Thames Valley: Property law veteran retires after 45 years

Robert Green, commercial property law expert and senior associate at Gardner Leader solicitors – which has offices at Newbury, Thatcham and Maidenhead – is retiring after nearly half a century practising commercial law. 

He qualified as a solicitor in 1971, joined a London law firm where he became partner, and went on to become partner in a large, multi-service firm in Berkshire. He then set up and had 10 years in his own law practice before joining Gardner Leader as a senior associate in 1999.

He has had extensive expertise in all aspects of commercial property, in particular the acquisition and disposal of all types of commercial premises including investment property, licensed premises and the acquisition of property on behalf of property developers, together with options, development agreements, secured lending and commercial leases and leasehold enfranchisement. 

His recent work included, the acquisition of a country house and a formal industrial complex for redevelopment, and the disposal of part of a residential development site to a national house builder. 

Gardner Leader’s six-strong commercial property team will now fall under the direction of team leader and partner, Greg Humphreys who will take over much of Green’s work. 

Humphreys said: "Robert has been an invaluable source of support to solicitors across the firm with his incredibly wide range of knowledge and experience in property work. During his time with us he has dealt with a number of extremely complex development projects, including the relocation of the Newbury waste-recycling centre at Pinchington Lane and the ensuing Bloor Homes housing development. He has always been willing to express his views no matter how controversial.”