Clare Simmons Senior Associate

Clare Simmons

Clare Simmons is a London-based senior associate, in the non-contentious construction team. Clare qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in September 2019, and prior to joining Gowling in August 2021 she worked as a specialist non-contentious construction lawyer for an international law firm. She has experience of working across a range of UK real estate developments and international energy and infrastructure projects, advising developers, sponsors and funders.

Clare has experience drafting and negotiating a wide range construction contracts including building contracts, security documents, professional appointments and sub-contracts as well as additionally supervising preparation and management of suites of collateral warranties and third-party rights for the financing, letting and selling on of these developments. She has an advanced understanding of the market and common bankability issues for these developments and substantial experience conducting due diligence on behalf of funders and purchasers.

Experience

• Assisting a major property developer across a number of transactions preparing and reviewing suites of appointments and building contracts, as well as assisting with the review and negotiation of an agreement for lease for a significant London development.
• Preparing a nuclear liability advice memo for an international energy developer in relation to a planned project with potential risk for nuclear liability.
• Assisting both Seller and Buyer sides of property transactions in relation to the due diligence of construction documents, including answering enquiries and preparing reporting, in particular preparing reporting for a major international developer in the sale of a landmark property in London.
• Assisting a manufacturer of electrical generators with the review and negotiation of their supply contracts, on both industry standard and bespoke forms.
• Advising a medical research company as incoming tenant on the construction elements of their agreement for lease, and subsequently drafting and negotiating a suite of construction contracts for a two stage fit-out of the premises including technical lab fit-out.
• Advising the Developer on the construction of the over-station office development, Kaleidoscope, at Farringdon East in London. Clare was also part of the team advising on the subsequent letting of the development to TikTok.
• Advising the EPC consortium on the 4x1.2GW Unit Akkuyu Nuclear Project in Mersin province, Turkey.
• Advising the Lenders on photovoltaic solar power plants in Armenia, the Republic of Chad and Egypt, working collaboratively with legal finance teams and local law experts reviewing construction and supply contracts.
• Assisting a major pension fund on the construction of 60-70 St Mary Axe in London. Clare managed the negotiation of suites of warranties in favour of office tenants as lettings were agreed and subsequently coordinated fit-out warranties in favour of the landlord from each tenant in accordance with their licence to alter.
• Advising the Developer on the development of a mixed use quarter at Bankside, London. Clare was involved with drafting and negotiating the suite of construction contracts for a number of the phases of this project.
• Assisting the Developer on a number of mixed use developments in Sheffield and Cardiff. This work included drafting and negotiating the suite of construction contracts for a split procurement structure, and later assisting with the financing of the projects and provision reporting and warranties to funders.