Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has lost another two City banking partners, with real estate finance duo Andrew Flemming and Jo Solomon set to join top 10 LB100 firm Hogan Lovells.
BLP today (24 March) announced the departures internally, leaving a depleted real estate finance team, which is acknowledged by the Legal 500 as first tier and one that ‘combines knowledge and experience with unending enthusiasm and strong commercial understanding.’
The news comes just weeks after BLP’s head of real estate finance Laurence Rogers joined DLA Piper alongside commercial real estate partner Richard Hopkinson-Woolley and corporate tax partner Neville Wright.
Other recent departures from the top 20 UK firm include banking and capital markets partner Paul Simcock and former head of restructuring Ben Larkin, who joined Jones Day in March and February respectively; acquisition finance partner Marcus Jamson, who joined Wedlake Bell in January; finance and restructuring partner Trevor Wood, who left for Mayer Brown in October last year; and head of banking and finance Matthew Kellett, whose resignation also in October prompted the 786-lawyer firm to launch an independent review of its finance practice.
Flemming acts for banks, private equity funds, listed corporates, private companies, insolvency practitioners and other senior and mezzanine funders. He has previously spent time on secondment with Barclays Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, and the European finance team within the Morgan Stanley Real Estate funds.
Fellow real estate finance partner Solomon, who specialises in joint ventures and cross-border real estate finance transactions, also has experience in-house, having been seconded to major banks including Barclays Capital.
BLP confirmed that Flemming and Solomon have resigned, while Hogan Lovells declined to comment on the hires.
sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk
With additional reporting by david.stevenson@legalease.co.uk
