Another new Partner for Bevan Brittan as property finance expert joins growing team

National law firm Bevan Brittan has continued its strong start to 2021 with its second partner appointment of the year.

Property finance expert Jessica Church has joined as a partner, based in the Bristol office but working nationally. Jessica joins the firm’s expanding Housing Finance Team, which last year saw significant growth with the appointment of partners Deborah Rowntree and Louise Leaver.

Jessica, who joins from Trowers & Hamlins, becomes the seventh partner to be recruited by Bevan Brittan in little more than 12 months and comes just weeks after Bevan Brittan announced the arrival of experienced pensions expert Nigel Bolton.

Her addition boosts the strength and depth of the firm’s broader property finance offering as the Housing Finance Team expands its support for registered providers – with a focus on securing properties to raise funds on the capital markets through mechanisms including sustainable bonds and ESG funding more generally.

Having previously worked as a Senior Associate for 6 years in the Housing team at Bevan Brittan, Jessica supports a range of housing associations, investors and Real Estate Investment Trusts advising on property security for bond issues, private placements, direct bank funding and a wide range of funding structures. 

Jessica will be joining one of the leading Housing teams in the UK, with the Bevan Brittan Social Housing team receiving a top ranking within both the Legal 500 guide and Chambers & Partners’ legal directory in 2020.

Partner and Head of Banking & Finance at Bevan Brittan, Louise Leaver, welcomed Jessica to the team: “With high levels of funding activity in the Affordable Housing sector, Jessica is an excellent addition to our growing Housing Finance team and will bring her capital markets experience to augment the in-depth knowledge and skills we can already place at our clients’ disposal.

“We are delighted to welcome Jessica as we continue to blend technical excellence with market knowledge, and support a wide range of registered providers across the UK.”

Duncan Weir, Managing Partner at Bevan Brittan, said: “This is another important appointment for our Housing Finance Team – and the firm as a whole – providing further evidence of how we are continuing to invest in our future.

“It is fantastic to be able to welcome Jessica back to Bevan Brittan and we are all looking forward to working with her again.”

The latest positive news for Bevan Brittan comes after a strong 2020, in which it confirmed that revenues had topped £50m for the first time, with profit increasing by 13.8%.