Alex Schaafsma

Alex is a Partner and a Finance Lawyer and heads up the Banking and Finance Team. She is also head of our Real Estate Finance Team, which comprises of property and finance lawyers acting on property backed transactions.

Alex trained at a ‘Magic Circle’ global law firm in London and she was admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales in March 2004. Shortly after qualification, Alex moved to Amsterdam and worked there for six and a half years as an English qualified solicitor, acting on English law transactions, predominantly for Dutch lenders and concentrating on leverage finance, acquisition finance and conventional lending. Alex moved to another, English global law firm in 2007, and continued to work in Amsterdam, but focusing more on acting for borrowers, and dealing with a broader range of finance matters – including project finance, renewable energy finance (wind farms and solar panels) and trade finance – whilst continuing to act on conventional lending transactions and also for lenders. Alex returned to London in 2011, and in doing so broadened her experience to real estate finance, funds lending and Islamic finance.

Alex joined Birketts in September 2017 and works together with colleagues across all of the Birketts offices. Alex works for both borrowers and lenders at Birketts and on a wide range of financing transactions. In particular, Alex acts on a lot of real estate finance transactions – both development and investment – and works closely with the property, planning and construction teams – as well as others.

Alex understands the importance of delivering work on time and on budget and is very commercially focused. Her practical approach to transactions and advice on technical legal detail in layman, comprehensible terms, is highly valued by her clients. Alex can also advise clients on possible lending opportunities and structures of transaction