Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance scoops up three PERE Awards

Clifford Chance has once again been confirmed as a market leader in private equity real estate, picking up three awards at the 2010 Global PERE Awards ceremony held in London.

The firm's real estate funds and transactional work in Europe and Asia has been recognised with the following award wins:

• European Law Firm of the Year (Fund Formation) – won for the fourth consecutive year
• European Law Firm of the Year (Transactions) – won for the third time in four years
• Asia Law Firm of the Year (Fund Formation)

The firm was also shortlisted for North America Law Firm of the Year (Fund Formation) and acted as counsel to various clients who were shortlisted or won awards, including Asia Deal of the Year for the sale by Bank of America of its Asian real estate platform to Blackstone.

In its awards editorial, PERE magazine noted that Clifford Chance had advised "on some of the largest property deals in Europe last year" and that in Asia it is "one of the few firms in the region to have a dedicated funds team in Singapore, which is an important fund structuring jurisdiction".  The PERE Global Awards are voted for by the industry itself, with thousands of votes cast.

As referenced by PERE magazine, the firm's international network has been involved in a number of high-profile transactions in the private equity real estate space, including:

• Rockspring Property Investment Managers on the £336 million final closing of its UK Value Fund
• Legal & General Property on the £175 million first close for its UK Property Income Fund, with a target final close of approx £500 million
• Canary Wharf Group on JPMorgan’s £495 million acquisition of 25 Bank Street, the former Lehman Brothers European headquarters, in London
• Tishman Speyer on the €550 million sale of the Frankfurt OpernTurm to a joint venture between GIC Real Estate and an institutional fund advised by JPMorgan - one of the biggest single property deals of the year in Germany
• Oman Investment Fund and Hammerson on the £557 million sale of the Bishops Square site to two funds managed by JPMorgan Asset Management
• Winnington Capital Limited in respect of the establishment of its Trophy Property Development Fund which is designed to invest in property developments in China