News | Real Estate

Tuesday 6th June 2006

After 18 years as a partner in SJ Berwin, where she established and built up the Planning and Environment practice into one of the most successful in the country, Pat has decided to leave the partnership at the end of June to concentrate upon her other interests in the world of town planning law and practice. 

She will be working with ATLAS, part of English Partnerships, on a research project into procedures to facilitate the response of local planning authorities to major planning applications.  She will complete her term as Chair of the Law Society's Planning and Environment Committee and will remain involved with the British Property Federation and the Airport Operators' Association and will continue as a Trustee of the Town and Country Planning Association and of the Theatres Trust.  Pat's commitment was recognized in 2003 when she was awarded the OBE for services to town and country planning.

Jonathan Blake, the newly appointed senior partner at SJ Berwin said:  "Pat leaves SJ Berwin with a strong and respected Planning and Environment Group led by Simon Ricketts and Duncan Field, both of whom she recruited into the firm.  We shall miss the enthusiasm and dedication that she brought to her role in the firm and wish her well for the future".

• 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 and 50 associates, encompassing the disciplines of Commercial Real Estate, Construction, Planning & Environment, Property Litigation and Real Estate Funds.  In addition, there are 3 dedicated real estate tax partners.  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.
• SJ Berwin's Planning and Environment team is headed by partner Simon Ricketts, working with partner Duncan Field, both highly respected planning lawyers.  The team advises on planning and environmental law as well as related areas such as compulsory purchase, urban regeneration, mixed use schemes, airport master planning and port redevelopment.
• 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 21% of the firm's total revenue in London.