Mayer Brown has made a twin partner hire in London from Taylor Wessing as it seeks to grow its global real estate and private capital capabilities.
The incoming duo are Mark Rajbenbach and Victoria Butcher, who both advise on all aspects of real estate investment deals. News of their move comes just days after Taylor Wessing’s UK business announced its $1.6bn merger with Winston & Strawn would go ahead after receiving “decisive” votes in favour by the partnerships of both firms.
Rajbenbach’s expertise covers corporate and structured real estate matters, joint ventures and portfolio transactions in the US, Europe and Asia, with notable experience in the hotels and leisure sectors.
Butcher’s expertise covers structured acquisitions, disposals and financing transactions, likewise in Europe, US and Asia across the hotels, leisure and operational real estate sectors.
Dominic Griffiths, Mayer Brown’s London managing partner, said: “Mark and Victoria are highly regarded practitioners with strong profiles in complex, structured and cross‑border real estate matters.
“Their arrivals strengthen our capabilities in London and complement our global platform, particularly for private capital clients active across the UK, Europe and US. Their practices fit squarely with our strategy to capture a greater share of high‑value, sophisticated real estate work.”
Rajbenbach joins after roughly eight and a half years at Taylor Wessing, where he was also a partner. Prior to that he spent four years at Paul Hastings, three of them as partner, which he joined from legacy SJ Berwin in 2013. He started his career as a trainee at SJ Berwin in 2004.
Butcher, meanwhile, was at Taylor Wessing for just over a decade, becoming a partner in 2022. She previously worked at Birketts as a commercial property solicitor for just over six years.
Chris Harvey, partner and global co-lead of Mayer Brown’s real estate business, said: “Mark and Victoria bring outstanding track records in areas including hospitality, leisure and operational real estate, and are adept at executing high‑profile, multi‑jurisdictional transactions for sponsors, investors and lenders – including private capital, institutional investors and real estate private equity and credit funds.
“Their individual experiences in joint ventures, preferred equity and platform deals, will significantly enhance the solutions we provide to clients across the full real estate investment lifecycle.”
Mayer Brown is just the latest US firm to expand its London real estate team. Last month, Latham & Watkins added a trio of real estate finance partners in London from A&O Shearman, while in October, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton hired Stephen Nicolas as a partner from Paul Hastings to launch a European real estate practice in London.
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