Greenberg Traurig (GT) has hired a pair of real estate finance lawyers in London from Cadwalader Wickerhsam & Taft, less than a week after Cadwalader lost a four-partner finance team to King & Spalding. 

GT said today that real estate finance partner Duncan Hubbard had joined its finance and restructuring practice as a shareholder alongside newly-minted of counsel William Lo, who was previously an associate at Cadwalader. Both lawyers joined the firm in early 2019 from Norton Rose Fulbright, where Hubbard led the London real estate finance team. 

Hubbard brings more than 25 years of experience in the sector and has a client roster spanning credit, sovereign and real estate funds, as well as international investors and global financial institutions. He has advised in some of the largest UK and international property finance transactions, from single assets such as the Gherkin and the Shard in London to cross-jurisdictional funds with investment and development portfolios across the world, ranging from healthcare in London to logistics in Korea. 

GT executive chairman Richard Rosenbaum said: “Duncan brings a wealth of experience, as we further execute our strategic development across the US, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. He will also support our top-tier global real estate, finance, M&A and funds capabilities.”

GT has been steadily building its London real estate finance bench over the past few years, hiring shareholders Daniyal Ansari in 2022 and Sierra Taylor last year from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) and Paul Hastings respectively. Last September the firm also hit BCLP for real estate partners Stephen Kelly and Sarah Mahood to open an office in Dubai. 

“My move to Greenberg Traurig has been driven in large part by the firm’s collaborative European and global footprint and its long-term commitment to the industries I focus on,” said Hubbard.

“Working with a talented team across jurisdictions in related practices, and drawing on their localised sector knowledge, will enable me to provide my cross-border client base with a seamless service. This is an exceptional opportunity to join and help build a market-leading offering in London.”

Hubbard has joined GT as the fifth shareholder in its London real estate finance team, where alongside Ansari and Taylor, he will work with veteran shareholders Carol Hopper and Partha Pol, who moved to the firm in 2018 from Ropes & Gray. The firm has grown its overall lawyer headcount in London by 6% over the past year to around 130, according to Pirical, including 46 shareholders. 

Hubbard and Lo formed the backbone of Cadwalader’s London real estate team, which following their exit will house only one associate, according to the firm’s website. 

A Cadwalader spokesperson said of their departure: “We are grateful for our former colleagues’ contributions and wish them success in all of their future endeavours.”

The duo’s move comes just days after it emerged that a highly-rated four-partner finance team was leaving Cadwalader to join King & Spalding in London, including leading fund finance lawyer Samantha Hutchinson. In response Cadwalader released a statement underlining its commitment to expand its London arm, which will have around 20 partners following the exits.