Helen Willett

Helen joined Coodes as a partner in 2012 from city firm SJ Berwin where she worked on what was described as ‘one of the most significant real estate deals of the decade’ – the Crown Estate and Norges Bank Investment Management £1.8 billion Regent Street property partnership.

She also advised British Land on the property aspects of one of the largest UK securitisations, which involved 35 supermarkets.

She has led teams handling both buying and selling large holiday parks and implemented significant investments via personal pension schemes.

Helen is over 30 years qualified and has acted for quoted property companies, institutional investors and occupiers, in each case, with responsibility for all aspects of their property dealings; handled the acquisition and disposal of large portfolios of properties and high value properties in Cornwall and central London; lettings of corporate headquarters; property joint ventures and management agreements; property elements of corporate matters and the day-to-day management of an extensive property portfolios.

Helen worked for two years as head of legal at Folk2Folk, a peer-to-peer business lender specialising in secured lending for rural businesses and SMEs. It matches businesses looking for finance with local Lenders who receive a fixed interest rate of interest secured against UK property.

Helen has extensive experience handling SIPP transactions and advising property holding trusts and complex leasehold structures.

Notable Commercial Property cases

• Freehold Property Sale
  

  Advising on the sale as part of the owner’s retirement strategy for £3m of a holiday park in Wwest Cornwall to a national holiday park owner.

• Buying & Selling of Freehold & Lasehold Property
  

  Advising a Cornish charity on its extensive portfolio of retail shops including lease renewals and taking new leases.

• Complex Leasehold Structures
  

  Advising a new social enterprise established to create a unique technical training centre for STEM, Construction Industry and Environmental Technology Skills on a new site comprising a historic railway yard, rail turntable and active rail lines.

• Buying Freehold Property
  

  Advising a music therapy social enterprise on the acquisition of a fine historic building in Penzance to be transformed into a vibrant music centre.

• Personal Pension Investment
  

  Advising a Cornish supplier of specialist aviation products on the move to its new headquarters. This included the purchase of a mixed use industrial and office units via the directors’ SIPP followed by a leaseback to the operating company.

• Business Transfers
  

  Advising on the sale of a river-based pleasure boat business including the transfer of mooring rights, leasehold boat storage facilities and private access arrangements.