Adele Dean is a Senior Associate in the residential development team in our Chelmsford office with over 20 years’ experience advising on a wide range of land and development matters.
She joined the firm in 2019 following 18 years at an Essex-based law firm, where she specialised in residential development work.
Adele acts for national and regional housebuilders, and landowners on the acquisition and disposal of development land. Her experience includes strategic land acquisitions, option and promotion agreements, conditional contracts, overage arrangements, disposals of serviced land parcels and other arrangements required to bring land forward for residential development.
In addition, Adele advises on development funding matters, acting for both lenders and borrowers in connection with the financing of residential schemes.
She is known for her pragmatic, solutions-focused approach and her ability to manage complex transactions efficiently and to tight deadlines. Adele works closely with clients and their wider professional teams to navigate the legal and commercial issues that arise throughout the life of a transaction. She has a loyal and longstanding following of clients who appreciate how she understands their business and helps them achieve their objectives
Recent work highlights
• Advised on a complex, multi-phase residential development involving a range of interrelated transactions across a major multi-developer scheme. Work included land disposals, refinancing arrangements, utilities infrastructure and commercial elements, all progressed simultaneously, with careful structuring to ensure section 106 obligations operated cohesively across phases.
• Advised a developer on the variation and exercise of an option agreement, including restructuring pricing and completion mechanics to align with an implemented planning consent. Led a simultaneous acquisition and sub-sale, ensuring both transactions were fully dovetailed and funding-aligned. Delivered to an accelerated timetable, managing risk through bespoke contractual protections and complex infrastructure and title arrangements
• Advised a developer on a conditional land acquisition involving integrated planning across retained and sale land, including bespoke contractual and transfer provisions to allocate planning and infrastructure responsibilities. Incorporated flexibility for funding structures through assignment and novation provisions. Managed evolving access arrangements and title risks, including the use of indemnity insurance, to support a robust and deliverable development structure
Experience and education
2002 – 2018 Essex Based Law Firm
2002 Qualified as a Soicitor
1996 – 200 College of Law, Guildford
1996 – 1999 University of Reading
