Cope joins Gateley Legal following roles with Birketts, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner and Mayer Brown. She brings more than 20 years of development experience, acting on a wide range of matters including mixed-use developments and town centre regeneration, as well as framework agreements, conditional acquisitions, building leases, private rented sector (PRS) and registered provider disposals.
At Gateley Legal, Cope will work closely alongside partners Ryan Ferguson and Shaz Sharif, as well as solicitor Stephen Redmond who has relocated from Birmingham. The moves will see the now 12-strong London residential development team continue to support housebuilders, developers and land promoters to deliver immediate and strategic land residential developments, large-scale regeneration and urban redevelopments, as well as PRS/Build-to-Rent schemes across London and the South.
On her appointment, Cope said: “I’m really excited to be coming back to the city and joining Gateley Legal’s residential development team which has a sterling reputation within the industry. I’m looking forward to working alongside Ryan, Shaz and the wider teams on some big-ticket schemes to generate much-needed housing.”
Andy Wilson, partner and national head of the residential development team at Gateley Legal, said: “Jo is a brilliant addition to our London-based team. She brings a wealth of development expertise which will really strengthen the breadth and depth of its offering as it continues to expand and increase its reach across the South.”
Gateley Legal acts for 18 of the top 20 housebuilders in the UK, on either a regional or national scale, and handles approximately £2.5 billion worth of residential plot sales per year. It is one of the few legal businesses in the country with a separate housebuilder team specialising in services for residential developers.