Tom Watkins > Linklaters LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Linklaters LLP Offices
ONE SILK STREET
LONDON
EC2Y 8HQ
England
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Tom Watkins
Work Department
Real estate.
Position
Tom is a partner in the real estate team. With a background in corporate law, Tom acts on a range of corporate transactions where real estate is the fundamental asset, including on public and private M&A deals, joint ventures and restructurings.
Tom has a varied client base, with particular experience acting for institutional investors on investments in the UK and European real estate markets. He has been involved in transactions across all sectors, including commercial property, logistics, hotels, retail and student accommodation, and has particular expertise of cross-border portfolio transactions.
Work highlights
Tom has led on many high-profile real estate transactions. His experience includes advising:
- A major US pension fund and its JV partner on its acquisition of a EUR700m portfolio of retail malls located in Spain, Italy and Poland
- Brookfield on its £4.6bn hostile takeover of Songbird Estates, the holding company of the Canary Wharf Estate
- AustralianSuper, the Australian superannuation fund, on two separate transactions to acquire a combined 67% interest in the Kings Cross redevelopment project alongside developer Argent
- A North American pension fund on:
- its JV with a listed UK REIT and the acquisition by the JV of a £1bn portfolio of logistics assets in Poland, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands
- its acquisition of three portfolios of student accommodation with an aggregate value in excess of £1bn
- its JV with a listed UK insurer and the acquisition by the JV of a £1bn portfolio of prime office/retail assets
- A private investor on the £400m acquisition of 334-338 Oxford Street
- A US hedge fund on its acquisition of two UK real estate portfolios
- CBREGI on several acquisitions/disposals, including the Angel Central Shopping Centre and several London office assets
- Lendlease on its £750m disposal of the Bluewater shopping centre
Career
Partner, Linklaters, 2016 to date
Education
Tom studied jurisprudence at St Edmund Hall, Oxford University
Lawyer Rankings
London > Real estate > Commercial property: development
Offering ‘a one-stop shop in getting large-scale transactions over the line with exceptional results’, Linklaters LLP acts for domestic and international developers, investors and occupiers on distressed real estate and regeneration, as well as real estate M&A transactions. Global head of real estate Andy Bruce is geared to handle disposals, development, financing and letting mandates, while Patrick Plant acts for clients on an array of international real estate projects. Siobhan Burton’s practice encompasses acquisition, financing, development, letting and disposal of offices, retail, student accommodation, logistics and mixed-use schemes. Martin Elliott excels in transactions pertaining to mixed-use development, offices, shopping centres and retail, while Matthew Plaskow and Tom Watkins are primarily engaged in real estate M&A. Kathryn Griffiths is another key contact in the group.
London > Real estate > Commercial property: investment
Offering ‘a one-stop shop in getting large-scale transactions over the line with exceptional results’, Linklaters LLP acts for domestic and international developers, investors and occupiers on distressed real estate and regeneration, as well as real estate M&A transactions. Global head of real estate Andy Bruce is geared to handle disposals, development, financing and letting mandates, while Patrick Plant acts for clients on an array of international real estate projects. Siobhan Burton’s practice encompasses acquisition, financing, development, letting and disposal of offices, retail, student accommodation, logistics and mixed-use schemes. Martin Elliott excels in transactions pertaining to mixed-use development, offices, shopping centres and retail, while Matthew Plaskow and Tom Watkins are primarily engaged in real estate M&A. Kathryn Griffiths is another key contact in the group.
Lawyer Rankings
- Commercial property: development London > Real estate
- Commercial property: investment London > Real estate
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Finance > Acquisition finance
- Finance > Bank lending: investment grade debt and syndicated loans
- Dispute resolution > Banking litigation: investment and retail
- Risk advisory > Corporate governance
- Finance > Corporate restructuring & insolvency
- Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
- Finance > Debt capital markets
- Finance > Derivatives and structured products
- Industry focus > Emerging markets
- Employment > Employee share schemes
- Employment > Employers
- Real estate > Environment
- Corporate and commercial > Equity capital markets – mid-large cap
- Corporate and commercial > EU and competition
- Corporate and commercial > Financial services: contentious
- Corporate and commercial > Financial services: non-contentious/regulatory
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Fintech
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Infrastructure: M&A and acquisition financing
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Infrastructure: Project finance and development
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Upper Mid-Market And Premium Deals, £750m+
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Mining and minerals
- Employment > Pensions (non-contentious)
- Employment > Pensions: dispute resolution
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Power (including electricity, nuclear and renewables)
- Transport > Rail
- Investment fund formation and management > Real estate funds
- Finance > Securitisation
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Water
Firm Rankings
- Corporate and commercial > Commercial contracts
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: premium
- Real estate > Commercial property: development
- Real estate > Commercial property: investment
- Dispute resolution > Competition litigation
- Corporate and commercial > Corporate tax
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- Finance > High yield
- Insurance > Insurance: corporate and regulatory
- Industry focus > Life sciences and healthcare
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Oil and gas
- Corporate and commercial > Private equity: transactions – high-value deals (£250m+)
- Investment fund formation and management > Private funds
- Real estate > Property finance
- Risk advisory > Regulatory investigations and corporate crime (advice to corporates)
- Finance > Trade finance
- Public sector > Administrative and public law
- Real estate > Commercial property: corporate occupiers
- Real estate > Construction: non-contentious
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: patents (contentious and non-contentious)
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- Dispute resolution > Public international law
- Industry focus > Retail and consumer
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design
- Finance > Transport finance and leasing
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport
- Real estate > Commercial property: corporate occupiers