Hay & Kilner is celebrating receiving two nominations in the 2023 North East Business Insider Property Awards.
The Newcastle-headquartered practice has been shortlisted for the Property Law Firm of the Year category, which recognises practices which have made a real impact on the region’s property industry over the last 12 months.
And it has also been spotlighted in the Fit-out/Refurbishment of the Year category for the work done around its own move into its new state-of-the-art headquarters last autumn.
Hay & Kilner took over the whole of the fifth floor of The Lumen building on St James’ Boulevard, which sits within the landmark Newcastle Helix hybrid city quarter, in order to bring its 100-strong Newcastle team together in one place while also providing room for future new recruits.
The firm appointed Overbury, the UK’s leading fit-out specialist, to work on the completion of the 14,600 sq ft open plan space, with a range of expert regional contractors also being chosen to maximise Hay & Kilner’s investment in the regional economy.
Overbury’s design team worked closely with the Hay & Kilner team on the development of the office space to ensure it met with the firm’s working requirements, fit with its working culture and delivered on the sustainability criteria that were central to the practice’s project brief in terms of life cycle, carbon impact, materials and maintenance.
Key projects on which Hay & Kilner’s specialist commercial property team has worked over the last year include the £9.3m acquisition of Gosforth Shopping Centre by regional real estate firm Monument Real Estate and the purchase of the acquisition of the Grade II listed Croft Hotel at Croft-on-Tees by Newcastle-headquartered leisure operator The Apartment Group.
The firm advised on property transactions within the region worth around £75m last year, while it also brought in partner Jonathan Bone and solicitor Ashleigh Barrett to help meet growing client demand in the sector.
Hay & Kilner is one of North East England’s leading independent law firms and provides comprehensive legal advice across every aspect of the law to businesses and individuals from both within and outside the region.
Nicola Tiffen, partner and head of Hay & Kilner’s specialist commercial property team, says: “Having had a very successful 12 months and having been involved with some real landmark projects, it’s exciting to see our work being recognised in the highly-regarded Insider Property Awards.
“Moving into The Lumen gave us the chance to create a very special working environment and we’re so pleased with how our ideas for this fantastic space have been realised.
“The quality of our new office, the facilities it provides and its position within our home city really are all second to none.
“The response we’ve had from clients and contacts to our new home over the last six months has been very positive and the buzz among the team about being in The Lumen is as strong today as it was on the day we moved in.”
The winners of the 2023 North East Business Insider Property Awards will be announced at a gala dinner at the Hilton NewcastleGateshead on 18th May.