Fotini joined Carter Lemon Camerons in July 2023 and is a Partner in our Commercial Property team. She acts on behalf of landlords and tenants, and also looks after all aspects of commercial property; from sales and purchases to negotiating Leases and accompanied deeds and discussing strategies with clients to assist them achieve their objective.

Fotini also acts for lenders and bridging companies as their advising solicitor on various lending deals ranging from small loans to multi-million-pound deals and refinancing portfolios.

Using critical thinking as well as a common sense is what distinguishes Fotini’s approach when solving, or avoiding problems for her clients.

Career highlights include

• Completing a bridging finance of over £5 million on behalf of a lender where the borrower was three separate offshore companies, secured over three high-value residential properties in West London
• Overseeing the refinance of a portfolio of 13 properties, acting for both the borrower and the lender
• Completing the purchase of seven commercial properties in South London on a back-to-back contract with a longstop date, which was eventually completed with the aid of bridging finance over the purchased properties.
• Negotiating the lease and contract for a commercial unit in Brunswick Square in Central London for a luxury patisserie company.
• Sold six properties on behalf of a lender where power of sale was exercised

Fotini, who is a member of the SRA, has LLB Hons Degree and an LLM in International Commercial Law and began her career in 2011 as a Paralegal before becoming a Trainee Solicitor in 2015. She started as a Conveyancing Solicitor in 2017 at her previous firm where she was promoted to Partner in 2018.

Born in Cyprus, Fotini moved to the UK to study before settling here, Fotini is fluent in Greek and can also have a basic conversation in Albanian but is getting better at it with the help of her husband and children.

Away from the office, Fotini enjoys spending time with her family and Taco, her chihuahua. She also loves travelling and going swimming.

Sara is a solicitor in our Commercial Property team specialising in non – contentious matters.

Sara acts predominantly for property owners (both commercial and private clients) and assists them with their following affairs:

• Buying and selling property by negotiating contracts unique to their circumstances and progressing them to completion.
• Providing strategic advice on different elements of the transaction including where these deviate from the normal conveyancing process.
• Negotiating additional agreements and documents where required with third parties such as with the client’s lender or with the local authority; and
• Dealing with tenants’ requests for property alterations, assignments and renewal of their leases by advising her clients on the impacts and consequences of such.

She also has expertise in acting for domestic and overseas based companies who have commercial properties in London.

Sara also acts for a number of tenants in taking leases of buildings, commercial units and is well versed in key aspects of landlord and tenant law.

Away from the office, Sara enjoys running regularly and playing the guitar.

Chris Picardo is a partner in the Commercial Property team specialising in transactional property work and property management advice. Chris advises investors, developers, business occupiers and individuals on a variety of commercial property transactions including acquisitions, disposals, property finance, the negotiation of business leases and portfolio management. Chris is regarded by a number of clients as a member of their team. He adds value for those clients by retaining a knowledge of and an interest in their portfolio of investments, and their business needs, so that he can efficiently see ways to get results for them.

Recent projects include:

• acting for the buyer on the purchase of a chemical plant in North London, with involvement from the initial bidding process until occupation of the site, working throughout with the client’s environmental consultants
• leading the commercial property due diligence on the disposal of the shares in a group of investment and development companies owning in excess of £30m of office, retail and industrial property
• the sale of London industrial premises to a global drinks manufacturer
• representing a leading global shipbroker on the relocation of its London headquarters
• acting for a City of London investment management company on its exit strategy from leasehold premises and its acquisition of more than 23,000 sq ft of leasehold premises in Bishopsgate

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Chris graduated in Law from the University of Reading and studied the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law in Guildford.

Chris was admitted as a solicitor in 1999 and joined Carter Lemon working in the Commercial Property team.

In his free time Chris enjoys travel abroad (more recent destinations including Peru, Chile, Argentina, San Francisco and the South of France), reading, running and spending time with his family.