining their procedures
• Formal and informal insolvency advice for lenders, grant givers and borrowers alike including acting for lenders taking over bad loans
• Property tax related work especially - Stamp Duty Land Tax and VAT including securing confirmation of SDLT exemption for CASC incorporation and lease renegotiations

Lectures/Publications
• Contributor to legal and property press – Estates Gazette and Property Week
• Client lectures and seminars

Recommendations
Chambers UK 2012  "really understands what his client is trying to achieve and pushes this forward."
Chambers UK 2011  "very direct and flexible, with stickability as well as flair"
Chambers UK 2010  "knowledgeable and good at keeping up communication - he makes sure the client is always fully informed about what is going on"
Chambers UK 2008  "his expertise in finance and insolvency law is particularly appreciated by his real estate clients, who find his wide-ranging experience especially useful in large corporate transactions."
Chambers UK 2007  "never fails to provide a first-rate service"
Chambers UK 2007  "noted for his valuable guidance on and experience of the commercial property market"