News & Events | News

Tuesday 24th July 2007

European Law firm SJ Berwin LLP’s real estate department has advised Brixton plc on the purchase of Severnside Trading Estate, Trafford Park, Manchester from Morley Fund Management for £14.95 million.

The estate totals 204,000 sq ft in 22 units and is located opposite Brixton’s 340,000 sq ft Longwood Estate within Trafford Park.  This purchase is the Company’s third acquisition there since May last year.  SJ Berwin advised on all three deals.

Partner Jon Vivian led the SJ Berwin real estate team, assisted by associate Louise Cartwright.  Aviva Legal Services, the in-house lawyers at Morley, advised the sellers.

For further information please contact:

Jon Vivian on +44 (0)20 7111 2809, email jon.vivian@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.