Don is a London-based real estate specialist with in-depth knowledge of commercial market practice.
Don provides advice on a wide range of institutional purchases and disposals, joint venture investments, developments, letting and finance transactions for overseas investors, funds, developers, corporate and professional tenants on some of the most high profile transactions in the UK and EMEA.
Based in London, Don has particular expertise in acting for clients on large development projects, and in the corporate, property, finance and taxation aspects of disposing of and acquiring property by structured corporate acquisition and disposal, and establishment of joint ventures for a variety of investors. His expertise in real estate is highlighted in Chambers UK and Legal 500 UK, where he is top ranked and named in the "Hall of Fame" across various sectors of the real estate market.
Experience & expertise
Selected matters
- a major Canadian Fund on the creation of a £500 million "build-to-rent" (BTR) residential property joint venture with Long Harbour, a UK real estate and asset-backed investment manager specialising in the BTR sector, and on its subsequent joint venture with Long Harbour and Cadillac Fairview to form a £1.5 billion BTR platform
- Alecta, Allianz and Local Pensions Partnership on their £650 million fund investment in the DOOR LP, which owns shares in Get Living (a market-leading PRS residential platform)
- Allianz Real Estate Investors on several real estate investments including their acquisition of a large equity stake and management arrangements with a Canadian fund and Greystar in relation to the £1 billion Chapter Student Housing Portfolio
- Hammerson for over 25 years on the acquisition/disposal, joint venture, financing, development and asset management of office, retail and retail parks portfolio assets in the UK and Europe (including the €1bn structured acquisition from NAMA of a non performing loan portfolio in Ireland, including Dundrum Shopping Centre)
- Citigroup on the acquisition of its European HQ building, Citigroup Tower, for a consideration in excess of £1 billion and on subsequent asset management / redevelopment arrangements
- London Wall Place (formerly a joint venture between Brookfield and Oxford Properties, now 100% owned by Brookfield) on the development, pre-letting and financing of London Wall Place (a 500,000 square foot City of London development scheme partly pre-let to Schroders and Clearly Gottlieb)
- Brookfield on various City projects, including the development, pre-letting and funding of 100 Bishopsgate, London EC2 (a 1 million square foot City of London tower building)
- CPP Investments on several UK investments, including its 50:50 development joint venture with Land Securities Group to redevelop The Nova Estate (a circa £1 billion mixed-use office, retail and residential scheme) and on its subsequent sale of its interest in The Nova Estate in London for £445 million; on the circa £200 million joint venture acquisition with Hermes of Phase 2 at Paradise Circus Birmingham; and the joint venture acquisition with a multinational real estate company of a four-building circa £1.5 billion development scheme at the International Quarter, Stratford
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