News | Real Estate

Tuesday 19th September 2006

Corporate and commercial law firm SJ Berwin LLP's real estate division has advised The British Land Company PLC on the disposal of 51 Eastcheap, at the heart of London’s financial and insurance services district for £55 million to City Site Estates PLC.

The SJ Berwin team was led by real estate partner Lewis Myers, assisted by associate Jo Taylor.  City Site was advised by Merter Hilmi of Jeffrey Green Russell.

In the financial year to date, British Land has carried out more than £500 million of value enhancing disposals and acquired £820 million of new assets as it tightens its focus on London Office and retail parks.

• 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.  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 21 are partners in London 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 and 1 dedicated real estate partner in Paris.  There is an increasing emphasis on cross firm activity with related areas of Banking and Corporate and with the international 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 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.