People

Overview

Melanie Henson is a commercial real estate lawyer with a wealth of experience gained working at senior levels in-house and in private practice covering the retail, development, office, telecoms and manufacturing sectors. Her broad experience covers acquisitions, disposals, landlord and tenant and the real estate side of corporate transactions.

Admission & Affiliations

  • Qualified Solicitor, England & Wales, 1987
  • Legal Practice Course, London Guildhall University 1987
  • B.A., University of Durham 1983
    Honours

Experience

Retail

  • Acting for supermarket chains developing their own stores and retail parks*
  • Managing a number of shopping centres for the Mall Corporation*
  • Acquiring a national high street chain for Telefonica UK Limited and subsequent rationalisation of the portfolio*

Offices

  • Acquisition of large HQ premises for Telefonica UK Limited*
  • Acquisition of key central London site for foreign investors*

Telecommunications

  • Advising Telefonica UK Limited on everything from telecoms masts to data centres, high tech buildings and retail stores*

Real Estate

  • Advising on the real estate side of corporate transactions including buying and selling a broadband company, the proposed sale and a proposed IPO of Telefonica UK Limited*
  • Advising on the real estate side of two landmark network sharing deals between Telefonica UK Limited and Vodafone Limited (including the property side of the joint venture arrangements)*

Energy

  • Acting for a fund investing in proposed developments of battery storage systems including reviewing, revising and subsequently exercising option agreements and dealing with all real estate issues arising

Other

  • Acquiring a multi-location UK steel business for a private U.S. steel company*

*Prior to joining Baker Botts