Residential and commercial property joint conference

Isobel advises on the LBTT/SDLT/LTT, VAT and capital allowances aspects of real estate purchases, sales and leases, as well as the tax implications of transactions involving properties held in corporate wrappers and structuring of property funds. Her experience includes advising on Student Accommodation and Buy to Rent/PRS structures, property joint ventures, the Construction Industry Scheme and the new VAT reverse charge for building and construction service. Isobel has a particular expertise in LBTT and was closely involved in working with the Scottish Government in relation to the introduction of the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax in April 2015 and the Additional Dwelling Supplement in April 2016.

Isobel is a top ranked individual in Chambers and Partners and a leading individual in Legal 500 for Corporate Tax. Isobel is Convenor of the Tax Law Committee of the Law Society of Scotland, Chair of the Tax Committee of the Scottish Property Federation and a Council member of the Stamp Taxes Practitioners Group.

Alastair’s expertise covers planning (zoning), environmental and transportation law. He’s accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in Planning Law and is a Legal Associate of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
He has over 25 years of direct experience advising in these areas.
Regularly undertaking inquiry and hearing advocacy, Alastair’s approach is built on a wealth of legal expertise, knowledge and experience. These combined strengths allow him to identify swiftly the legal issues and risks in any project and manage them accordingly.

He acts for developers, central and local government, land owners, infrastructure providers, utilities and energy providers.
A consummate professional with diverse and significant experience, Alastair also specialises in compulsory purchase and compensation, and advises on judicial reviews and statutory appeals.

He is the Convenor of the Law Society’s Planning Law Sub-committee and the Convenor of the Environment and Sustainability Special Interest Group for the Association of European Lawyers.

Jonathan Eshkeri is a dual qualified solicitor in England & Wales and a Spanish Abogado, who has been practising Spanish law in Spain and in England since 2004.  Jonathan also taught law in London and Madrid at undergraduate and postgraduate levels between 2001 and 2009 and now regularly speaks on the subject of Spanish property, Spanish succession law and the recovery of Spanish assets to legal practitioners and other professionals working in the field.  
 
Jonathan acts for trustees and liquidators of insolvent estates in England and in Scotland, both directly and through firms of solicitors, recovering assets throughout Spain that are registered in the names of those subject to bankruptcy orders, awards of sequestration and winding up orders.

Jonathan also acts for a considerable number of UK registered charities and individuals located throughout the world with regard to inheritance matters with a Spanish element.  
 
Jonathan spends most of his time working in London, where he lives with his wife and three children, but also spends some of his time working at the firm’s Spanish office. 

Debra was brought up in Newton Mearns and educated at Westbourne School, Glasgow College of Technology and the University of Glasgow. She has a varied academic background having studied politics and law and she is a graduate member of the British Psychological Society.

She has been involved in legal education in Glasgow for some 16 years including a position as Senior Tutor and Course Director in Conveyancing at the University of Glasgow. She was a part time lecturer in conveyancing and property law at Glasgow Caledonian University. She is frequently invited to speak to colleagues on matters of conveyancing and is the editor of a manual on property law and conveyancing which is circulated Scotland wide to practitioners and students. Debra is well known in the local area through her work and as a southside resident.

Debra is also a part-time judge with the asylum and immigration tribunal. Debra is frequently involved in organising community events and advising local businesses and business owners in commercial matters.

David acts for both public and private sector organisations in relation to sales, purchases, leases and general estate management work, including the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, the Registers of Scotland, the Home Office, CBRE Global Investors, JD Sports, Caffe Nero, Kiko Milano, William Hill Organization and Dulux Decorator Centres.

High profile transactions include:

• The sale of Princes Square Speciality Shopping Centre, Glasgow and the adjoining Guildhall office development on behalf of Clerical Medical Investment Group Limited and Britel Fund Trustees Limited (£107m).
• The acquisition of the Cerium Building, Glasgow on behalf of Rreef Investment GmbH (£21m).
• The acquisition of Princes House, Glasgow on behalf of HansaInvest Hanseatische Investment GmbH (£16.6m).
• The sale of Thistle Marches Shopping Centre, Stirling.
• The purchase of Quartermile 2 office development, Edinburgh for AFIAA Scotland AG (£23m).
• The acquisition and sale of a large number of high value investment properties for clients of CBRE Global Investors Limited.

David is a Law Society of Scotland Accredited Specialist in Commercial Leasing.