National law firm Clarke Willmott has appointed leading affordable housing development specialist Anita Rasaratnam as a partner in its London office, further strengthening its nationally recognised social housing team.
Anita, who joins the firm from Shakespeare Martineau, specialises in advising registered providers, developers and local authorities on affordable housing acquisitions, regeneration projects and development transactions.
She brings extensive expertise across a broad range of affordable housing matters, including land-led acquisitions, Section 106 acquisitions, turnkey and “golden brick” transactions, project agreements, joint ventures, strategic land projects and stock rationalisation programmes.
Anita is particularly recognised for her work on complex transactions involving planning, infrastructure, funding and development risk.
Based in London, Anita will play a key role in driving the continued growth of Clarke Willmott’s social housing development practice across London and the South East. She will also support housing association clients across the UK.
Her appointment follows a period of continued expansion for Clarke Willmott’s social housing sector team, including recent growth in the firm’s Birmingham and Manchester offices.
Clarke Willmott has one of the largest social housing legal teams in the country and is appointed to major legal services frameworks, enabling the firm to support housing associations of all sizes across England and Wales.
Anita Rasaratnam said: “I’m delighted to be joining Clarke Willmott at such an exciting time for the firm's social housing practice. The team has an outstanding reputation across the sector and a genuinely national reach.
“Housing associations continue to face significant challenges while also delivering ambitious development programmes. I’m looking forward to supporting clients across the country, particularly in London and the South East, and continuing the strong relationships I have built throughout the South East, Midlands and South West.
“Clarke Willmott’s commitment to the sector and its collaborative approach made this a particularly exciting opportunity.”
Oliver Smedley, head of social housing development at Clarke Willmott, said: “Anita is an excellent addition to our growing social housing development team. She is highly regarded in the sector and brings a wealth of experience advising on complex affordable housing and regeneration projects.
“What particularly stands out is Anita’s ability to combine first-class technical expertise with a pragmatic, commercial approach that helps clients achieve their development objectives. Her strong relationships across the sector and deep understanding of the challenges facing registered providers make her a perfect fit for Clarke Willmott.
“Her appointment reinforces our commitment to investing in our social housing offering and strengthens our ability to support clients across London, the South East and nationally. We are delighted to welcome her to the team.”
Clarke Willmott is a national law firm with offices in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton and Taunton.
