Shakespeare Martineau reappointed to prestigious Orbit Group panel

East Midlands full-service law firm Shakespeare Martineau has been reappointed to Orbit Group’s panel of legal advisers following a competitive tender process.

Running for five years with the possibility of a one-year extension, Shakespeare Martineau has secured one of eight available spots on the panel, slimmed down from 10 in 2019.

The appointment will see the firm – which has worked with Orbit Group for more than a decade – continuing to advise on a full range of legal matters spanning multiple teams and legal disciplines.

Rachel Gwynne, head of social housing at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “While our relationship has developed over many years, a formal re-appointment to Orbit Group’s panel will allow us to continue to work closely together on a broad range of legal issues over the coming years.

“As a result of this appointment, numerous teams across the business will continue working alongside Orbit Group to provide forward-thinking and pragmatic legal advice that supports Orbit in achieving its goals and ambitions.

“Furthermore, as our clients adapt to change, so do we, and we have been investing in both people and technology to remain aligned to our social housing clients and responsive to the new challenges ahead. Our core social housing team is complemented by a diverse range of specialists from across the business all focussed on the sector, including energy, Marrons Planning, legal planning, dispute resolution, commercial, corporate and governance, data protection, compliance and regulatory.

“In particular, it is immensely rewarding to be able to support the group as it delivers its strategic plan to improve the quality of its homes, services and communities, and its ambitious build programme to provide more much-needed affordable housing.”

Founded in 1967, Orbit Group is one of the leading providers of affordable housing to buy and rent, managing a portfolio of 46,500 properties and serving more than 100,000 people across the Midlands, East and South East.

Part of Orbit Group is development specialist Orbit Homes, which has a significant build programme delivering 6,500 new homes, 70% of which will be much-needed affordable properties, by 2025 to provide a solution to the UK’s housing shortage.

Rachel added: “The Orbit Group ethos is one that runs in parallel with our own, focusing on providing practical and accessible advice, support and solutions. At such a pivotal time for the housing sector in general, we are looking forward to seeing what the future holds and continuing to work closely with the Orbit Group.”