Patrick Adie
National Head of Housebuilding & Strategic Land | Nottingham
“He is an exceptional lawyer who is responsive, pragmatic and commercial. He acts in the best interests of his clients."
Chambers & Partners, 2025
Call: 0345 050 3273 Mobile: 0792 160 3239
About Patrick
Patrick is the National Head of Housebuilding & Strategic Land at Freeths, with responsibility for this sector across our 13 offices. He acts for many of the UK’s top 10 and top 20 housebuilders, developers, housing associations, contractors, promoters and estate owners. He specialises in large residential-led schemes (both immediate and strategic land) but has significant experience on all types of real estate transactions including mixed use developments, investment transactions, finance/funding and social housing.
He is known for providing an outstanding level of client service by being commercially focussed, highly responsive, working collaboratively with all those involved and finding pragmatic solutions. He concentrates on the long-term bigger picture of transactions and client relationships.
Patrick was awarded Solicitor of the Year 2022 by Nottinghamshire Law Society. He was also awarded Junior Lawyer of the Year earlier in his career. Patrick was also named as one of the Top 10 Remarkable East Midlands Real Estate Lawyers to Watch in 2023 by Business Today. Patrick is listed as a Leading Individual in Chambers and Partners (2025 edition).
The team that Patrick leads won Law Firm of the Year 2024 at the Insider Midlands Residential Property Awards, and the team shared the award for its part in the Property Deal of the Year 2024 at the Insider East Midlands Property Awards.
Patrick holds a 1st Class degree in Law and a 1st Class degree and Masters in Physics.
Patrick has been a board member and trustee for various charities including Faith in Families (an adoption agency) and The Opportunities Fund (a grant giving charity). He is currently an Executive Sponsor of our Balance Network, which works to ally with and promote gender equity initiatives at Freeths.
Contact Patrick
Call: 0345 050 3273
Mobile: 0792 160 3239
Notable work & expertise
Patrick acts for estate owners (both corporate and individual) on a range of transactions, including promotion agreements, options and other strategic land disposals.
Recent work
- Acting for a consortium of landowners including a charitable trust on the promotion and disposal of a site with a developed value of £60m
- Acting for Harworth Group Plc on Thoresby Vale, which is part of the world’s first 5G connected forest. The former colliery site is being developed for 800 houses, a 350-acre country park, with a prototype modular housing factory, and utilises Homes England funding.
- Acting for Greenbelt Group (one of the UK’s largest open space management companies) on the management and acquisition of open spaces and amenity areas, including development obligations.
Patrick’s main expertise is in residential development. He acts for numerous top 10 housebuilders, promoters, contractors, housing associations and landowners. He has extensive experience in development agreements, golden-brick agreements, sub-sales, options, promotion agreement, hybrid agreements, collaboration and equalisation agreements, overage, infrastructure agreements, land pooling trusts and farm sharing agreements.
His well-rounded knowledge is a great benefit for clients, particularly at the heads of terms stage where he can advise on structuring deals in the most suitable and tax efficient manner.
Recent work
Acting for Harworth Group Plc on Thoresby Vale, which is part of the world’s first 5G connected forest. The former colliery site is being developed for 800 houses, a 350-acre country park, with a prototype modular housing factory, and utilises Homes England funding.
- Acting as the main legal provider for national promoter Clarendon Land & Development, including setting up their template promotion agreement and acting on over a dozen sites since the company’s formation
- The acquisition of a 158-acre site in Bristol as part of a major new sustainable urban development, together with several collaboration and promotion agreements, expected to deliver approximately 3,000 houses
- Acting for Barratt David Wilson on the acquisition of a site for 1,000+ homes via a hybrid promotion/option agreement
- Acting for United Living Group/Partner Construction on a 200 unit development of purely affordable housing – one of the largest affordable housing developments in the UK.
Recent work
- Acting for Harworth Group Plc on Thoresby Vale, which is part of the world’s first 5G-connected forest. The former colliery site is being developed for 800 houses, a 350-acre country park, with a prototype modular housing factory, and utilises Homes England funding.
- Acting as the main legal provider for national promoter Clarendon Land & Development, including setting up their template promotion agreement and acting on over a dozen sites since the company’s formation
- The acquisition of a 158-acre site in Bristol as part of a major new sustainable urban development, together with several collaboration and promotion agreements, expected to deliver approximately 3,000 houses
- Acting for Barratt David Wilson on the acquisition of a site for 1000+ homes via a hybrid promotion/option agreement.
- Acting for United Living Group/Partner Construction on a 200-unit development of purely affordable housing – one of the largest affordable housing developments in the UK
- Acting for Pelham Waterside LLP (a joint venture between a local developer and Nottingham Community Housing Association) on their prestigious waterfront development (recently shortlisted for an award) of 73 homes
- Acting for Greenbelt Group (one of the UK’s largest open space management companies) on the management and acquisition of open spaces and amenity areas, including development obligations.
Patrick has been involved in a number of regeneration projects for town centre and brownfield sites, including acting for Plc regeneration companies, local authorities, local-authority controlled companies, housing associations and joint-ventures.
Recent work
- Acting for Harworth Group Plc on Thoresby Vale, which is part of the world’s first 5G connected forest. The site is being developed for 800 houses, a 350-acre country park, with a prototype modular housing factory, and utilises Homes England funding.
- Acting for Nottingham Community Housing Association on the redevelopment of a brownfield site (involving the partial demolition of an existing building), to be built as 80 homes over three phases
- A town centre regeneration for a London borough council, including the relocation of a library, commercial leases and shared ownership leases as part of the new library building, the acquisition of land from the Greater London Authority with linked grant funding, and a collaboration agreement with an adjoining landowner for the disposal of 66 residential units to a national housebuilder
- Acting for Pelham Waterside LLP (a joint venture between a local developer and Nottingham Community Housing Association) on their prestigious waterfront development (recently shortlisted for an award) of 73 homes.
Patrick acts for a number of social housing clients on a wide range of transactions. These include large housing associations, affordable housing contractors and joint venture entities.
Recent work
- Acting for United Living Group/Partner Construction on a 200-unit development of purely affordable housing – one of the largest affordable housing developments in the UK
- Acting for Nottingham Community Housing Association on the redevelopment of a brownfield site (involving the partial demolition of an existing building), to be built as 80 homes over three phases.
- Acting for Pelham Waterside LLP (a joint venture between a local developer and Nottingham Community Housing Association) on their prestigious waterfront development (recently shortlisted for an award) of 73 homes.
Testimonial
"He is an exceptional lawyer who is responsive, pragmatic and commercial. He acts in the best interests of his clients."
Chambers & Partners, 2025
"Patrick Adie has got the absolute right balance of commerciality, knowledge, drive and pragmatism needed to conclude complex real estate transacti...
Chambers & Partners
"Patrick Adie and his advice are crucial to the success of our business. I value and trust his advice implicitly."
Chambers & Partners, 2025
“Patrick Adie is hard-working, commercially minded, and pragmatic and when providing advice it is clear and understandable. Patrick understands our...
THE LEGAL 500
"Patrick Adie is a reassuring, commercially focused presence in complex land negotiations."
The Legal 500, 2025
EH
“Patrick is a breath of fresh air taking an innovative approach as a legal advisor whilst understanding commercial pressures. He is a strong leader...
Emma Hunt, Head of Legal
Vistry Group Plc
RC
“Pat continues to impress with his pragmatic and commercial approach to complicated development deals. His ability to command a room with other hig...
Robert Cole, Managing Director
Mather Jamie
EC
“I’ve worked with Pat and his Housebuilding & Strategic Land team for approx. 7 years across various large-scale developments in our portfolio. Pa...
Ed Catchpole, Regional Director (Yorkshire & Central)
Harworth Group Plc
BM
“Patrick has always acted for our clients with dynamism, and has been able to provide solutions to complex issues in an expedient manner whilst hav...
Ben Marshalsay, Partner and Head of Development
Fisher German LLP
MC
“Patrick always operates in a professional manner, working exceptionally well with the Barratt team. He constantly recognises the commercial risks...
Mark Coates, Managing Director
Barratt & David Wilson Homes North Midlands
AD
“Having had the pleasure of working with Patrick on a few of our recent complex transactions we continue to be impressed and grateful by his abilit...
Andrew Dauncey, Development Director
Barratt & David Wilson Homes Mercia
GW
“I’ve heard a lot of good things about Patrick over the last couple of years - a top new property lawyer on the scene. Having recently started work...
Greg Wood, Land & Development Director
Vistry Group Plc South East Midlands
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