Wragge & Co has appointed real estate specialist Reena Patel as its newest commercial development and investment partner.
Formerly a partner in the London office of DAC Beachcroft, Reena has joined Wragge & Co, taking the total number of real estate partners at the firm to 32. The move follows the arrival of a four-lawyer real estate team in Paris led by partner Constance de La Hosseraye and two senior hires in the UK, Michael Hallowell and Andrew Hardman.
Senior partner Quentin Poole said: "Real estate is a core sector for Wragge & Co and we are committed to strengthening one of the leading full-service practices in the market. Reena is a high-calibre partner with a focus on client service and commercial thinking that fits perfectly with our approach. She is an excellent addition to our team, giving us greater capability in London."
Reena said: "At Wragge & Co real estate is a strategically important sector generating a third of the firm's revenue. Clients benefit from specialist advice from UK and international experts with an in-depth understanding of the sector and its commercial realities."
"Wragge & Co and I have a number of mutual relationships, which will be strengthened by our joining forces. I am excited about the opportunities for developing these relationships, forming new ones and being part of a successful and growing team."
A former partner in DAC Beachcroft's commercial real estate group, Reena has more than 16 years' experience acting for commercial property and mixed-used developers and institutional investors. She advises on the full lifecycle of a real estate asset: site acquisition, site assembly, development and forward funding arrangements, landlord and tenant, pre-lets and investment sale.
Reena advised the Whitgift Trust on the purchase and asset management of The Whitgift Centre in Croydon. She also acted on the acquisition of Fulham Town Hall and advised BAE Pension Funds on their property portfolio. Reena's other clients include Derwent London plc and Terrace Hill Group plc.
She is a member of the British Council of Shopping Centres, Investment Property Forum and Westminster Property Owners Association.
Reena is the latest partner to join Wragge & Co's 190-fee earner Real Estate group. Over the past six months, the firm's real estate practice has added a number of high-profile experts to its senior ranks. Real estate litigation partner Martin Thomas joined the firm from the London office of Dundas & Wilson.
Former Eversheds partner Michael Hallowell is counsel in the Housing Development and Regeneration team. New director Andrew Hardman, previously a partner at Rosling King, is part of the Commercial Development and Investment team. Two other directors, Mike Twining and Joe Morris, were also promoted this year.
Constance de La Hosseraye leads Wragge & Co's Paris-based real estate team. She advises clients on every stage of real estate projects – from direct purchases to negotiating leases. Admitted to the Paris bar in 1992, Constance joined Bird & Bird as a partner in 2007, establishing its Paris real estate practice. In May, Paris-based Danhoé Reddy-Girard was promoted to the partnership.
Wragge & Co's real estate practice offers specialist expertise across the whole real estate sector. It acts for a wide range of investors, developers, major corporates, financial institutions, housing associations and local authorities. Noted in Chambers UK 2013 for its "excellent quality of advice", it has the experience and capability to handle large, complex transactions.
Stand-out projects in London include the £2 billion regeneration of New Covent Garden Market and the development of a one million sq ft London Distribution Park at the Port of Tilbury.
Elsewhere, the firm's real estate experts acted for Intu Properties plc on its £250 million acquisition of Midsummer Place Shopping Centre in Milton Keynes. They also advised US private equity group Harbert Management Corporation on a £204.5 million acquisition.
