Real Estate

No matter where you are in today’s competitive real estate market, advice with a global perspective is indispensable. You need a team by your side to navigate this rapidly changing legal environment, which is often complicated by multijurisdictional issues.

Whether you’re an investor, lender, developer, landowner, tenant, buyer or seller of real estate, you know the challenges of this market—and you want experienced counsel from people who understand your needs.

At Squared, we bring strong, established local, regional and global experience and know-how to help you succeed in all your real estate ventures and projects. With more than 1,100 real estate lawyers worldwide, coupled with our commitment to an integrated approach, we give you the comfort of a global presence with a deep understanding of the local real estate terrain. We are more than your real estate advisors, we are your collaborative business partners, anticipating trends and reacting with speed and certainty on your behalf.

Whether you need advice on real estate leasing, project finance, acquisition and disposition, development, construction or investment, or you need the services of astute counsel to resolve a real estate dispute, our team of committed, respected professionals across the globe is keen to help you succeed. Where your needs extend beyond real estate, Squared offers a wide range of practice knowledge and services worldwide in all business-related areas, including: insolvency and debt restructuring, environmental and regulatory compliance, corporate structuring, taxation, and cross-border matters, to name but a few.

Whether real estate is your business or your business relies on real estate, drive it forward with Squared by your side.

OUR EXPERTISE INCLUDES

• Acquisitions and disposals of real estate assets
• Agricultural lands, including food and agribusiness
• Commercial and industrial leasing
• Construction and engineering
• Dispute resolution and litigation
• Equity investment structures and joint ventures
• Hotels, hospitality and leisure
• Islamic financing
• Planning, logistics, land use regulation and environmental law
• Property management and structured title schemes
• Real estate debt financing
• Renewable energy projects, including solar and wind
• Residential, retail and mixed-use developments and projects
• Retirement centers and senior living

We are one of the few global law firms with the experience, skill and depth of resources necessary to deliver a high-level of service to real estate sector participants, anywhere in the world.

EXPERIENCE

• Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc.: 
  Advising on the US$210 million senior secured credit facility for a portfolio of 229 high-end, luxury condos, homes and apartments worldwide.
  
• Bank of America: 
  Advising on the refinancing of a 17-property portfolio valued at more than US$547 million for Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc. In 2015, the Firm closed in excess of US$1 billion in refinancing and acquisition deals for Bank of America, including the US$354 million refinancing of a 15-hotel portfolio, as well as acquisition financing for properties in New Orleans and Atlanta.
  
• Blackstone: 
  Advising on the acquisition of a portfolio of six logistics and distribution parks located throughout Poland and the Czech Republic from Pramerica Real Estate Investors. The acquisition was completed via Logicor, Blackstone’s European logistics platform.
  
• Bouygues: 
  Advising on Phase I and II of a redevelopment project at Canning Town, part of a £3.7 billion project to transform a large part of the London Borough of Newham.
  
• Chinese-based purchaser: 
  Advising a China-based corporation in the proposed acquisition of the business assets of Rainmaker Animation Inc., a Canadian public company operating an animation studio in Vancouver, B.C. This included settling undertakings under the Investment Canada Act with Canadian Heritage and obtaining Ministerial approval of the acquisition.
  
• EY: 
  Advising the receiver for the developer with respect to the sale of residential units and completion of the development of the former Vancouver Olympic Village site for the 2010 Winter Games, representing in excess of 1 million sq.ft. of mixed-use residential, rental and commercial development.
  
• John Lewis Partnership (JLP): 
  Acting for JLP, one of the UK’s leading high-street retailers, on the redevelopment of its Clearings site in Chelsea, London. JLP has been working with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) London, to gain planning consent for the redevelopment of a local primary school and the building of a residential scheme in Draycott Avenue, Chelsea. JLP and RBKC have been working together to revitalise the Clearings site and we supported JLP in obtaining planning consent from RBKC and settled agreements for the joint disposal. The Clearings residential development has a gross development value of approximately £900 million.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

• Real Estate Firm of the Year 2020, Legal 500 UK
• Chambers UK, London: Real Estate: Big-Ticket, Chambers and Partners, 2020
• Chambers UK, London: Real Estate Finance, Chambers and Partners, 2020
• Legal 500 UK, London: Commercial Property: Corporate Occupiers (Tier 1), The Legal 500, 2020
• Legal 500 UK, London: Commercial Property: Development (Tier 1), The Legal 500, 2020
• Legal 500 UK, London: Commercial Property: Hotels & Leisure (Tier 1), The Legal 500, 2020
• Legal 500 UK, London: Commercial Property: Investment, The Legal 500, 2020
• Legal 500 UK, London: Property Finance, The Legal 500, 2020
• Legal 500 UK, London: Property Litigation, The Legal 500, 2020