Expertise

Lee joined Addleshaw Goddard as a trainee in 1998 and was made Partner in 2007. He has been recognised as a leading lawyer nationally in Social Housing Finance since 2002 and was inducted into the Legal 500 Hall of Fame on its inception. 

Lee and his team have advised funders on the majority of the most complex and structured social housing finance transactions across the UK over the past 2 decades (over £80bn of debt) and have been consistently recognised as the leading funders' lawyers throughout the UK since 2007. From that passion for ESG linked finance to drive impact, Lee developed our market leading Social Sustainable and Green Finance practice. Lee's knowledge of the Sustainable and ESG Finance, and Social Housing Finance sector is unsurpassed.

In relation to social, sustainable and green finance, our ESG Finance teams work the majority of active funders in the UK, including Lloyds, HSBC, M&G Barclays, Santander, Aviva, Goldman Sachs, UKIB, MUFG, SMBC and many others. 

For instance:

• our work advising Barclays on the innovative green lending product to Vivid saw that transaction shortlisted last year for an Association of Corporate Treasurers award; and 
• we have recently advised NatWest on its first three bespoke green loans to major housing providers to help those housing providers finance retrofitting of over 120,000 homes.we have recently advised NatWest on its first three bespoke green loans to major housing providers to help those housing providers finance retrofitting of over 120,000 homes.

In relation to his ESG Advisory practice, Lee is currently advising UK Infrastructure Bank (and HM Treasury) on all ESG matters relating to the funding, construction and operational phase of Sizewell C, including extensive due diligence on the project and stakeholders and the framing of bespoke contractual provisions in the absence of a UK Taxonomy which covers nuclear.  CSRD and CS3D is at the heart of that advice.

Additionally: 

• Member of Policy Committee of UK Sustainable Investment & Finance Association (UKSIF). Lee and the committee work alongside Central Government Departments in relation to Greening Finance, Financing Green and Net Zero Challenges. 
• Shortlisted by Financial Times in 2022 as one of the 10 most innovative lawyers in Europe for his work in the Sustainable Finance Space. 
• Executive Coach: Graduate of Globally Recognised Meyler Campbell Mastered Programme (Distinction). Significant experience of challenging C-Suite leaders, in the UK, France and the USA, to think differently and unlock new potential, in a supportive and non-judgmental manner. 
• Member of Green and Sustainable Finance Committee of TheCityUK. 
• Member of Loan Market Association Transition Finance Working Group.
• Member of Loan Market Association Sustainable Finance and ESG Regulation Committee.
• Published widely on ESG, over a number of years, in industry and national press. Lee is a thought leader in the Sustainable and Impact Finance space, contributing to the first ethical money editorial in the I Newspaper, and more recently to City AM and the UK Finance Blog.
• DE&I Inclusivity Champion and Ally. Openly gay, Lee’s own experiences of discrimination in the City were shared in the Financial Times in 2021 in the hope of supporting others to be themselves. Lee is also neurodiverse (ADHD, mild dyslexia).

Specific ESG Finance and ESG Focus Areas:

• Social Housing Finance
• Housing Sector Generally
• Social Loans
• Green Finance (all Real Estate Assets)
• Transition Finance 
• ESG and Financial Regulations
• ESG Due Diligence
• ESG Business Models Inc. B:Corps 
• ESG Disclosure Regimes 
• ESG: Ratings and Equity Investor Expectations 
• ESG Laws and Regulations 
• Financial Product Labelling
• IFRS, SASB 
• Net Zero: Supply Chains and Scopes 1-3 
• Taxonomies 
• CS3D and ESG: Supply and Value Chains