Jo Pickering

Partner, Head of Real Estate and Regeneration
020 7405 4600
Contact by email

Client

Working with Jo Pickering has been a lovely experience; she effortlessly drafts, negotiates complex agreements and defends her client’s position without resorting to aggression or unpleasantness, which is seen in a lot of legal interactions. She works well with clients and colleagues. We have had an excellent working relationship with her and she is our go-to person for complex development/property matters.

Client

Chambers 2020

Head of real estate Jo Pickering has considerable commercial property expertise, advising on a range of leasing transactions, development projects and joint venture arrangements. She primarily represents local authorities along with other public sector clients.

Chambers 2020

Legal 500, 2020

Working with Jo Pickering has been a lovely experience; she effortlessly drafts, negotiates complex agreements and defends her client’s position without resorting to aggression or unpleasantness, which is seen in a lot of legal interactions. She works well with clients and colleagues. We have had an excellent working relationship with her and she is our go-to person for complex development/property matters.

Legal 500, 2020

Executive Director of Commercial Services

Sharpe Pritchard provided an exceptionally professional service. Requests from us were responded to incredibly promptly and they could be relied upon to be there when we needed them.
The solicitors possessed excellent practical knowledge and experience of the subject and were comfortably able to advise on more diverse aspects when issues arose.

Executive Director of Commercial Services

Assistant Director Legal Services

Responsive professionals who provide, pragmatic, sensible and robust advice and very importantly Sharpe Pritchard understand my needs as a Local Authority client and how the legal advice provided by them impacts upon the Local Authority and its residents.

Assistant Director Legal Services

Practice areas:

Sector experience:

Jo has been a partner at Sharpe Pritchard since 2001 and she has extensive experience of acting in connection with a wide range of commercial property matters with a particular specialism advising on large scale and complex regeneration and development projects.

Jo heads up the Firm’s real estate department and advises on all aspects of commercial property law, acting for a wide range of public and private sector clients. Jo also has many years’ experience in advising on all land and property related aspects arising on numerous infrastructure projects undertaken for our public sector clients particularly in waste, renewable energy and transport sectors.

Jo specialises in advising on large scale and complex regeneration and development projects both housing led and mixed us schemes including town centres and estate renewals. She has particular expertise in providing strategic advice during the early stages of such transformative projects, advising on site assembly strategies, delivery and funding models, in particular joint venture arrangements between the public and private sector, routes to market, risk profiling and procurement.

Jo regularly advises local authorities on the EU Public Procurement regime particularly as it applies to development agreements and land transactions and has extensive experience of delivering regeneration and development projects though competitive dialogue and other procurement routes.

She is highly skilled in the drafting and negotiation of development documentation including development agreements, promotion and collaboration agreements, joint venture agreements, sale and leaseback documentation and procurement documents.

Memberships

Commercial Real Estate Legal Association

Case highlights

  • Town Centre Regeneration - Lead property partners on a competitive dialogue procurement for a joint venture partner for Southend on Sea Borough Council, being the Council's most significant and largest ever regeneration project to procure a joint venture private sector partner to deliver the regeneration of the Queensway Estate. The project has an anticipated capital spend of £500 million, will involve major highways works, the demolition and rebuilding of 4 tower blocks, community and civic spaces and the re-housing of large numbers of existing tenants.
  • Estate Renewal - Lead Partner acting for London Borough of Enfield to secure a developer partner for the regeneration of the Ladderswood Estate which at the time of instruction was the Council's largest estate renewal programme to date. The Estate originally comprised 126 residential units across 6 blocks and the Council was looking to secure 100% re-provision of the existing social rented units, new homes of mixed tenure and type generating sufficient value from this market development to support the replacement of the existing social rented provision, as well as commercial accommodation and a new community facility .
  • Multi-site Strategic Joint Venure Partnership Procurement - Lead property partner acting for Hertfordshire County Council initially on the incorporation of its wholly-owned property company and subsequent procurement of joint venture development partner using the competitive dialogue process to help the council fund, develop and operate a pipeline of surplus council owned sites of a 30 year partnership.
  • Asset Development Joint Venture Procurement - Lead property partner on a competitive dialogue procurement for Brentwood Borough Council to secure a joint venture partner for the Council to deliver multiple schemes across the Council, including a major town centre regeneration project. This flagship project has an anticipated capital spend of £350 million, will involve green infrastructure and highways works, the design and construction of a mixed use scheme, with private and affordable housing, community and civic spaces, including food and beverage and a cinema.