Poole property finance lender appoints new head of legal

Senior solicitor Dan Curtis has become the new head of in-house legal at Poole-headquartered MSP Capital as the property finance lender continues its growth journey.

He joins after 13 years as a senior associate solicitor and partner with law firm Blake Morgan and his immediate colleagues at MSP Capital will be legal director Neil Woolgar, solicitor Matthew Lang, executive paralegal Jacqui Schott, legal assistants Isabella Reale and Sarah Franklin, and legal secretary Sandra Dakanyte.

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He said: “MSP genuinely wants to help its clients to completion while ensuring rigorous standards are met.

“I’m a ‘property person’ and, likewise, the MSP team are all ‘property people’ so it seemed like a natural fit.

“It’s an ambitious, entrepreneurial business and that, coupled with the team’s deep understanding and genuine passion for property, was the main attraction for me.”

Paul Miracca, MSP Capital’s managing director, added: “Dan has a high level of legal acumen coupled with extensive knowledge and experience from across the property market.

“We are keen to harness and apply his skills to inform our relationship-led lending and the benefits we bring to our clients through robust, flexible lending solutions.”

Among Curtis’ stand-out achievements at Blake Morgan was leading a team, which advised David Lloyd Leisure on the real estate aspects of its sale to TDR Capital. The former Poole Grammar School pupil also worked with a large health care provider on certifying its care home portfolio of over 250 homes.

Curtis’ initial aims in his new role are to streamline the legal and compliance processes.

“Our team has been given the freedom to make a real difference to our processes so that we can stand out from competitors,” he said.

“MSP’s decision making is commercially driven so we’re taking that ethos and seeing how we can work with the rest of the business to achieve positive results.”

Founded in 1981, MSP Capital is one of the largest providers of property finance in southern England and provides principal development and bridging loans for sums up to £20 million.