Francesca McGrath

Francesca is a Legal Director in the Real Estate team with experience in a wide variety of commercial real estate matters, including landlord and tenant advice (in particular the active management of multi-let assets) and the acquisitions, disposals and financing of a variety of assets including shopping centres, industrial estates and retail parks.

After graduating with a first-class degree in Law, Francesca went on to achieve a distinction on the Legal Practice Course in 2012 and later trained and qualified as a solicitor at a City firm where she stayed for 12 years.

Francesca also has a particular interest in social impact work and has previously been involved in various school reading, fundraising and legal volunteering schemes. In January 2024, Francesca spent two weeks with Safe Passage International in Warsaw providing UK immigration information and advice to Ukrainian refugees.

Francesca prides herself in her ability to build strong client relationships and provide a high quality of service based on a comprehensive understanding of her client’s commercial objectives.

Quote from Legal 500:

Francesca was pleased to be recognised in Legal 500 2023 as “excellent” and again in the current Legal 500 Retail and Consumer listing with the following client testimonial:

“Francesca McGrath takes time to understand our business. So she understands what we need.”

• Actively and singlehandedly managing a portfolio of 7 shopping centres.
• Acting for a previous client on their entry to the UK shopping centre market in the acquisition of four shopping centres with an aggregate value of £27.2million.
• Providing real estate corporate support on the disposal of a mixed use building in central London by way of a share sale for £19million.
• Acting on the acquisition of two multi let industrial estates for £7.7million for previous a client who works to very tight timescales and values practical and commercially sensible advice that helps them to get deals done quickly.
• Assisting in the management of two retail parks for an international asset manager and acting on high value lettings to well-known anchor tenants.
• Acting on the sale of a shopping centre (comprising more than 80,000 sq ft of mixed-use development, anchored by Boots and the Department for Work and Pensions) following a strategic letting to a casino.
• Advising on various strategic lease regears and the relocation of existing tenants following the insolvency of an anchor tenant at a shopping centre.
• Project managing and advising on a £145million refinancing of two retail parks, which was undertaken within a short timescale.
• Assisting on a £140million disposal of a portfolio of 33 industrial estates.

Herrington Carmichael has once again been named in the Times Best Law Firms. We were first listed in 2023 and have once again made the Best Law Firms list for 2024.  

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/herrington-carmichael