News & Events | News

Thursday 9th November 2006

Corporate and commercial law firm SJ Berwin LLP's real estate division has advised the joint venture company set up by Gazeley and Land Securities on its first pre-letting on the Magna Park distribution Park in Milton Keynes.  John Lewis has taken 650,000 sq ft as a pre-let for a distribution warehouse in what is the first phase of this major distribution park development- a scheme with over four million sq ft of development planned over the next 5-10 years.

The SJ Berwin team was led by real estate partner Michael Scott, assisted by associates Louise Cartwright and Joanne Footit.  Julie Stagg, associate, advised on construction issues. John Lewis was advised by real estate partner Michael Stancombe of Lovells.

Michael Scott said, “We are delighted that the scheme is getting off the ground with this first pre-let on the first phase of the park.  We have been acting for the joint venture for a couple of years on site preparation, and it is good to see the first development underway.”

For further information please contact:

Michael Scott on +44  (0)20 7111 2951, email michael.scott@sjberwin.com  or Karen Roberts on +44 (0)20 7111 2578, email karen.roberts@sjberwin.com

• On 1 June 2005 SJ Berwin LLP, an English limited liability partnership, took over the business of the SJ Berwin general partnership.  SJ Berwin LLP or an affiliated undertaking has an office in Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan, Munich and Paris.
  
  
• SJ Berwin LLP was named ‘UK Firm of the Year’ at the 2005 Legal Week Awards on 30 November.  The award recognised SJ Berwin's five years of international expansion and its involvement in a series of high quality deals.
  
  
• SJ Berwin's Real Estate Division totals 118 staff of which 22 are partners (3 of which are tax partners), and 50 assistants, encompassing the disciplines of Commercial Real Estate, Construction, Planning & Environment, Property Litigation, Real Estate Funds and Tax.  There is an increasing emphasis on cross firm activity with related areas of Banking and Corporate.  The division acts for blue chip clients including British Land, Royal Bank of Scotland, the Hilton Group, Brixton plc, AXA, The Crown Estate, Marks & Spencer and Gazeley
  
  
• The Real Estate Team is Legal Business Real Estate Team of the Year 2005.  It was also named "Real Estate Team of the Year" in the Lawyer Magazine Awards 2004, following its advice on the RBS/Canary Wharf transaction the highest-value property investment transaction in the UK in 2004.
  
  
• Revenue from Real Estate represents approximately 23% of the firm's total revenue.