Paul leads the London corporate real estate practice, which is fully embedded in the real estate team.
Paul's unique role as a corporate lawyer working within the Real Estate team brings with it unrivalled sector knowledge and experience. This enables Paul to advise clients on the highest profile and most complex corporate real estate transactions in the UK market.
For several years Paul has been identified in the Legal 500 as a leading partner in Tier 1 for Commercial Property Development and Investment.
He is seen as "truly exceptional. His extensive sector knowledge and experience makes him the go-to advisor for high-profile and complex corporate real estate transactions in the UK market."
Paul is "Very commercial, with a deep understanding of real estate investment and development".
He is referred to as an "expert in the structuring, negotiation and completion of complex development joint ventures", he has "forged a prominent reputation for corporate real estate matters" and "counts sovereign wealth funds, high-net-worth individuals and pension funds among his clients". He is noted as "head of the corporate real estate team" and "is well-informed on development joint ventures".
Paul acts for listed vehicles, private equity funds, institutional investors, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, banks and ultra high-net-worth individuals from all around the globe. He works on fund establishment, joint ventures (investment and development), structured investments, acquisitions, disposals refinancings and solvent/insolvent reorganisations.
His expertise includes seamlessly pulling together the corporate, tax, finance and property aspects of complex corporate real estate deals.
Experience & expertise
Selected matters
- 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 and on its on its joint venture with Federated Hermes on a new office building at Paradise Circus Birmingham
- Brookfield on its disposal of Schroders' HQ, One London Wall Place, to Middle Eastern investor AGC for in excess of £450 million
- Oxford Properties on its joint venture with British Land for the development of the 47-storey Leadenhall Building at 122 Leadenhall, London (formerly known as "the Cheesegrater") and the subsequent sale of it to CC Land for £1.15 billion
- British Land on the sale of the UBS headquarters building in Broadgate, London to Cheung Kong for £1 billion
- London & Continental Railways on the sale of its interests in the King's Cross Central Partnership (the entity that owns and is developing the King's Cross Central area in London) to the largest pension fund in Australia, AustralianSuper
- City Developments Limited on its £181 million acquisition of four purpose-built student accommodation buildings (total of 1,657 beds) across England
- Steel Warriors, the anti-knife-crime charity, on a pro bono basis in relation to: (i) all aspects of its strategic partnership with Co-op, under which Co-op has agreed to fund the construction (from recycled knife steel) of numerous outdoor calisthenics gyms throughout the UK; and (ii) the construction of the gyms
Sectors
