Real Estate Investments, Joint Ventures and Structures

Our Real Estate team advises leading real estate investors on their acquisitions, investments and disposals of major real estate assets. We represent owners, investors, investment banks, private equity houses, sovereign wealth funds and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) in all kinds of major real estate transactions from both the equity and the debt sides.

We cover the full range of real estate advice for retail, office and residential properties, such as handling complex title issues, negotiating leases with anchor tenants, restrictions under zoning and building law and/or management agreements. Another focus of our practice is the development of large commercial properties where we work closely together with our zoning and building law specialists. Moreover, our real estate finance, tax-and fund-structuring partners ensure that all relevant aspects of a complex transaction are covered with the same outstanding level of expertise. 

We are not just skilled in direct real estate matters – they also have profound experience in closely related areas such as direct and indirect real estate acquisitions and the negotiation of corporate-style documentation in M&A style transactions. It is this international reach and use of sophisticated structuring techniques that sets us apart from many competitors.

While we specialise in complex international cross-border work in close cooperation with our real estate finance and tax practices, our knowledge of the property market – and the demands of property finance – means that we bring a commercial approach to our clients’ businesses.

Many of the real estate acquisitions we handle are on- and offshore corporate purchases designed to maximise tax efficiency, so our team is well versed in negotiating share or unit sale and purchase agreements.  Deals are often structured in offshore jurisdictions such as Luxembourg, where we have our own office, or Jersey, Guernsey, Cayman or the British Virgin Islands, where we have strong relationships with leading local law firms.

Our real estate transaction practice is an integral part of our Alternative Investments Group, in which we combine our asset expertise and market knowledge across disciplines for the benefit of all investors in this field.