Real estate

Freshfields handles the world’s most complex real estate deals, advising on investment transactions, development projects, joint-ventures, capital solutions and financings. Our team combines a broad technical skill set with deep expertise in real estate transactions and draws on a deep bench of complementary specialists across the firm, including tax, environmental, construction, competition, employment, funds and more.

Our significant expertise and stellar track record in high-end, high-value and complex real estate transactional work sees the team continue to act for a range of clients including many of the top private equity real estate sponsors and sovereign wealth funds.

Our real estate M&A and financing specialists work seamlessly: financing transactions we are advising on, acting on pure financing transactions for both borrowers and lenders, and working together to deliver capital solutions anywhere in the capital stack.

We have significant experience across all real estate sectors, including alternatives, and a particularly strong hotels and leisure practice. Our practice is global with a deep European presence and a mastery of coordinating local firms where we do not have an office. We are consistently ranked as a top domestic real estate firm in many jurisdictions as well as for pan-European work.

Our real estate litigation and real estate restructuring skills enable us to advise effectively on conflict and insolvency-related situations, while our continued investment in ESG capabilities allows us to help clients deal with increasingly complex regulatory requirements.

Recent client successes

Advising Vonovia on sale of stake in ‘Südewo’ portfolio for €1bn

Advising DAX 40 listed Vonovia SE on the sale of a minority stake of around 30 per cent (after taking into account existing minorities) in its ‘Südewo’ portfolio of more than 21,000 flats and on the establishment of the future joint venture.

Advising listed Swedish hotelier, Pandox AB, as its lead UK counsel

Providing Pandox with strategic and practical advice and assistance (from a corporate, real estate and financing perspective) on their UK estate and advising on the acquisition of two UK-based hotels for a new buy-to-sell strategy (the structure of which we also advised on) and the refinancing of Pandox’s largest UK asset, the Jurys Inn portfolio.

Advising UPS on its purchase of Bomi Group, an industry-leading multinational healthcare logistics provider

The transaction will add more than 350 temperature-controlled facilities in 14 countries and nearly 3,000 highly skilled Bomi Group team members to the UPS Healthcare network in Europe and Latin America, as well as four million square feet to the UPS Healthcare global footprint.

Advising Thomas White Oxford on the formation of a £700m development joint venture with Cadillac Fairview and Stanhope

Advising Thomas White Oxford, the development company of St John’s College Oxford, on the formation of a circa £700m development joint venture with Canadian-based Cadillac Fairview, the real estate arm of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, and Stanhope, the UK-listed developer.