Zara is an experienced and commercially focused multi-lingual solicitor with over a decade’s experience in real estate. She specialises in commercial real estate, real estate finance and residential property.

She has extensive experience dealing with large-scale portfolio financing and refinancing, sales and acquisitions for all asset classes and in a broad range of industries, including retail, office, industrial, mixed-use development, student accommodation and sui generis.

Zara speaks fluent English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Malay. She is experienced in advising national and international corporate clients, developers, investors and financial institutions in relation to their real estate interests.

Zara’s cultural and professional background has endowed her with strong commercial insight, communication skills and a professional and approachable manner. She is well regarded for her technical expertise paired with a practical approach, and her ability to deliver commercially focused and pragmatic solutions for her clients.

Prior to joining Lester Aldridge, Zara spent more than a decade at a London city law firm where she established and led the firm’s Asia Desk, followed by a regional firm.

Recent work

• Acted for a corporate client on a £37 million portfolio refinance of commercial properties.
• Acted for a challenger bank on portfolio refinance loans around the UK with an aggregate debt value of over £20 million.
• Acted for a private bank on a circa £16.5 million acquisition, residential and mixed-use development loan.
• Acted for an overseas investor on a £13.5 million acquisition of a mixed-use property in central London involving financing.
• Acted for a challenger bank on over £7 million acquisition and residential development loans.
• Acted for a corporate client on over £6 million portfolio refinance to fund the development of care homes and group operations.
• Acted for a reputable property developer in the Far East on a circa £5 million bulk acquisition of off-plan units in a residential development for marketing and onward sales in Asia.
• Acted for offshore commercial landlord in granting new commercial leases for a central London mixed-use building.
• Acted for an overseas fashion brand on the acquisition of its flagship store in central London.
• Acted for a high-net-worth investor on the acquisition of agricultural land and rural properties.
• Acted for and advised an international gambling group on its UK portfolio.