Norton Rose Fulbright's real estate finance team is well-versed in a variety of transactions, including acquisitions, secured facility agreements, and sale and leaseback deals surrounding a range of asset classes. Practice head Sarah Cullen advises on financings for clients active in the office, hospitality, and private rental industries. Dan Kennedy is the team’s specialist for logistics properties, and for complex restructurings with cross-border elements, Jennie Dorsaint is a key contact, as is Jessy Makdessi, who is highly experienced in acting for both lenders and borrowers.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The Norton Rose Fulbright real estate finance team are absolutely brilliant to deal with. They are extremely good lawyers and combine first rate technical skill with a very commercial approach.'
- 'Sarah Cullen is a fantastic lawyer. Sarah is always calm under pressure and quickly cuts through to the key points to ensure that matters are dealt with as efficiently as possible.'
- 'Excellent team depth. Excellent cross team co-operation. Excellent diversity. Excellent commercial knowledge.'
- 'What I really like about this team is that they are consistently appropriately structured with lots of partner engagement, but always with a strong senior/junior team running the day to day aspects of the transaction. This means that we get responses very quickly at all times. I also really appreciate that when the NRF deal team approach us for instructions, they (wherever possible) provide their views/advice alongside the request for client input.'
- 'It is a very smooth process to run the deal with them, as we feel that the team are completely on top of the transaction and are pushing as hard to close it as we are.'
- 'Sarah Cullen demonstrates exceptional partner engagement and is always available to discuss when partner input is required. Sarah has a knack for identifying key issues very quickly and taking a very commercial approach to her negotiation, there is no time wasted negotiating minor on inconsequential points.'
Key clients
- 105VS Unit Trust (105VSUT) for WELPUT
- Corebridge Institutional Investments (Europe) Limited
- Bangkok Bank
- Battersea Power Station
- Centurion Corporation Limited
- Crest Nicholson Plc
- DBS Bank
- DFI European Value Add Fund
- Haitong Bank, S.A.
- Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
- Hamburg Commercial Bank AG
- CDPQ
Work highlights
Advised Ashby Capital, a private equity real estate firm, on the financing aspects of acquiring its joint venture partner’s interest in the JJ Mack building, one of London's smartest and most sustainable new office buildings located in Faringdon.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Jessy Makdessi
Practice head
Sarah Cullen
Other key lawyers
Dan Kennedy; Jennie Dorsaint; Jessy Makdessi