Nicola Lebish
Nicola is a Partner in our multi-award winning Residential Real Estate practice.
She has more than 23 years’ experience in residential real estate and leads Birketts’ leasehold enfranchisement practice whilst also being involved in the management of the wider Residential Real Estate Team.
Nicola has extensive experience acting for clients with complex high value residential real estate acquisitions and disposals. She has a wide variety of clients from high-net worth individuals and investors to local authorities and social housing landlords. Nicola’s client-led approach allows her to identify and then deliver upon her clients’ needs, often thinking creatively to achieve their desired outcome.
In her role leading the leasehold enfranchisement practice, Nicola has established a cross-discipline team of advisers who can assist on all aspects of enfranchisement including statutory and voluntary matters, disputes, company incorporation and specific tax advice. Nicola provides training and guidance to landlord clients often in the social housing sector on a collaborative approach to lease extensions. Nicola also advises on rights of first refusal and lease extension matters.
Although based in our Ipswich office, Nicola travels throughout the Birketts’ offices and is regularly in London.
Nicola’s journey into law was not traditional. Whilst working as a legal secretary for a top 20 law firm, Nicola studied and qualified as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives before undertaking further study with De Montford University and the University of Westminster to ultimately qualify as a Solicitor. When she qualified as a Solicitor, Nicola already had three years qualification with CiLEX and seven years work experience as a paralegal in real estate. Nicola first worked for Higher Education Institutions on the residential portfolios before moving to work in the private client sector.
Recent work highlights
2024
The sale of a block of flats and three houses, most let on ASTs with two retained by the seller for personal use, with a timeframe for exchange of 14 days from agreement of terms.
2023/24
The set up for disposal and ultimate disposal of three high end flats in London for a combined value of £9m including the ultimate disposal of the freehold building without triggering rights of first refusal.
2024
A 1967 Act claim for the freehold of a property which was made less than five working days before expiry of the client’s occupational lease.
Experience & education
2001 to 2015 Secretary, Paralegal, Fellow of CILEX and Solicitor Mills & Reeve
2010 qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive
2013 qualified as Solicitor
2015 joined Birketts
2023 joined the Partnership at Birketts
