Structure of real estate finance

The role of the real estate lawyer

In both investment and development real estate finance transactions, lawyers will also play a key role in negotiating all the documentation. Real estate lawyers will be of particular importance, providing reports to both the lender(s) and the borrower in relation to the title of the property being acquired and/or developed.

Depending on the nature and size of the transaction, the real estate lawyer may be instructed by the funder directly (usually one of the main institutional lenders) to prepare the funder's standard in-house documents such as the facility agreement, legal charge, guarantees and other security documents as well as undertake due diligence and report to the funder either using its own form of in-house report or using the City of London Law Society Certificate of Title. In this instance, the real estate lawyer may be involved in completing the legal charge as well as any other ancillary security as part of the security package.

In larger transactions, the real estate lawyer will often work with the banking and finance lawyers on a transaction either acting for the borrower or the

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Insolvency, declarations of trust, loan agreements, artificial asset protection, sham transactions, transactions defrauding creditors, interspousal asset transfers, change of position defence and wife’s entitlement to share of husband’s assets (Sayers v Dixon)

Restructuring & Insolvency analysis: The court held that six declarations of trust (DoTs) executed by the transferor (Mr Dixon) in favour of his wife (Mrs Dixon) constituted transactions defrauding his creditors within the meaning of section 423 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (IA 1986) and that two of them, purporting to transfer all his future assets and income to Mrs Dixon, along with an accompanying loan agreement, were shams which were void and ineffective. It set aside the DoTs and ordered Mrs Dixon to restore the value of three transferred properties (which had been converted into £551,589 cash) to Mr Dixon’s trustees in bankruptcy (trustees) together with interest of £101,726. It also ordered an account to be taken of the funds that had been transferred to Mrs Dixon or on her behalf by Mr Dixon over the seven years between the date of the DoTs and his bankruptcy. The court dismissed Mrs Dixon’s defence of change of position to the trustees’ claim for restoration, finding that even if such a defence were generally available (which is unclear), she had not acted in good faith and could not rely on it. It also dismissed her defence that, having been married to Mr Dixon for many years, she was entitled to half his assets and/or an entitlement to a share of them by virtue of a right to be maintained. Written by Jonathan Lopian, barrister at New Square Chambers, who acted for the successful claimants.

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