Paul Hastings has lured a senior private equity and real estate team in London from Covington & Burling, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.
The team is led by partners Lyndsey Laverack and Jade Williams-Adedeji, who led Covington’s London real estate practice. They have been joined by Jack Mayall and José Maria Rodrigues, who have made partner on the move having been special counsel at their former firm, and a broader team.
The team joined Covington in 2024 from Sidley Austin and has worked with clients including Apollo, Fortress Investment Group, KKR and Welltower, the largest REIT in the US.
Their hire sees Paul Hastings rebuild its private equity real estate bench in London after Stephen Nicolas left to launch Cleary’s European real estate practice last October, around the same time as partners Michael James and Edward Meadowcroft moved to Hogan Lovells.
Laverack advises private equity and other investment funds and REITs on transactions in privately held companies, including acquisitions and disposals, control and minority equity investments, and joint ventures. She has particular experience in corporate real estate and infrastructure investments.
Meanwhile, Williams-Adedeji has experience in debt and equity investments, as well as direct asset acquisitions and disposals. She represents REITs, private equity and investment funds and private companies, while her practice covers classes including senior housing, healthcare and social infrastructure, retail, hospitality, sports stadia, offices, data centres and renewable energy.
The team’s arrival continues a series of lateral hires into Paul Hastings’ London office, which has grown revenue by 90% in the three years to 31 January 2025 to just over $272m.
The firm has added more than a dozen lateral partners in London in recent months, including former Cooley private equity specialist Ferish Patel and ex-Slaughter and May corporate partner Mark Zerdin, who both joined in February. There have also been hires into the investment funds, fund finance, structured credit, tax, antitrust and employee incentives practices.
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