| Real Estate Team of the Year |
 This award is in recognition of a team that remains truly in-demand despite the tough economic conditions surrounding the real estate sector. The judges will look for capability to handle real estate-related work across the board from financing, developing and construction, through to planning, environment and regeneration.
Previous Winners
In one of the biggest redevelopments and rebrandings the West End has seen, SJ Berwin advised The Crown Estate on the deal of the year. The development of Regent Street not only saw the major regeneration of four million sq ft of iconic commercial space, valued at £2bn, but also involved the sale of the legendary Metropole building, as well as the largest-ever West End property swap. The exchange of 580,000 sq ft of prime central London property, valued at over £350m, was made between Great Capital Partnership and The Crown Estate, and was the quintessential complex transaction carried out in a tight timeframe. The Quadrant Scheme is the jewel in the crown of the development. It incorporates the mixed-use regeneration scheme of the Regent Palace Hotel, Café Royal and Quadrant blocks near Piccadilly Circus to create one million sq ft of property in the heart of the West End. A longstanding relationship with this enviable client means that lead partner Jon Vivian, advising along with Bryan Pickup, Helen Willett and Duncan Fields, benefits from one of the few active property players operating in the market. 
As sole adviser on all the real estate aspects of this development, SJ Berwin won the admiration of its client, which noted that the firm’s ‘exceptional advice was integral to the whole process. Often they will step back from the specific legal position at hand and question what it is we really want to achieve and shape advice to try to get us there.’ HIGHLY COMMENDEDALLEN & OVERYAdam ClealIn a transaction that attracted vast media attention, Adam Cleal’s team advised on one of the highestprofile transactions of the year when it acted for HSBC on its agreement with Metrovacesa to buy back its Canary Wharf headquarters. This impressive deal superseded the existing sale and leaseback that hit the headlines in 2007. ASHURSTMarc Hanson; Hugh LumbyAshurst has enjoyed a stream of superb mandates in recent years, including advising on the Stratford City redevelopment and the Westfield shopping centre in White City, which neatly followed the firm’s advice to Sun Capital Partners and Pearl Group on the £2bn acquisition of freeholds from Banco Santander at the end of 2007. BERWIN LEIGHTON PAISNERRobert MacGregorIn acting for Canary Wharf in the sale of J.P. Morgan’s new European headquarters, BLP advised on one of the property industry’s headline-grabbing deals of 2008. Originally destined for the Barbican, J.P. Morgan made the decision to move its headquarters to 1.9 million sq ft premises at Canary Wharf, in the largest-ever forward sale to a single occupier seen in Europe. HERBERT SMITHJulian PollockThe Herbert Smith team secured the lead role advising on all real estate aspects of the £12.1bn refinancing of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports. This enviable work kept the team busy acting on all title and security issues relating to the three airports, the refinancing of which was the largest ever of its type. MAPLES TEESDALEMark Bryan; Neil SagooIn a real coup for the firm, following a competitive tender, the US government instructed Mark Bryan and Neil Sagoo’s impressive team on the acquisition of a five-acre site for a new embassy building in Wandsworth. The firm also handled the sale of the US government’s current Grosvenor Square premises, which was one of the highest-value single property transactions of the past year. Award sponsored by NetworkMP |