Pinsent Masons appoints Claire Hughes as Global Head of Real Estate

Claire joined Pinsent Masons in 2007 and specialises in real estate investment and asset management, property development and real estate finance. She is a dual qualified chartered surveyor and solicitor with over 30 years’ experience in the property market.

Claire advises real estate clients on acquisitions and disposals of freehold and leasehold investment properties, as well as acting for office occupiers, retailers and leisure operators. Key clients for whom Claire provides strategic legal services include Grosvenor, Oxford Properties, Invesco, Accor Hotels and Melia Hotels.

Claire has been head of client relationships for the firm’s real estate sector and head of the London Property Practice for over 8 years. She succeeds James Crookes who will continue to lead the firm’s Property practice group.

Claire Hughes said: “The last few years have brought significant change across the real estate sector globally. The pandemic has presented new challenges which have forced owners to change the purpose of buildings, and ESG considerations are increasingly defining investor agendas and regulation. I’m excited to lead the firm’s real estate sector in supporting clients as they navigate this new landscape.”

Pinsent Masons’ real estate sector advises some of the most significant projects across the residential, hotels, logistic, offices and retail markets. Recent mandates have included advising Central Group and Signa Holding on the purchase of Selfridges; advising MDSR Investments, the Israel-based investment fund, on the acquisition of a portfolio of nine hypermarkets in Spain; advising DV4, Oxford Properties, QD and Get Living on the Elephant & Castle development in London; and advising Bayerische Versorgungskammer and Universal-Investment on the acquisition of four office properties in Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich.