James Halpin

Senior Partner & Head of Commercial Property

James is a senior partner and head of our commercial property team. He joined SO Legal in 2017 and has played a key role in the growth and development of the firm’s commercial property practice.

James leads a growing team across multiple offices, advising landlords, tenants, developers, investors, and landowners on a wide range of commercial property matters. His work includes drafting and negotiating commercial leases, acquisitions and disposals, development matters, refinancing transactions, and wider strategic property advice.

He also has expertise in residential property, including auction-related transactions, freehold and leasehold sales and acquisitions, new build developments, lease extensions, and remortgages.

James believes in a client-focused approach to legal issues, offering straightforward advice tailored to the client and transaction to achieve the best possible outcome.

Away from the office, James is the 1st team coach at Lewes Rugby Club and has represented Sussex RFC at both junior and senior levels.

jhalpin@solegal.co.uk

01323 407555

Testimonials

“Very efficient, professional service for our flat sale. The process ran smoothly with SO Legal. I would particularly recommend James Halpin, who was highly responsive from the first contact through to completion. It wasn’t a straightforward sale with multiple parties involved, but James navigated everything promptly and kept us updated throughout, achieving a timely completion without deviating from the original quote. I would 100% use SO Legal again.”

J. Scott, April 2026

“We recently worked with SO Legal on the purchase of several properties and were very pleased with the service throughout. James and Judie were highly responsive, communicated clearly at every stage, and kept matters progressing smoothly despite tight timelines.

The transactions were completed efficiently and within the agreed timeframe, and their professionalism and attention to detail gave us confidence throughout the process. We greatly appreciated their support and would not hesitate to recommend them or work with them again in the future.”

H. Fakhani, February 2026

“I only have good words to say about SO Legal. My first time using them for negotiating a commercial lease has been a very pleasant experience. James, the solicitor we worked with was responsive, professional and easy to work with. They do not overcharge and they did their best to accommodate what I needed. Would 100% recommend to anyone negotiating or renegotiating commercial leases.”

J. Bryman

“We used SO Legal when we sold our property, which was a smallholding and, therefore, not the usual straightforward house sale. James Halpin and his team were excellent. They communicated promptly and dealt with any queries we or the buyers had in plain English, so the sale went smoothly and quickly. They stuck to the price they quoted for their services and were very helpful. I recommend them very highly.”

K. Gutteridge

“I write to express my gratitude and appreciation for your professionalism and experience in guiding me through the successful auction sale of my late brother's flat. Along the way, there have been hiccups caused by the errors of others, but the speed at which these have been resolved has been a revelation. ”

M. Simpson

“James, I just wanted to say a big thank you for all of your help and perseverance in assisting with getting this to an exchange of contracts. A truly difficult, almost impossible transaction to deal with but in short, you were brilliant!”

Simon Caplin, Director of Auctions and Lettings, Lextons

“We finally completed on the café sale today and just wanted to let you know that James Halpin worked amazingly hard for us throughout the process. There were some tough times and a very elusive solicitor belonging to our landlord but James was professional and courteous throughout.”

Commercial property client

James Halpin

Senior Partner & Head of Commercial Property

Testimonials

Commercial property insights by James Halpin

Conditional contracts vs option agreements

Mixed-use property purchases: what investors need to know

How to bid with confidence at property auctions

Flexible workspace agreements: legal risks for landlords and tenants

Deed of variation of a commercial lease explained

Authorised guarantee agreements (AGAs) explained

Selling part of your garden for development: key legal considerations

How to terminate a commercial lease early and avoid legal pitfalls