The independently owned company has appointed experienced commercial real estate lawyer Joanne Wilson as head of legal to lead this new service.

For the first time ever @sipp delivered more than £1 million fee revenue in relation to new SIPP and SSAS cases throughout 2024. The IFA element of this was up over 42% year-on-year.

While the business has evolved since it was established in 2001, it has embraced the roots of its core specialism in commercial property.

Ms Wilson, who starts on 2 June, was previously legal director at Morton Fraser MacRoberts almost exclusively advising SIPP and SSAS clients. She was instrumental in leading its property in pensions team.

With more than 20 years’ extensive experience, Ms Wilson specialises in real estate matters within the self-invested personal pension and small self-administered schemes market.

Having acted for SIPP and SSAS providers of all shapes and sizes she has advised on areas such as acquisitions, disposals, in-specie transfers, syndicate and co-ownership agreements. As well as management matters including leases, rent reviews and landlord and tenant works.

In her new role as head of legal at @sipp Ms Wilson will work closely with the property specialist team on all legal aspects to ensure a smooth process from start to finish.

She is one of very few dual qualified lawyers specialising in this field, which means she can advise on more than one legal jurisdiction.

Ms Wilson will be able to support commercial property transactions in Scotland, England and Wales.

The new service will provide a streamlined, efficient and cost-effective option for clients. There will be less friction and advisers will benefit from the simplicity of only having to deal with one party.

There will also be a fixed cost element which will help reduce the uncertainty around legal fees.

Steve Lancaster – COO of @sipp

Steve Lancaster, chief operating officer at @sipp said: “Having the legal expertise of someone of Joanne’s calibre in-house is a game changer for us and the advisers we work with.

“No two commercial property transactions are the same, so we want to be able to provide bespoke retirement solutions in each and every instance.

“While some providers are shifting away from commercial property transactions, we are sticking to our knitting and remain fully committed to it. We are keen to keep growing in this area and a key part of that is making sure our team is equipped with the relevant skills, expertise and sector knowledge.

“Developing an in-house legal department has been a long time in the making; it’s something we’ve wanted to do for several years.

“Advisers have told us how useful and valuable this will be to them. We are very excited about Joanne’s appointment and this is just the start of big things to come in future.”

@sipp works with financial advisers to provide service support to almost 5,000 clients, holding around £2.3bn assets under administration, including 1,400 commercial properties.

Last year the company completed 22% more property transactions than the year prior. Advisers have expressed satisfaction with the service provided by @sipp with 42% of IFA firms that introduced a property SIPP in 2024 on behalf of clients being a returning introducer.

Ms Wilson said: “I’ve worked with the @sipp team for almost 20 years and one thing I have always admired is the company’s focus on quality service. Its culture of doing right by its clients and how it operates as a business was something which appealed to me.

“The hard work and dedication of the team is paying off and I can’t wait to get involved.

“@sipp is a very ambitious business but recognises it can only grow if it is well positioned to support advice businesses in the best way possible.

“If providers don’t have the expertise within their firm, it’s right for them to outsource, but @sipp is taking greater control by putting the right people and processes in place and expanding its specialist knowledge.”

At the start of 2024, the @sipp management team completed a successful buyout ensuring the company remains truly independent and in control of its destiny.