Meet our Property Team – A Q&A session with Rebecca Cobbs
On Friday 15th November we will be celebrating Bath’s dynamic property sector at the second annual Bath Property Awards, of which we are proud to be the headline sponsor.
Property is important to us. From residential to commercial, from lease negotiations to first time buyers, our teams at Mogers Drewett have a wide variety of complementing skills and expertise to help with it all.
In the run up to the big event we will introduce members of the Bath-based Commercial and Residential Property teams – and share a few little known facts about them.
The second in the series is Rebecca Cobbs, Associate Solicitor in the Residential Property team.
Q: So… what does a Commercial Property lawyer do all day?
A: Helps individuals and companies secure the property of their dreams! Or, put more prosaically, we draft the contracts and other documentation that govern people’s interest in land and their relationships to the other entities that have an interest in the same or neighbouring property.
Q: What is the secret of good conveyancing/com prop lawyer?
A: Good communication and excellent project management skills. (Excellent technical legal knowledge should go without saying!)
Q: What is your specialism within the team?
A: Electronic Communications Code Agreements and advice re Code enforcement; Complex and/or high value landlord & tenant matters; Acquisitions and disposals of pubs and other licenced premises.
Q: What did you do before Mogers Drewett?
A: Immediately prior to MD I worked at the Bristol office of a large national law firm for 9 years where I specialised in work for some of the Big Six pub companies and for major telecommunications firms. At the outset of my career I was an operations manager for the nation’s favourite DIY chain.
Q: What’s the most memorable transaction you have worked on?
A: When I was a trainee I assisted on the property elements of a large corporate deal. We traveled to London, locked ourselves in a room at a large London firm who were acting on the other side of the transaction and worked non-stop on negotiations and documentation from 9:30am until 4:00am the following morning. We only took breaks for a sandwich during the day and a Domino’s pizza that was delivered at midnight. If ever I had a notion that practising the law would be like living an episode of LA Law (showing my age) that day and night cured me.
Q: If you could introduce one new property law what would it be?
A: Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) needs an overhaul. Particularly, I think that SDLT being payable on the VAT element of rents and/or the purchase price is quite harsh, as it is tax being levied on a payment of tax.
Q: Did you know…
…that I ride a Ducati Monster 1100S
