Most Highly Regarded Firms: Real Estate 2010

• October 2010

• Real Estate

This edition lists 629 real estate law experts in 40 different jurisdictions, all of whom can be considered leaders in their field. Our international real estate law firm of the year DLA Piper LLP places more lawyers in this edition than any other firm, with a total of 26 listings from 14 offices across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the USA.

Worldwide Leaders

The “first rate” Martin Polevoy is head of real estate in New York and has been involved in many high-profile matters in the city, including acting as real estate counsel to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in the redevelopment of the World Trade Centre site and representing General Motors in the relocation of its New York headquarters. The Chicago office is the firm’s largest US outpost and home to seven of its featured lawyers. “Superb” senior counsel Portia Owen Morrison specialises in commercial real estate development and finance, representing lenders, investors and borrowers in matters relating to mortgage and mezzanine loans, joint venture formations and structured debt placements. Past-chair of the real estate practice Horald Pomerantz is also sought after for commercial transactions and his clients include international corporations, national real estate developers, retailers and franchisors, investment trusts and advisory groups. Charles Edwards focuses on complex commercial transactions including purchase and sale, joint ventures and partnership and leasing. Theodore Novak chairs the firm’s land use, development and government relations practice and boasts over 35 years of experience handling transactions and litigation matters relating to property, zoning and land use issues. Robert Goldman specialises in development, leasing, syndication and zoning as well as federal and state housing programmes. David Glickstein is praised for his “top notch” financing and workout skills and the “very well established” Howard Kane is noted for his work in urban development, retail and industrial park projects.

Jay Epstein is the chair of DLA Piper’s US real estate group and co-chair of the global team in this area. Epstein has represented the Bureau of National Affairs and Verizon in corporate real estate facilities matters and is “one of the very best in DC”, according to peers. Frederick Klein is also recognised in the US capital and is a “great name” in debt and equity transactions, workouts and restructurings. Elliot Surkin counts Global Retail Investors and Ram’s Head Development among his clients and comes highly recommended in Boston, where John Rattigan also features prominently. On the West Coast, Stephen Cowan of the San Francisco office is recognised for his financing and bankruptcy work and counts the Bank of Nova Scotia among his recent clients. Senior counsel Alan Wayte is one of four lawyers listed in the Los Angeles office and regularly assists companies, banks, pension funds and REITS in financing, leasing, foreclosure and workout matters. Also listed are the “excellent” Michael Meyer, Richard Mendelson and Michael Hamilton. The “high-profile” Phillip Weller is the managing partner of the Dallas office and immediate past president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.

Olaf Schmidt is the head of the firm’s Europe, Middle East and Africa real estate group and is based in the Milan office alongside Davide Apollo, who heads the firm’s Italian real estate group. François de Montpellier is a “top name” in Brussels and head of the Austrian real estate team Oskar Winkler is “outstanding” in Vienna. Moscow-based Scott Antel counts Orient Express Hotels and Resorts among his clients and is noted as a tax and investment expert, while the “outstanding” Olga Litvinova heads the real estate and regulatory practices of the St Petersburg office. Dubai’s Tom O’Grady is noted for his project development, joint venture and PPP work. Co-head of real estate in Asia and leader of the firm’s hospitality and leisure group Susheela Rivers of the Hong Kong office completes the firm’s listings and is “very well thought of”. 

USA

Almost half of the lawyers in the current edition are based in the United States, including Who’s Who Legal’s real estate lawyer of the year, Joseph Philip Forte of Alston & Bird LLP in New York. Forte has substantial experience in real estate financing, mortgage, portfolio and securitised loans, workouts, foreclosures and restructurings, and sources praised him as “the pre-eminent name in US real estate law.”

Ballard Spahr LLP fields eight lawyers from five offices across the US in this edition. The firm’s founding office in Philadelphia is home to three of its featured names, including Richard Goldberg who ranks among our most highly regarded lawyers internationally. Goldberg is a senior counsel and a “brilliant name” in hotel related matters, encompassing counselling managers, lenders and owners. The “great” Philip Korb and Michael Sklaroff also rank highly in Philadelphia. The firm sees a similar complement of lawyers listed from its Maryland offices, with Raymond Truitt and Morton Fisher from Baltimore and Bethesda-based Roger Winston featuring prominently. In Denver, Beverly Quail is co-partner in charge of the firm’s real estate finance group and has advised Townsend Capital and Gates Rubber Company in recent matters. Gary York in Los Angeles advises clients in real estate finance, banking and creditors’ rights matters and is a “leading light on the West Coast”.

Texas “powerhouse” Haynes and Boone LLP fields six lawyers from four offices across the state in our listings, with a further inclusion in Mexico. Dallas-based Ann Saegert is the “go-to person” at the firm for many of the lawyers we spoke to. Saegert is a past chair of the firm’s real estate team and is “very well thought of” for her work representing funds, REITs and other investors in high-profile transactions, as well as managing user portfolios and structuring finance arrangements. A further two lawyers are listed in Dallas alongside representatives from Houston and Richardson, as well as San Antonio-based real estate group chair Steven Waters, who is praised for his entity formation, corporate facilities leasing transactions and retail development work.

Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP’s New York office is home to four prominent names, most notably Jonathan Mechanic, who ranks among the most highly regarded lawyers internationally. Mechanic chairs the firm’s real estate group and is noted for his “first-class” work counselling leading developers, investors, REITs and lenders in complex transactions. “Outstanding” sole practitioner Joshua Stein is also based in New York and received praise for his borrowing, lending, leasing and hotel-related work. Jay Neveloff of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP is another of the city’s “leading lights” having represented Starwood Hotels, New York Life Insurance and Credit Suisse in recent high-profile transactions. In Denver meanwhile, Mark Senn of Senn Visciano Canges Rosenstein PC is internationally renowned for his work in leases, purchase and sale contracts, and loan agreements.

Europe

Linklaters LLP ranks among Europe’s leading firms and Simon Clark of the London office is a “star”, specialising in real estate taxation and investment structures for domestic and international investors, developers and tenants. Also listed in London is global real estate practice leader and “top flight” hotel and leisure expert Patrick Plant. In Brussels, Pieter Puelinckx is noted for his joint ventures, M&A and real estate projects structuring work while Yves Moreau is praised for his real estate asset and corporate transactions expertise. Frankfurt-based Michael Steinbrecher’s work in project developments, planning and building regulations and pre-existing contamination is “excellent” according to peers. Françoise Maigrot heads the real estate group in the Paris office and counts Beacon Capital Partners, Invista Real Estate Investment Management and Invesco PIT among her recent clients. Luxembourg’s René Diederich combines “first rate” real estate structuring, development, sales and leaseback expertise with a strong construction and environmental law focus, and our sources attested to the “superior quality” of his work. Listings in Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Russia and Poland further attest to the firm’s dominant position in the European market.

Geoff Le Pard is the foremost of three prominent names in Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP’s London office having represented Citigroup Properties, Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds and BSkyB in recent matters. Five Freshfields lawyers from four offices are listed in Germany, including the “superb” Johannes Conradi in Hamburg whose transactional, project development and finance work is “second to none”. Also listed in Hamburg, Niko Schultz-Süchting was made a partner in 2008 and is “one of the country’s brightest young lawyers” according to peers. Further listings in Milan and Paris complete Freshfields’ impressive showing in this edition.

Klaus Minuth advises local and international investors, banks, project developers and public authorities in real estate transactions and is a prominent name in Clifford Chance LLP’s Frankfurt office, alongside Hans-Josef Schneider. Iain Morpeth is one of three lawyers listed from the London office; he is noted for his private equity and joint venture transactions, acquisitions, partnerships and development projects and asset management work. Madrid’s Carlos Portocarrero de las Heras represents institutional investors and funds in joint ventures, acquisitions and leasing transactions and recently advised on the design, structuring and execution of the Ä4.4 billion sale and lease back of 1,200 properties of Banco Santander. Alfonso Benavides is also considered a “first-class” practitioner in Madrid, and the firm enjoys further listings in France, Belgium and the Czech Republic as the US and UAE.

Asia Pacific

Mallesons Stephen Jaques emerges as the leading real estate firm in Australia, with three of its lawyers ranking highly in our research. Sydney-based Stuart Dixon-Smith acts in major property and infrastructure development projects and is noted for his leasing, planning, subdivision, construction, banking and finance expertise. Also in Sydney, Sue Kench is “very highly regarded” for her leasing, property finance, joint ventures, and sales and leasebacks work, while Melbourne’s Andrew Erikson is considered a “leader” for large-scale property and hotel investment, land management and retail leasing.

With three of its lawyers in our list, Morrison & Foerster LLP/Ito & Mitomi is the leading real estate practice in Japan. Eric Piesner heads the firm’s Asia real estate practice and has acted for ING Real Estate Investment Management, Union Investment Real Estate, Kajima Corporation and DEGI in recent sale, acquisition and fund management matters. Keisuke Mochizuki is a “great name” for fund formation, financing transactions, property acquisitions and development projects, while Theodore Seltzer is noted for his cross-border equity and debt financing work for US and Japanese institutional investors.

Mayer Brown JSM fields two lawyers in our Hong Kong list. Fun Kuen Au is respected by peers for his joint venture, conveyancing, financing and property development and redevelopment work and counts Hong Kong Land, Sun Hung Kai Properties and SEA Holdings among his clients. Andrew MacGeoch is the head of the firm’s Asia hospitality and leisure group and its real estate development and commercial group and has advised the Airport Authority of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong government, the Ministry of Industry and Electricity of Vietnam and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation in recent development, negotiation and joint venture matters.

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