The ‘very practice-oriented, proactive, reliable’ real estate finance team at CMS regularly assists international banks and major hospitality and leisure operators on both lender and borrower-side mandates. Clive Swillman - who leads the practice - frequently acts for banks, debt funds, and sponsors in transactions involving term loans and revolving facilities in Europe. Ian McGarr is a key contact for hotel and leisure related transactions, while Simon Johnston specialises in development finance and structured real estate finance. Andrew Besser - 'very responsive and provides sharp commercial advice' - also comes recommended for his strong lender-side practice.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Very good law firm, with very innovative and reliable lawyers. ’
‘Very practice-oriented, proactive, reliable.’
‘Broad cross-border coverage and integrated cross-border teams. Very organised and hardworking practice. Good commercial nous across real estate asset-backed lending sectors.’
‘Andrew Besser has a well-organised team, is very responsive and provides sharp commercial advice.’
‘The team works very well and seamlessly together to ensure tasks are completed on time, and that there is no missing information when one member takes over from the other.’
‘Very high standards in all real estate law fields enable to cover any specific issue arising during the financing process. Ability to focus, prioritise and advise clients on client-relevant matters.’
‘Accessible and proficient team.’
‘Genuinely nice people.’
Key clients
- UBS
- Veld Capital
- Leumi Group
- NatWest
- Santander
- Nuffield Health
- Shojin Property Partners
- Nykredit Realkredit
- The Bank of East Asia, Limited
- Primary Health Properties (PHP)
Work highlights
Advised Urbanest on the £250,000,000 development financing of a 1,672 bed purpose built student accommodation (“PBSA”) scheme in Canary Wharf with Lloyds, Wells Fargo and Bank ABC.
Advised Life Science Reit Plc, one of the listed leading players in the hot life sciences sector, on their £150m loan facility with HSBC and Bank of Ireland.
Advised Leumi UK on its financing of AFI Home, a subsidiary of listed real estate investor AFI Properties.
Lawyers
Hall of fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Clive Swillman
Other key lawyers
Ian McGarr; Simon Johnston; Mike Delaney; Andrew Besser