Asif Patel

Partner

Areas of Expertise

Asif is the head of our non-contentious construction team at Devonshires.

Asif provides strategic advice to clients on residential and commercial development projects from the pre-planning, design and construction phase to onward sale.

Asif is well versed on all forms of construction procurement, including traditional, design and build, modular construction, joint venture, management contracting, construction management, prime cost and target cost led projects.

An expert in his field, Asif has developed a strong profile and is always focused firstly on providing clients with swift and pragmatic advice.

Asif’s client base extends to the private and public sector, where he regularly acts for developers, funders, investment vehicles, local authorities and registered social housing landlords.

Experience

Asif’s experience and expertise covers:

advising on the procurement approach for methods of construction within the residential and commercial sectors, which includes new build, refurbishment and regeneration projects;
drafting and negotiating all forms of construction contracts (JCTs, NECs, FIDIC, etc), bespoke construction contracts, development agreements, remedial works contracts, professional appointments, collateral warranties, deeds of novation, deeds of variation, performance bonds, retention bonds, parent company guarantees, vesting certificates, asset management contracts, facilities management contracts, and any other construction documentation;
advising on complex higher-risk building schemes (new build and remedial works projects) that are being developed in line with the updated Building Regulations;
development finance transactions;
developing risk mitigation strategies and assisting with the delivery of delayed or distressed projects, including those impacted by contractor insolvency;
advising on all aspects of construction insurance.

Education

Asif graduated from Lancaster University in 2007 with a 2:1 LLB (Hons) in Law and completed his LPC at the College of Law in Chester in 2008.

Personal

Asif is a keen football and cricket fan. He spends his free time following his football team, catching a Test match or on weekends away with his family.

He must be the only Bolton Wanderers supporter within a ten-mile radius of Finsbury Circus.

Professional Memberships

Asif is a member of the Society of Construction Law and the British Property Federation.

Notable Cases

Acting for Peabody Trust on the major regeneration of Blackbird Leys, Oxford, to deliver 300 homes, which was one of the first schemes in the social housing sector to be caught by the new building safety regime implemented on 1 October 2023.

Acting for Abri on the major regeneration of Sawyers Close, Windsor, to deliver 413 new homes, built across nine apartment blocks ranging from five to eight storeys as well as seven rows of townhouses.

Acting for Vivid Housing on the delivery of a 5 phased housing development at Victory Quay, Portsmouth, providing 835 new homes, to include apartments in 16 blocks ranging from two to 11 storeys in height, maisonettes and townhouses.

Acting for a modular developer on a mixed-use development scheme for the design, construction and completion of a 23-storey tower comprising a 230-bed hotel and 5000 sqm of co-working office space in London.

Acting for The Riverside Group Limited on the purchase and development of land at Westwood Village Thanet, Kent, and the development of 449 homes, a school and associated highways and infrastructure works.

Acting for The Greener Future Partnership in the delivery of its £1.5 billion decarbonisation programme across 300,000 properties to achieve an EPC band C rating or above by 2040 and Net-Zero by 2050.

Acting for Stonewater Limited in its restructure of development and construction arrangements to the value of circa £465m in order to secure £100m in new funding to maximise capacity to deliver its planned 6,000 affordable homes programme.

Acting for Sage Housing on a £106m portfolio purchase of 420 new homes from Optivo, providing a mixture of rental and shared ownership properties across six sites in London and the South East.

Acting for Southern Housing to deliver Phase 2 of residential development comprising 540 units at Free Wharf, Shoreham-by-Sea.

Acting for Peabody Construction Limited on the delivery of its development at Frankham Street, London, for the delivery of 158 homes.

Acting for Metropolitan Housing Trust Limited to deliver a residential 19-storey tower block with 144 homes, with commercial and retail space in Harrow, London.

Acting for The Riverside Group Limited in its joint venture with Mount Anvil Limited for the multi-phased development of 119 homes at Friar’s Close, Southwark.

Acting for Metropolitan Housing Trust in its residential development scheme to deliver 168 residential apartments as part of two residential buildings, a new supermarket and associated infrastructure at Old Kent Road, Peckham, London.

Client Testimonials

“Asif Patel is exceptional. He has such a good grasp of the construction and related contract matters and provides very good and clear advice which allows me to be able to feel confident in making an informed decision.”

Legal 500

“Asif Patel has an ability to explain complex issues allowing them to be understood so that decisions can be made to protect the business. He is now our company's go-to solicitor for anything linked to construction.”

Legal 500

“Asif Patel is very personable, makes everything simple to understand, delivers on promises, responds quickly, and makes the whole process very straight forward.”

Legal 500

“Asif Patel has a highly pragmatic approach to contract drafting. He has a highly measured and engaging approach.”

Legal 500

“Excellent responsive service, completes tasks in line with agreed timescales, excellent advice provided, and looks for solutions to suit all.”

Legal 500

“Asif Patel pays attention to detail, and is responsive and pro-active.”

Legal 500

“Asif Patel was able to adapt to emerging changes in regulations and amend the contract to suit to ensure it was fit for purpose despite uncertainty over future requirements.”

Legal 500