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Adviser review: Pinsent Masons added to Land Securities panel

National firm Pinsent Masons has won a place on FTSE 100 firm Land Securities’ legal panel, while Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has come off the roster following a review.

The UK’s largest listed commercial property company has re-appointed Berwin Leighton Paisner, CMS Cameron McKenna, DAC Beachcroft, Eversheds, Herbert Smith Freehills, Hogan Lovells and Nabarro.

While Pinsents is the only new firm on the panel, Freshfields is the only firm to come off the panel, having decided not to pitch for the business when the review came up.

While the property firm previously had a two-tier panel system, this is no longer in place.

The panel review took several months and will be in place from 1 May for five years. It was run by group general counsel Tim Ashby, who took on the role following the departure of then legal chief Adrian de Souza in October last year

Ashby said: ‘We are confident that Land Securities has a legal panel of property experts who can partner with us and support our business over the next phase of its strategy. Involving the business teams throughout the process was a critical element to getting this right.’

Pinsents real estate partner Mike Reid said: ‘We hope to bring our sector focus and reputation for innovation to bear on the relationship and provide specialist legal support across the business.’

Other recent panel reviews to conclude include Avis, which gave places to Eversheds, Reed Smith, Dentons and K&L Gates on its seven-firm panel, while Siemens, which reappointed Eversheds and Osborne Clarke, while adding Addleshaw Goddard to its list of preferred firms.

victoria.young@legalease.co.uk