King & Spalding to Hire Nigel Heilpern to Establish London Real Estate Practice

LONDON--(Marketwire - Jul 10, 2012) - King & Spalding is to recruit leading English law property expert Nigel Heilpern to launch a real estate department for its London office as the firm continues to expand its international practice.

Heilpern will join King & Spalding's capital transactions and real estate practice group as a partner. His practice focuses on premium real estate matters, covering equity investments, banking and finance, private equity, fund formations, sales and leasebacks and general development finance. Heilpern, who has been listed in Chambers UK and Legal 500, will join from Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson, where he served as local head of real estate.

The London real estate group will be the third new English law practice that King & Spalding has established in the past year, following on from the competition and dispute resolution groups. Heilpern will become the ninth lateral partner in London in the last two years, adding to: Garry Pegg and Hywel Jones (July 2010); Martin Hunt (April 2011); Suzanne Rab and Tom Sprange (May 2011); Jane Player and Sarah Walker (March 2012); and William Charnley (July 2012). The office will have 15 partners.

"With the addition of Nigel and a real estate capability, King & Spalding will offer the full spread of English legal services, covering corporate and M&A, finance, dispute resolution, energy and infrastructure, tax, employment and competition," said Garry Pegg, Co-Managing Partner of King & Spalding's London office. "The launch highlights our commitment to both the UK and international legal markets."

Heilpern's hire will be the second major addition to King & Spalding's international real estate department in recent months. In May, the firm recruited a seven-strong team from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Paris -- led by partners Benoit Marcilhacy and Pascal Schmitz -- to establish a French real estate practice.

King & Spalding's capital transactions and real estate practice group has worked for clients such as ING Clarion Partner, Macquarie Global Property Advisors Limited, Citigroup, Commerz Leasing und Immobilien, GE Real Estate, Gulf Investment Corporation, HSH Nordbank and SEB Immobilien Investment.

"The UK is an international hub for property transactions so the new London team will further enhance the firm's global real estate strength," added Sarah R. Borders, leader of King & Spalding's capital transactions and real estate practice. "The capital transactions and real estate practice now has more than 70 lawyers and offers clients local and international law services in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow, Abu Dhabi and Dubai as well as the U.S."

About King & Spalding
Celebrating more than 125 years of service, King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with 800 lawyers in 17 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and is consistently recognized for the results it obtains, uncompromising commitment to quality and dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients. More information is available at www.kslaw.com.