The property side of corporate deals
My Cripps Pemberton Greenish in a Day
8.30am: I arrive at the office and have an informal chat with the team. Everyone is really friendly which has made settling into my first seat a smooth transition. I make myself a cappuccino from the coffee machine, review my to-do list for the day and check my emails.
8.45am: I have a quick catch up with my supervisor to discuss the day ahead. I then begin drafting a licence to assign and an authorised guarantee agreement (AGA) for a client who owns several commercial properties in Kent. After proof reading and reviewing the client’s instructions to ensure that I have included all relevant information (and excluded all irrelevant clauses in our office precedent), I email the documents to my supervisor to check over along with a draft email to the client.
10.00am: I accompany one of the partners in my department to a client meeting. The partner reviews a ten year lease of part of a large office building and sets out our client’s rights and obligations as tenant. A few amendments to the lease are required to meet the client’s objectives and I note these down. Senior members of the team bring me along to meetings when possible and this has helped me understand commercial property transactions from a client’s point of view.
12.00pm: I receive an email back from my supervisor with comments about the licence to assign and AGA that I drafted earlier. I make the required amendments and email the final drafts out to the client for approval.
1.00pm: Over lunch I run a few personal errands and grab a sandwich from Pret. Cripps Pemberton Greenish is located in the centre of Tunbridge Wells making it easy to do errands such as banking and shopping while offering a variety of choice for lunch.
2.00pm: Trainees are involved with business development projects to help understand the firm as a business. I undertake a couple of hours of research on my (confidential) topic and begin drafting my research report in anticipation for a catch-up meeting with my project supervisor next week.
4.00pm: I assist an associate with drafting a transfer of part. Our client sold freehold premises several years ago, but the law firm that handled the sale inadvertently did not include a courtyard in the transfer. The client is relying on Cripps Pemberton Greenish to rectify the situation.
5.15pm: I prepare my to-do list for Monday before leaving the office in time to attend the Real Estate Division Christmas party at a nearby hotel.
Heather’s profile
Name: Heather Chow
Current seat: Corporate Real Estate
Previous seats: This is my first seat
Studied: Law at the University of Sussex, LPC at the University of Law, London Moorgate
Outside of work, I can usually be found… at a yoga class, meeting friends at a local pub or reading a book