Leading commercial law firm Hill Dickinson has appointed renowned lawyer Keith Barnett as its new head of real estate in London. Keith is joined by Hanna Ross, as partner, helping to further strengthen the firm’s London and national real estate teams.
With a career spanning over 30 years, Keith joins from Taylor Wessing, where he headed up the UK Top 20 firm’s real estate practice for some 13 years. His work covers all aspects of commercial property law, regularly acting for a variety of property companies, banks, financial institutions and overseas investors, along with many of the most significant property occupiers.
Throughout his extensive career, Keith has risen to become one of London’s leading real estate lawyers. He is recognised by the Legal 500 UK across commercial property development, investment and corporate occupiers.
As head of real estate London, Keith will join an established and ambitious team to support further growth across commercial real estate, strengthening the existing expertise within the firm’s London practice. He will also play an integral role in the continued training and development of junior members of the team, sharing his deep expertise and insights.
Also joining from Taylor Wessing as partner, Hanna Ross has extensive experience in all aspects of commercial property work, specialising in acting for international investors on complex commercial real estate projects, development and investment transactions. With over 18 years’ experience, Hanna’s work spans a number of sectors including hotels, retail, student accommodation, data centres, offices and logistics.
These latest high-profile appointments come as Hill Dickinson’s national real estate practice continues to expand and achieve sustained growth. The current 75-strong team - one of the legal world’s largest and most respected real estate practices - has grown by 30% over the last two years. Keith and Hanna’s combined experience will add further momentum to continue that drive for growth.
Fiona Parry, head of business services at Hill Dickinson, said: “As some of the best regarded real estate lawyers in London, the arrival of Keith and Hanna marks another pivotal moment for our fast-growing team whose growing reputation in the city and nationally is continuing to attract high quality talent from competitor firms. London has always represented a key opportunity for us to grow a sizable real estate practice in the city and these hires are a measure of our ambition in that regard.”
“With Keith at the helm, alongside Hanna, I’m confident that their combined expertise and position in the London market will ensure our real estate offering continues to scale up, allowing us to best serve our ever-growing client base. For more junior members of our team, their expertise will undoubtedly help them to develop in their own careers.”
Keith Barnett, head of real estate London at Hill Dickinson, said: “The opportunity to join Hill Dickinson’s hugely talented team was one that I couldn’t miss, so I’m thrilled to be heading up the firm’s real estate practice in London, helping the team to deliver on their ambitious growth plans. Throughout my career I’ve always been committed to guiding investors, developers and occupiers, and it’s this that will continue to drive me in my new position. Hill Dickinson is also home to some truly exceptional legal talent, so I can’t wait to get stuck in, mentoring junior members of the team and guiding them in their professional journeys.”
Hanna Ross, real estate partner at Hill Dickinson, added: “Having achieved strong nationwide growth over recent years, Hill Dickinson’s real estate practice presents an exciting opportunity for me to add my own areas of specialism to help further expand the team. I’ve spent my career guiding clients through complex transactions, both in the UK and overseas, so I look forward to continuing this work and sharing my expertise with the wider team, helping us to deliver the very best service.”
This news story was originally published on the firm’s website.