Global law firm Reed Smith has announced the appointment of partners Robert Porter (formerly a lead partner in Allen & Overy’s direct and indirect real estate practices) and Luke Mines (from Linklaters’ corporate real estate group) to its private equity real estate (PERE) practice in London.
Robert brings to Reed Smith over 30 years' experience in the real estate sector, spanning a range of transactions across Europe and the Middle East on behalf of PERE firms, sovereign funds, property companies and financial institutions.
Luke is expected to join the firm in early 2015 from Linklaters, where he has built his experience in the real estate and private equity space advising clients on a broad range of corporate transactions including private and public M&A, joint ventures, restructurings and equity finance.
Reed Smith has continued to grow its wider real estate offering in response to increasing client demand.
“The real estate sector is booming again but what we are now seeing has a different profile from pre-2007,” commented Reed Smith private equity real estate partner Oliver s’Jacob. “We have seen property becoming an increasingly attractive asset class, with investors on the hunt for yield – while still wary of risking their underlying capital – returning to more traditional, “hard” assets, such as real estate and shipping, both areas in which Reed Smith excels.”
The appointment of Robert and Luke follows that of real estate finance partners Matthew Heaton and Francisca Sepúlveda, who joined the firm from Pinsent Masons and Allen & Overy respectively in the summer.
Oliver s’Jacob added: “With the arrival of Robert and Luke, we will build on the continuing success of our existing private equity real estate platform to provide our clients with a truly industry-focused offering, drawing together the expertise not just of conventional real estate lawyers, but also that of corporate, tax, regulatory, funds, equity and debt finance experts with a real sector knowledge.”
Robert commented: “There are very few global law firms in London with a strong U.S. presence and full service real estate offering. Reed Smith offers an excellent platform in the private equity real estate sector which is hard to match, and I am thrilled to join the team to build on its existing success.”
Reed Smith’s team has advised on a number of the most significant PERE transactions closed in the last quarter including: Oaktree Capital Management and Patrizia on their acquisition of three MEPC business parks for £430 million from Hermes Real Estate; Marathon Asset Management on its £130 million acquisition of 11 former Queens Moat Houses UK Hotels; and Starwood Capital on the formation of its €500 million MStar Europe joint venture with M7 Real Estate and its subsequent successful takeover bid for London-listed property fund, Tamar European Industrial Fund.
ENDS
Note to Editors:
About Robert Porter
Robert has held roles as partner at CMS Cameron McKenna and Clifford Chance; he joined Allen & Overy as a partner in 2004 where he led the firm's real estate funds and structuring group. In 2010, Robert moved to Qatar to lead the development of Allen & Overy’s new offices and to head up its Middle East real estate and asset management group. At Allen & Overy he helped to create and manage the team and advised on numerous UK and pan-European real estate funds, joint ventures, M&A and highly structured transactions.
About Luke Mines
Luke has spent his career to date at Linklaters as a corporate lawyer, working in its London and Singapore offices. His focus is on the real estate sector and he has advised clients on a broad range of real estate-related transactional work. In addition, Luke has extensive in-house experience from client secondments at PIMCO Europe, The Royal Bank of Scotland and Vodafone.
About Reed Smith’s private equity real estate practice
Reed Smith’s private equity real estate (PERE) practice comprises lawyers in Europe, the United States and Middle East bringing together a mix of real estate, private equity & corporate, tax, regulatory, funds and finance expertise and experience. Reed Smith has been growing the practice in response to the increasing complexity and globalisation of deals in the property sector, which now require in addition to solely conventional real estate practitioners, a much wider skill set to transact. The London team will now be led by a core group of three partners with real industry knowledge dedicated full time to the firm’s PERE clients and their transactions and able to draw on the specialist expertise required both locally and internationally. This team will act as a European and Middle East hub for Reed Smith’s structured real estate offering, working in conjunction with an equivalent team in the United States to provide a truly global platform.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global law firm with 25 offices and more than 1,800 lawyers in offices across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the United States.
For further information, please visit www.reedsmith.com or contact Jeyda Star (senior PR & communications manager EME) on +44 (0)20 3116 2571.