Banking and Property Finance
Introducing the team
Find out more about who we are and what we can do to help you with your banking and property finance…
Richard Miller (Chairperson and Agribusiness Partner) is our dedicated Banking client care partner. His role is to develop and maintain the best possible relationships with our lender clients, at all levels across their businesses. Richard is ultimately responsible for the lending services we provide to you and your customers, and his focus is on ensuring that we are the “go to” firm across all sectors. Richard also has a “hands on” role providing expertise on complex agricultural matters.
Nicola Nutley (Head of Newcastle, Partner and Head of Banking) brings 23 years of banking experience to the team, having previously worked at Womble Bond Dickinson and Muckle LLP. Nicola provides advice on all aspects of lending, including real estate, healthcare and social housing. Her particular area of expertise is drafting bespoke loan agreements and security documents, and also advising on inter-creditor arrangements. Nicola has a calm, reasoned approach and works with the relationship manager and the customer’s solicitor to get documents agreed quickly and easily.
Maria Wright (Partner) is a well-respected commercial property and agricultural solicitor, with a loyal client following. She joined us in September 2021, having previously owned her own law firm in Cumbria. Maria is an expert in trust matters, particularly in the agricultural sector, and works closely with our lender clients to ensure the structure of these deals is correct and the right security is put in place.
Rebecca Joy (Legal Director) is a specialist property finance solicitor who has over 14 years of experience in taking security over the whole spectrum of commercial, agricultural and residential properties in connection with refinances, acquisitions and share purchases. She is our development loan expert and can advise on taking legal charges over development sites and putting suites of collateral warranties in place. She is highly organised and her great efficiency and commercial approach means that she is particularly adept at charging large portfolios of properties to lenders.
Caroline Swift (Legal Director) is an excellent corporate lawyer with experience of acting for a variety of trading businesses as well as lenders, having spent 12 years as a corporate lawyer at a national law firm. Having worked for a national specialist healthcare firm, Caroline is an experienced healthcare solicitor. She has an impressive understanding of partnership law and NHS contracts. Her speed and efficiency when reviewing share purchase agreements allows us to deliver a fast service even on the most complex business acquisition deals.
Jonathan Yates (Legal Director) has over 20 years of experience in the legal sector and has a broad range of commercial property experience with a particular focus on acting for funders and borrowers on property finance transactions. These include the financing of commercial and residential investment portfolios as well as development, healthcare properties and agricultural properties. He acts for many clearing and high street banks and has advised numerous corporate and private borrowers.
Marc Caffrey (Banking Consultant) joined the team in June 2018 from Lloyds Bank, where he worked for 30 years, with the last 12 years spent in SME Banking. Having been both a relationship manager and an assistant, Marc has extensive experience of all bank processes and systems (from writing and submitting the credit proposal through to drawdown of funds). He fully understands a lending deal from the relationship manager’s perspective, which has allowed us to adapt and streamline our internal systems to make their lives easier.
Callum Bell (Solicitor) started his training contract with Burnetts in October 2021. He joined us from Norton Rose Fulbright, where he worked as a paralegal in the project finance team. With his previous experience of banking and finance matters, we are delighted to have Callum join the team following his completion of his training contract.
Alex Goldthorpe (Trainee Solicitor) is the first person recruited to undertake Burnetts’ Banking Solicitor Training Programme. Alex’s role is to work closely with the more experienced fee earners to ensure that transactions progress smoothly from start to finish. His attention to detail and willingness to prioritise client interests means that he is a valuable asset to the team.
Jane Jubb (Paralegal) combines almost 20 years’ experience of working within the Lloyds Bank Securities Centre with 15 years as a paralegal. Jane’s role is to liaise with the valuer, the bank’s securities centre and the customer’s solicitors to line up completion and to ensure that funds are released within the required timescales. She is also responsible for protecting the lender’s security after completion (by registration at Companies House and the Land Registry).
Janine Bolan (Paralegal) Janine’s main responsibilities are to support all the fee earners within the team, open all new matters and draft the initial requirements letter to be sent to the solicitors acting for the other side, as well as preparing all the security documents for approval by the fee earner.