02 November 2011

bto is making its presence felt in all areas of the social housing sector from construction to procurement and beyond and to top it all, the firm’s broad-based Social Housing team, described as "knowledgeable, meticulous and responsive", has once again achieved a band 1 ranking in The Legal 500 placing it firmly at the forefront of legal social housing issues in Scotland.

Key members of the team Patrice Fabien and Karen Brodie are both regarded as Leaders in the Field of Social Housing by Chambers UK. Patrice advises the firm's clients on governance, joint ventures, group structures and charity law, and Karen delivers a "high level of professional service" in relation to property matters.

Highlights for the team have included advising Clyde Valley Housing Association on issues arising from EU procurement regulations. It has also supplied other registered providers with strategic advice in relation to developments in legislation and joint ventures, as well as handling loan variations, construction-related work and commercial disputes.

Patrice has also played a key role at recent high profile housing sector events. In October, btosponsored and Patrice spoke at the Social Housing Policy and Networking forum event organised by the Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition in conjunction with Triodos Bank. The event explored the engagement of housing associations in social enterprise.

Patrice took questions at, and bto hosted, the recent launch by ConstructionSkills Scotland of updated guidance highlighting how the National Skills Academy for Construction (NSAfC) ‘Client-based Approach’ can harness the power of public procurement to address industry skills needs. [To view a video taken at the event, please click here].

Always aiming to be one step ahead and given the importance of EU Procurement Regulations for the voluntary sector, Patrice had an article published on the subject of “Registered social landlords and EU procurement regulations” (SCOTS LAW TIMES: ISSUE 24: 22.07.11). He also made a submission to the European Commission on its Green Paper “The modernisation of EU Procurement Policy – towards a more efficient European Procurement market”.

On behalf of bto’s social housing team, Patrice Fabien said: “We are very pleased to have retained our band 1 status. I am also delighted to have been given the opportunity to discuss my report on RSLs and EU Procurement at the forthcoming Scottish Federation of Housing Associations Finance Conference in Crieff.”