Land Development Solicitors

Tamzin became Head of Commercial Property in April 2025.

Tamzin is a Partner with over 25 years' experience and is based at our Guildford office. Tamzin specialises in all aspects of development work, including option agreements, overage and the acquisition and disposal of development sites.

Tamzin is also highly experienced in all aspects of commercial property including the sale and purchase of commercial properties, landlord and tenant matters (from granting the new lease, through to the various licences for works, transfers and so on) and dealing with the eventual termination of a lease.

Prior to joining Hart Brown, Tamzin had worked for a local authority and for both regional and national firms.

Hart Brown is recognised in the Legal 500 2024 edition for real estate work in the South East and the entry states “With substantial experience in sales and purchases of properties, landlord and tenant matters and development agreements, Tamzin Mandelli 'provides a high level of service’ and ‘is able to deliver what is needed’.”

What do Tamzin's clients say about her?

"We have just worked on a commercial transaction together, which was by far the most challenging case I have dealt with (for a variety of reasons). Tamzin was extremely efficient and salvaged the transaction multiple times... I highly recommend her!"

“Thank you very much for all of your help and support. It has been an absolute pleasure working with you and hope to do so again in the future!”

"...thank you for your support with X, it's been good fun. Wish you were handling a commercial purchase for me! … lesson learnt, will place with you next time!"

“The service I received was efficient, professional and the members I dealt with both past and present have been helpful…and very personable.”

John started his career at Hart Brown in 2016 before becoming a Partner in 2024. John has more than 21 years post qualification experience in property.

He is a member of the Law Society and has written articles for the local press in Kent, Sussex and Surrey.

John's specialisms:

The full cycle of business leases, buying and selling businesses as a going concern, specific expertise in the leasing and disposal of licensed premises, development work and residential leasehold extensions.

His most memorable case:

Handling the property aspects of a £20 million company acquisition and restructuring the leaseback arrangements to achieve a substantial SDLT saving.

David is a highly experienced solicitor in the Commercial Property team, specialising in sales and acquisitions, advice on leases (both to landlords and tenants), and property transactions involving pension schemes. With 20 years of experience in commercial property law, David provides expert legal guidance to a diverse range of clients, including investors and corporate entities.

David’s practice covers all aspects of commercial property, from negotiating and drafting complex sales and acquisitions agreements to advising on leasehold matters, including lease renewals, assignments, and restructuring. He has a particular expertise in transactions involving pension schemes, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements while safeguarding the interests of trustees and scheme members.

A trusted advisor, David works closely with clients to understand their business goals, offering pragmatic and strategic legal solutions tailored to their needs. His deep knowledge of the commercial property market, combined with a reputation for delivering results, allows him to navigate complex legal landscapes and facilitate successful transactions.

Lucy qualified as a solicitor in 1995 and has practised since then at a variety of firms, both in Central London and regionally. She joined Hart Brown in 2024 as a Senior Associate in our Commercial Property Department based at our Guildford office.

Lucy has 29 years’ post qualification experience in a wide variety of non-contentious property related matters, covering commercial and residential property and leasehold enfranchisement.

She currently focuses on all aspects of commercial property matters – where the property itself is for commercial use or the transaction has a commercial slant to it. This includes sales, purchases, leases, re-finance, auctions, property support for corporate transactions, development related work, sales and purchases of going concerns and more miscellaneous matters, such as Licences, Deeds of Easement and Covenant and more general property advice.

One of her most logistically challenging cases was the simultaneous completion of a re-write of all the leases in a block of 45 flats. Whilst one of her more interesting sales involved land at the Brooklands Race Track and the peculiarities it threw up.

Lucy prides herself on giving her clients a first class, well rounded, pragmatic, efficient, accessible service and cuts through the legal jargon to communicate with her clients in the best way she can. Her clients come back time and again and invariably recommend her to others, as do the other professionals she deals with on a regular basis.

Some recent testimonials from clients:

"Lucy provided an extremely efficient and professional support to the completion of our new commercial lease. The service ran to time and on budget with a good sense of humour too!"

"It is with pleasure, to highly recommend Lucy Lawrenson, at Hart Brown Solicitors. I found Lucy to be highly informative, on the residential and commercial aspects, of the property I was purchasing. I felt at ease with Lucy, during the whole process. She was concise in her responses, and made the transaction run smoothly, from start to finish. I have since, commissioned Lucy, and Hart Brown Solicitors, for further legal representation. I'm very happy to have found a Solicitor I can rely on, to give me the best service."

"Thank you, I’m really pleased I went with Hart Brown. You and Rod have been nothing short of excellent."

"I wanted to Thank you very much for your assistance in getting the contract signed at 6.55pm today. It was a really great effort on your behalf and you dealt with all the various complexities very well. I would be very happy to be advised by you again or to recommend you."

"Friendly, relaxed attitude and atmosphere. I never had to explain who I was or repeat information. Case was dealt with smoothly, tactfully and promptly. End result was exactly as planned and promised."

Isobel is an Associate in the Commercial Property department and qualified in June 2019. She advises a broad range of clients on property transactions, including acquisitions, disposals, leases and re-finance acting for landlords, tenants, investors, and business owners across various sectors.

Isobel has particular experience in handling property matters involving pension schemes, including SIPPs and SSASs, and regularly works with trustees and scheme administrators to ensure transactions comply with relevant pension regulations. However, her practice spans all aspects of commercial property, and she is known for providing commercially focused, pragmatic advice tailored to each clients’ objectives.

Isobel takes pride in delivering a responsive, detail-oriented service and helping clients navigate complex transactions with confidence and clarity.

What do Isobel's clients say?

"“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Isobel over the past few years on several commercial lease matters. She’s consistently gone above and beyond - clear, professional, and always reliable. Her attention to detail and ability to make complex legal issues easy to navigate has been invaluable. It’s been a real benefit having someone I can trust to handle these matters so efficiently.”

Celia has a wealth of experience in commercial property and in particular in acquisition of developments sites, acting for both landlord and tenants on commercial leases of industrial units and offices and acting for landowners on the granting of options. Two of her most memorable cases have been the negotiating of sale of land at Battersea Power Station and acting on the acquisition and disposal of a major development site which included negotiation with the office of the Mayor of London.

Celia joined Hart Brown in 2007 and she became a consultant in 2015.

Celia’s clients provide excellent feedback: “From the start of this project to the end you have dealt with everything that has been thrown at you and given me impeccable advice on all matters from buying the sites to obtaining the planning permission through to completing a section 106 on such a massive development and working tirelessly ….. thank you once again for your sound advice”

Melissa brings over 19 years of legal experience across both the UK and New Zealand. She began her career as a Licensed Conveyancer, spending 12 years with two top 100 law firms before relocating to New Zealand, where she completed her law degree at Waikato University and was admitted to the bar in May 2021.

Her expertise spans commercial property and private client matters, including wills, trusts, estate administration, powers of attorney, and property sharing agreements. Earlier in her career, she worked closely with developer clients across Asia, assisting with onsite exchanges in the sale of leasehold flats. While practising in New Zealand, she managed a broad range of legal matters, including landlord and tenant leases and related property transactions. More recently, her focus has shifted towards commercial property, particularly advising SIPP and SSAS clients in relation to the acquisition and disposal of commercial property, granting and taking new leases, lease renewals, assignments of existing leases, and deeds of covenant.

Beyond her professional work, Melissa enjoys volunteering as a parish councillor and Cubs team member, learning to play the piano, and taking long countryside walks with her dog. She values quality time with family and friends and has a growing interest in environmental conservation, continually expanding her knowledge to contribute to its protection.