Graeme Hamilton

Graeme graduated from Queen’s University Belfast and St Antony’s College, Oxford before qualifying as a solicitor in Hewitt & Gilpin’s Commercial department in 2004. Graeme became a director in the practice in 2013.

Whilst being based primarily in the Commercial department, Graeme acts for a wide range of commercial clients in both contentious and non-contentious civil matters.

He acts for private sector lenders, borrowers and banks in funding and investment agreements, secured financing and refinancing arrangements including drafting and negotiating facility and investment agreements, security documentation and inter-lender agreements.

He acts for both landlords and tenants in lease transactions and advises in all matters relating to commercial property and business tenancies. He has experience in drafting and negotiating commercial contracts and ancillary documents, particularly in relation to business and share acquisitions and disposals.

He has provided advice to a number of large corporate clients in matters relating to the Data Protection Act 1998, Privacy and Electronic (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 and Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 and has drafted bespoke privacy policies, ‘opt-out’ and ‘opt-in’ policies and terms and conditions of supply for clients.

Graeme is regularly instructed by insolvency practitioners to advise on issues involving bankruptcy, administration and liquidation including reviewing security documentation, personal guarantees, retention of title clauses and regularly appears before the Bankruptcy Master in bringing repossession proceedings on behalf of trustees in bankruptcy.

He also acts for lenders and fixed charge receivers both in the realisation of secured assets and in enforcing security documents, whether through the appointment of receivers, liquidators or administrators or bringing repossession or other proceedings. 

He represents clients in the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court, the Commercial Court and the County Court in a range of commercial actions including commercial contract and building disputes. He also has an extensive debt recovery practice and advises clients on enforcement options, whether through the issuing of insolvency proceedings or via the EJO.

Given his experience in the commercial property field, he often represents clients in the Lands Tribunal whether in bringing applications in respect of business tenancies matters (for both landlords and tenants), rent reviews or extinguishment or modification of restrictive covenants.

Increasingly he has acted for a number of clients through mediation processes where his experience in acting in both contentious and non-contentious commercial matters has proved invaluable. Graeme is regarded as having a ‘commercially minded’ and pragmatic approach to dispute resolution and is mindful of both the stress and costs involved to clients in pursuing litigation all the way to determination by the Courts.

Graeme is a member of the Company and Commercial Lawyers Group and is a part-time tutor at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies.

To contact Graeme please email ghamilton@hewittandgilpin.co.uk or call on 028 90 573 580