Senior Associates

Marie-Louise is a corporate lawyer who joined Square One Law from Eversheds LLP where she worked with the founding Square One Law partners Ian Gilthorpe and Alan Fletcher. Marie-Louise has advised on a number of private equity financing transactions acting for both investee companies and investment funds in respect of investments of a few thousand pounds to multi million pound investments. She also regularly advises on the sale of companies and assets sale transactions and has experience of managing complex transactions involving multiple, simultaneous company and asset sales. Marie-Louise has advised clients on collaborative or joint venturing arrangements between corporate entities or individuals and is experienced in the preparation and negotiation of shareholders’ agreements.

Marie-Louise’s experience includes spending time on secondment in an oil and gas company where she advised on commercial contracts, contractual disputes and contractual variations and assisted in the preparation of a suite of precedent documents. Being on the ground in the client’s offices she appreciates the importance of delivering sound yet commercial advice.

Peter Clegg

Senior Associate · Property

Direct Dial: 0843 224 7930

Mobile: 07876 836 246

Email: peter.clegg@squareonelaw.com

Peter trained at City law firm Lawrence Graham and qualified into their commercial property department in 2004. Peter later decided to move back to the North East and joined Ward Hadaway’s Newcastle office before moving onto Muckle LLP, where he was promoted to senior associate in March 2011.

Peter joined Square One Law’s commercial property team as a senior associate in May 2013. He is experienced in all aspects of commercial property work from developments, investments and estate management to advising on the property aspects of corporate transactions and re-financings.

Peter advises developer clients on land acquisitions, options and pre-emptions, site assembly, development agreements and lettings to tenants and advises investor clients on the acquisition, management and disposal of their commercial property assets. He also advises corporate occupiers on lettings, assignments, underlettings and lease surrenders.

Peter is experienced in corporate transactions and has advised on the property aspects of a large number of company acquisitions and disposals. He is well known for providing clients with focused, commercial advice and a very high level of service.
Outside of work, Peter has been a director of Keyfund since 2007. Keyfund is a charity that works with teenagers and young adults helping them to develop the skills and confidence needed to move forward in life.

Liz is a Senior Associate in our Employment team. Liz joined Square One Law having gained six years experience with top 30 international law firm, Hill Dickinson.

Liz specialises in all aspects of employment law, having varied experience of advising clients in both the private and public sectors including substantial experience in the hospitality, retail, pharmaceutical and environmental sectors.

Liz regularly provides advice and support to clients on both contentious and non-contentious matters including on severance arrangements (both individual and collective), discrimination matters, preparation of contractual and policy documentation, internal disciplinary and grievance hearings, redundancy and TUPE transfers including corporate support on the industrial relations aspects of corporate transactions. Liz regularly provides training courses to identify and minimise risk areas for clients.

Liz has particular experience in tribunal litigation in the employment tribunal, the EAT, High Court and also the Court of Appeal.

Liz establishes close working relationships with her clients and provides day to day advice to directors, owner managed businesses and a number of large retail clients.

Steven is a Senior Associate in our Property team. Steven is dual qualified, holding practising certificates in both England and Scotland.

Previously, Steven was an Associate at Eversheds LLP where he trained and then worked for over five and a half years following qualification. During that time Steven has earned an excellent reputation acting for a number of corporate clients on a wide range of general property matters including real estate support on corporate transactions, property developments, sales and acquisitions and landlord and tenant work.

Steven is also very experienced in advising lenders and borrowers in the regions and in London on all aspects of real estate finance in connection with high value and complex secured lending transactions, refinancing, acquisition and development finance, sales and restructuring.

Steven is well known in the insolvency market and is recognised for his real estate expertise in relation to administrations, liquidations and the management and disposal of assets by LPA Receivers.

Senior Associate Chris Gibson is a versatile company, commercial and intellectual property lawyer. He has extensive experience of acting for start-up and early stage businesses as well as major commercial clients. Chris’ areas of experience include shareholder agreements, business sales and acquisitions, commercial agreements and intellectual property licences and shareholder disputes. Chris joined Square One from another Newcastle law firm in 2012 and prior to this co-founded virtual law firm Everyman Legal in West Oxfordshire.

Chris is dual qualified as a solicitor in England and Scotland.

John is a corporate lawyer who joined Square One Law from One North East, the regional development agency for North East England, having previously worked for Muckle LLP in Newcastle and Travers Smith in London. As a result of his inhouse experience, John has a good understanding of the needs of clients. He also has significant experience of corporate law as it relates to both the private and public sector. This includes acting on numerous corporate acquisitions and disposals (for companies, shareholders and venture capitalists), negotiating arrangements between shareholders and advising on corporate reorganisations. More recently for One North East John project managed the legal aspects of establishing the £125m JEREMIE (Finance for Business North East) Fund. John also took responsibility for ensuring that both One North East and its subsidiary organisations had appropriate and robust corporate governance in place and was responsible for the incorporation of a number of not-for-profit, public duty organisations (including companies limited by guarantee, community interest companies, charities and LLPs).

Satpal is an Associate in our Property Team. He previously worked at Endeavour Partnership LLP for over five and a half years. During that time, Satpal has acted for small to medium sized enterprises comprising landowners, pub companies, investors, developers, sole traders and occupiers. He has detailed knowledge and experience of legal issues, on an expanded range of general property matters which also includes property support on corporate transactions. Satpal has worked with a diverse range of clients and his work with pub companies has enabled him to build up a good knowledge of legislation which affects the licensed trade sector and landowners.