Ashurst boosts global real estate team with partner hire

Andrea joins from Freshfields where he has worked since joining from Delli Santi & Partners in 2005. He has over 16 years' experience in advising clients on significant transactions involving the acquisition, disposal and letting (including long term leases and lease-back structures) of large scale retail, office and logistics portfolios, including through real estate investment funds. Andrea has also advised international and domestic investment and corporate clients on the development of real estate projects and has also been active in the negotiation of construction contracts and corporate joint ventures.

Andrea will be also be joined by lawyer Diego Mallone from Studio Legale Mannocchi & Fioretti and trainee Vincenzo Esposito from Freshfields.

Commenting on the appointment, Carloandrea Meacci, managing partner in Milan, said:

"We are delighted that Andrea is joining the team. I have no doubt that he will make a significant contribution to developing our real estate capability in Italy. The arrival of Andrea follows the promotion of Elena Giuffrè and Umberto Antonelli to the partnership last year and reflects our commitment to having a team of highly qualified collaborative lawyers, who are committed to excellence in client service."

Hugh Lumby, head of global real estate at Ashurst, added:

"Real estate is a key area of strategic focus for Ashurst. With one of the highest performing teams in the market, we continue to make focused and strategic investment in the group. Andrea's appointment further demonstrates our commitment to expanding our capability and operating at the forefront of the global real estate market. Italy is a significant destination for capital investment, with many of our key international real estate clients in Asia, Australia and the UK having invested there over the past 12 months. We anticipate this trend will continue and that Andrea's arrival will help to capitalise further on the significant market opportunities."

Andrea Caputo, said:

"This is an exciting time to be joining Ashurst's Milan office and the global real estate team. Ashurst has exceptional credentials in this sector and with the European real estate markets having performed robustly and the return outlook remaining positive, I look forward to working with my colleagues in Milan and globally to achieve some great results for our clients."

As one of the leading real estate players globally, the firm has unparalleled end-to-end lifecycle capability. The team is known for advising on all aspects of real estate activity including high profile acquisitions and divestments, asset management, large scale development schemes, real estate finance, funds, joint ventures, construction, planning, environment and tax advice.

Ashurst also advises on major urban regeneration projects, real estate aspects of energy, resources and infrastructure projects, property financing transactions, public private partnerships and private finance initiatives. The team has extensive experience advising across all property types including office, retail, residential (including build-to-rent), hotel, leisure, healthcare and senior living, education, student accommodation, logistics and industrial, and transport. The firm is one of only a very select group of firms operating across the real estate market at the highest level encompassing real estate development, investment and private equity.