Flint Bishop swoops for Freeths’ real estate team

Flint Bishop has recruited the entire real estate team from fellow law firm Freeths’ Derby office.

Janet Rhodes, Sam Shepherd, and Louise Calow, together with two legal assistants, have all joined the firm’s commercial property department.

Rhodes, formerly the head of Freeths’ Derby real estate practice, will take on the role of partner and will lead Flint Bishop’s now 18-strong commercial property team.

With a career spanning over 25 years in the real estate industry, Rhodes brings a wealth of experience. Her body of work includes handling multimillion-pound property funding for various portfolios, acting on behalf of both local and national clients and corporates.

Shepherd, who steps up from director to partner, has extensive experience in handling a wide range of property matters, including option agreements, acquisitions, leases, disposals, funding, sub-sales, infrastructure agreements, and collaboration agreements. Her expertise lies in commercial development, with a particular focus on brownfield urban development sites.

Calow joins Flint Bishop as a senior associate, bringing extensive experience in commercial and residential acquisitions and disposals, landlord and tenant matters, re-finance/banking, and general property affairs. Notably, she was appointed as Honorary Legal Advisor to the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust in 2019.

Rhodes said: “I am thrilled, along with Sam and Louise, to be joining Flint Bishop at such an exciting time, with the flagship new office having recently been opened and on the back of such a successful last financial year. I am really looking forward to working with such a highly accomplished team of real estate lawyers and support staff and building on the breadth of impressive work, team experience, and client base that Flint Bishop has already established.”

Qamer Ghafoor, chief executive of Flint Bishop, added: “We are delighted to welcome Janet, Sam, and Louise to our firm. These strategic hires represent a major coup for Flint Bishop, significantly enhancing our capabilities and establishing a stronger presence in the real estate sector.

“The recent wave of senior-level appointments underscores our commitment to providing exceptional legal services to our ever-increasing client base and further cements Flint Bishop’s position as a leading force in the Midlands region.”