News | Construction

Monday 25th June 2007

European law firm SJ Berwin LLP has appointed Julia Court, recruited from Hammonds to be new head of its Construction Group.  The Construction Group sits within the firm’s real estate division.

Julia will be taking over from Ian Insley, who will leave the firm later this year following a handover period with Julia.  Ian has decided to change direction and to focus more on the aircraft practice he has been developing alongside the construction practice. 

Senior Partner, Jonathan Blake paid tribute to Ian, who had been at SJ Berwin for 21 years, and established the construction group at SJ Berwin, firstly from a contentious background but then as a full service group acting for the firm’s major real estate clients such as British Land, AXA/Sun Life and Delancey.  In addition, Ian also captained the firm’s hockey team for many years, which won the City Solicitors Hockey Cup twice, and led the firm's successes in the Manches Sailing Cup which SJ Berwin won in 2006.  Jonathan Blake said, “We wish Ian all the best in his new venture.”

Julia Court qualified at Lovells, becoming an assistant in the Construction Department in 1990, subsequently acquiring wide experience as a construction sector lawyer.  She then joined Hammonds in 2000 where she was a partner for 7 years. She has specialised in construction and led major projects for over 16 years.  Her experience includes construction work for Morley, including SJ Berwin’s own offices at 10 Queen Street Place, and other institutional players.  She has significant experience in the public sector, including on PFI, development and regeneration projects, acting for both private and public sector clients.

Julia’s brief will be to build on the flow of instructions from existing real estate clients of SJ Berwin on the non contentious construction side and to develop a roster of clients who will instruct the construction group directly, on both non-contentious and contentious matters as well as continuing to provide support to real estate and corporate transactions.

Bryan Pickup, Head of SJ Berwin's real estate division said, "Julia Court's appointment will provide a big boost to our construction law offer to our clients and potential clients. Construction law input is increasingly important to the work of the Division, particularly on the non-contentious side. It is vital both in relation to investment acquisitions and sales, where due diligence is necessary, and more particularly on the complex documentation for the major development projects we are increasingly winning."

He added, "We believe Julia Court’s appointment will help to take the Construction Group to the next stage in its development, building on the very real achievements made by Ian, and to emulate the success seen by the rest of the real estate division."

For further information please contact:

Bryan Pickup on +44 (0)20 7111 2468, email bryan.pickup@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, Paris and Turin.
   
• 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 150 staff  in London of which 24 are partners (3 of which are tax partners) ,and over 70 associates, encompassing the disciplines of Commercial Real Estate, Construction, Planning & Environment, Property Litigation, Real Estate Funds and Tax.  In addition there are 3 dedicated European real estate partners.  There is an increasing emphasis on cross departmental activity with related areas of Banking and Corporate and also cross border / pan European real estate work, with our European offices.  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 was 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 21% of the firm's total revenue in London.