Emily Sutherland
Commercial property solicitor advising clients on acquisitions, disposals, leasing, and development matters.
Specialisms & Areas of Work
Legal 500
Biography
Emily is a Senior Associate specialising in commercial property, advising a wide range of clients including developers, investors, landlords, tenants, lenders, and corporate occupiers. She acts on all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, delivering commercially focused and pragmatic advice.
Her work spans acquisitions and disposals of freehold and leasehold property, advising on refinancing and secured lending, negotiating new leases and managing ongoing landlord and tenant relationships. She also assists corporate teams with the property elements of share and asset sales.
Emily graduated from the University of Manchester with a 2:1 LLB Hons law degree and then went on to achieve a distinction in the LPC at the University of Law.
Emily undertook her training with a North West law firm and then joined JMW Solicitors LLP after qualification as a commercial property solicitor.
Areas of focus
Client Feedback
Charlie
I must say it's been a pleasure working with Emily. The quote was competitive, her instructions were very clear, and there was never any fuss or commotion. I would definitely recommend Myerson's.
Sarah
Great experience working with Emily. From our first conversation to the completion of the work, the process was seamless. Great knowledge - very easy to do business with. Thank you!
Emma
Emily was great! The purchase was a little complex, but Emily maintained control throughout. From instruction, Emily was quick, efficient and kept me informed at every stage. I would highly recommend Emily and Myerson.
Chris
I would highly recommend Emily. She was quick and efficient. We have a deadline to complete the conveyancing by, and this was achieved even though we knew it was going to be tight. From the moment Emily was instructed, I received correspondence and information requests. My customer service experience was, without a doubt, the best I have had with a solicitor. If I made a phone call or sent an email, it would be answered or responded to within the hour and this is something that i feel you don’t get from other firms.
Tim
Emily was very good throughout the transaction and was always available to speak to. She was also interested in the transaction.
Chris
I was very happy with Emily and her management of our lease renewal. She was very helpful throughout and was in complete control from the outset. Very smooth. Highly recommended.
Mr Vali
Absolutely brilliant service. Very well organised firm with very friendly staff members and 100% commitment.
Recent Experience
Awards & Rankings
Legal 500 — Recommended Lawyer
2026
Manchester Legal Awards — Property Team of the Year
2021Insights & Media
Green Leases: What Are They and Why Green Provisions Matter
Green leases are increasingly being used to manage regulatory risk, meet ESG expectations and protect long term asset value. As energy efficiency standards tighten and occupier demand evolves, green lease clauses are becoming a common part of modern lease drafting. A green lease is a lease that includes provisions designed to manage or improve...
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What To Consider When Looking For A Commercial Property To Rent
Choosing the right property for your business is an important decision, and there are many factors to consider. Apart from the obvious considerations, such as whether the property is in the right location and whether the rent is affordable for your business, there are other points that should be taken into account. Our Commercial Property Lawyers...
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Understanding Landlord's Consent to Assign a Lease: A Guide for Tenants
Assignment of a commercial lease is an attractive option for tenants of commercial properties who wish to divest themselves of their lease. Commercial property tenants often find themselves trapped in a lease with time left to run, where the landlord does not consent to surrender, and the lease itself does not facilitate a break option. Various...
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Exclusivity Agreements In Property Transactions
Exclusivity agreements or lock-out agreements are most commonly used in commercial sale and purchase transactions. They aim to ensure that the seller negotiates solely with the buyer regarding the prospective transaction for an agreed-upon period of time and does not actively market the property during that period. Our Commercial Property...
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Top Tips When Renewing Your Commercial Lease
When a commercial lease term is close to expiring, the parties can enter into negotiations over the terms of a new lease agreement, which is known as a lease renewal. When renewing a lease, you must first check if the lease is inside or outside of the protections of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (“LTA 1954”). If the lease is protected by the...
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The Power of Green Leases in Real Estate
In the global pursuit of sustainability, businesses increasingly recognise their crucial role in reducing their environmental footprint. One innovative approach gaining traction in the commercial real estate sector is the adoption of "green leases." These environmentally conscious agreements go beyond traditional leases, aiming to promote...
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Common Misconceptions About Varying a Commercial Lease
Landlords and tenants often agree to “extend” or “add on” some additional floor space to an existing lease during the term of an existing lease. It is a common misconception that such changes might be achieved by varying the lease and documented in a deed of variation; however, this can result in undesirable consequences for both parties, and...
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Guarantors for Hospitality Leases Explained
Many landlords will consider asking the tenant of a hospitality lease to provide a guarantor on the grant of the new lease. Guarantors offer some security to landlords in the event that the tenant doesn’t comply with the terms of the lease. They are especially important when the tenant has poor covenant strength, for example, if the tenant is a...
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What is Biodiversity Net Gain?
Biodiversity Net Gain is a forward-thinking conservation approach that seeks to enhance the overall biodiversity in a given area as a result of development projects. Instead of merely mitigating the negative impacts of development on the environment, Biodiversity Net Gain focuses on achieving a quantifiable increase in biodiversity by ensuring...
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Commercial landlords – How to Document a Short Lease Extension?
There are various reasons why the parties to a lease may wish to ‘extend’ the term of the commercial lease , which is about to expire and does not have security of tenure (meaning the tenant has no statutory rights to remain in the premises at the end of the term). The parties may be negotiating a new lease of the premises, which will not be...
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Extending Your Commercial Lease
References are often made to 'extending' a commercial lease. However, this could apply to two different circumstances. The first is when the lease will end soon, and the landlord and tenant want to renew the lease. This is known as a renewal lease. The second is when the lease still has plenty of time to run, but the tenant wants to extend the...
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Electric Vehicle Charging Points– Landlord and Tenant Considerations
The demand for electric vehicle charging points (EV charging points) in commercial properties will continue to increase over the coming years. The use of electric and hybrid vehicles is escalating rapidly further to the government's proposal to ban the production of petrol and diesel cars by 2030. Both landlords and tenants looking to install...
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Uninsured Risks in Commercial Leases
Traditionally, tenants bore the risk of damage to their premises by uninsured risks, but in today’s market, uninsured risk provisions in leases are generally accepted, with the landlord agreeing to reinstate damage caused to the premises by an uninsured risk. However, some landlords do not automatically include uninsured risk clauses in the draft...
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Lease, Licence or Tenancy at Will?
We often get enquiries from property owners who are trying to decide how to document the short-term occupation of their business premises. In this blog, we consider the advantages and disadvantages of using a lease, licence, and tenancy at will for the occupation of commercial property on a short-term basis.
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Agreements for Lease
An agreement for lease is a contract between respective parties where the terms of the future lease have been agreed upon, but completion will not occur immediately. The agreement places a binding obligation on parties to enter into the lease either on a fixed date (an unconditional contract) or once all conditions of the agreement have been met...
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Proposals for High Street Rental Auctions
The government has launched a consultation in relation to its proposals for high-street rental auctions in England. The proposals are to give local authorities the power to auction the right to rent commercial properties which have been vacant for more than 12 months over a 24-month period. The motive behind the proposals is to prevent commercial...
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A Guide to Overage Provisions of Land
An overage provision is a contractual arrangement that allows the seller of land to receive additional payments in the future if certain conditions are met. Typically, these conditions relate to the future use or development of the land. Benefits of overage provisions There are several benefits to incorporating an overage provision into a land...
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The Importance of Tenants Including a Schedule of Condition Within a Lease
A commercial property lease is often a full repairing and insuring lease (an “FRI lease”), meaning the tenant takes on the full costs of repairing and insuring the whole property, including the structural parts – such as the foundations, walls and roof. Other leases are “internal repair only”, where the tenant is only obliged to look after the...
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Property with Unidentified Owners and the Principle of Bona Vacantia
There are instances where the owner of a property is unknown, making it difficult to determine how the property should be dealt with, especially from the viewpoint of a prospective buyer. In such circumstances, the first step to identifying a property owner in England is to search the index map ("SIM") at the Land Registry. This search is...
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Green Credentials and the Need to Re-Imagine our Retail and Town Centre Spaces
The next challenge facing our retail space is the need to reduce environmental impact versus economic sustainability. A cost now, but will inaction lead to a greater financial and environmental burden in the future? Retail use has traditionally...
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Options For Downsizing Your Office Premises
During the Covid crisis, many businesses started looking at their commercial property requirements and how these have changed. The impact of flexible working and many meetings now taking place virtually rather than face to face means that many...
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Buying a Commercial Property at an Auction
In 2022, 40% more properties by value in the UK were sold at auction compared to 2019, and many auctioneers predict this trend to continue during the coming years. We regularly act for clients purchasing properties big and small at auctions, and...
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The Leasing Market and the Move to Flex
A key theme for commercial property leases that seems set to continue is “Flexibility”, and the need for occupiers to have the flexibility to deal with their changing requirements has led to more diversity of options in the office space market...
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Remediation of Fire Safety Defects Under the Building Safety Act 2022
If you have a qualifying lease in a relevant building, and the defect identified in your building is a relevant defect, restrictions will apply on what costs can be recovered under the service charge for works to remedy those defects under...
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Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards 2023 - Is Your Commercial Property Ready?
The Minimum Energy Efficient Standards were introduced by the government in 2015 to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and help meet the government’s carbon emissions targets. Since April 2018, landlords have not been able to grant new...
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Home-grown or recruited from national, regional or City firms. Our commercial property solicitors are experts in their fields and respected by their peers.