New Associate Strengthens Thrings’ Commercial Property Team

Leading commercial law firm Thrings has bolstered its commercial property offering with the appointment of Richard Pike as associate solicitor.

A highly-experienced commercial property specialist, Richard joins Thrings from Clark Holt having previously practised for eight years in the City with Shepherd and Wedderburn and in-house at the London Development Agency (LDA).

During his career, Richard has acted for clients on many lucrative, large-scale commercial property acquisition deals, several in excess of £200m. He has also worked on a number of high-profile projects in the UK, including advising the LDA on the transfer of the London 2012 Olympic Park to the legacy body and the Emirates Air Line cross Thames cable car.

Richard’s arrival will also strengthen Thrings’ fast-expanding international credentials, having worked on a wide-range of commercial property and development matters in Kenya. This includes advising on the land aspects of a new geothermal power plant within Mt Longonot National Park and drafting documentation in respect of pre-lets at Nairobi Business Park.

In his new role, Richard – who will be principally based in Bath and London but also work with colleagues in Thrings’ Bristol and Swindon offices – will advise developers, landowners, land agents and local authorities in London and the South West on a range of commercial property issues, including lease options, land law and mining and mineral extraction.

Richard said: “I have been aware of Thrings' excellent national and regional reputation for some time, and am excited to have the opportunity to utilise my experience of working in private practice, in-house and abroad to further enhance the firm’s commercial property offering.

“Amid increasingly buoyant market conditions in London and the South West, I am very pleased to be joining a firm whose expertise and high-quality client base matches that often found in larger City firms and one which remains at the very heart of the South West legal landscape.”

Ben Jones, commercial property partner at Thrings, added: “During his career Richard has gained a wealth of experience from advising high-end clients in the City, while the time he spent as an in-house advisor means he is perfectly placed to understand and act upon his clients’ legal needs.

“This appointment signals a continuation of Thrings’ strategy of recruiting the best and most experienced lawyers in the commercial property sector. Working closely with his colleagues in the firm’s offices in Bath, London, Bristol and Swindon, Richard will be a huge asset to a team whose focus remains on providing specialist legal advice and developing long-term relationships with clients.”  

Richard’s appointment completes a highly successful period for Thrings’ commercial property team, with deals worth over £400million and growth of 20 per cent over the past year contributing to the firm securing top-tier status for commercial property in the latest annual Legal 500 United Kingdom guide to outstanding legal professionals.