Freshfields is lawyers' choice as it acts for Clifford Chance and Berwin Leighton

OFFICES: firm pulls strings in rival's move to Canary Wharf and Berwin's merger with Paisner

The property department at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer this week claimed to be the lawyers' choice after it acted for both Clifford Chance and Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) in office deals.

Clifford Chance has used its magic circle rival to advise on its head office move to Canary Wharf next year, and has recently taken a further 215,000 sq ft.

Clifford Chance will now have control and management of the whole one million sq ft building.

Freshfields advised BLP on the sub-letting of St Magnus House from HSBC which will bring together Berwin Leighton and Paisner & Co (as was) in adjoining buildings.

Freshfields has also agreed a short-term sub-let of four floors of its Tudor Street office to BLP.

The Tudor Street building - which itself is the former office of City law firm Gouldens - is currently surplus to requirements after Freshfields completed its move into 180,000 sq ft of extra office space in Northcliffe House, which backs onto the firm's existing Fleet Street office.

BLP acted for itself on the letting.

Both deals were run by Geoff Le Pard, co-global head of Freshfields' international real estate group.

Mr Le Pard said the Clifford Chance instruction was a 'no brainer' because his firm had acted for several Canary Wharf tenants, while he was approached by Paisner & Co partner Chris Adams to act on matters before the merger.

He added that given Clifford Chance's relationship with Canary Wharf - it is its usual external counsel - it was 'probably felt better to have an independent interface' when it came to negotiating the 25-year lease.

Mr Le Pard said there was a great deal of cachet in acting for firms such as these because they are 'the ultimate sophisticated procurer of legal services'.

He said: 'Surprisingly enough, they're incredibly pleasant to deal with [as clients] because they're understanding.

That's doesn't mean they're not demanding though.' He added that there were some unnamed firms and partners for whom 'I would hate to act'.

There were two particular aspects in advising other solicitors, he added: he got an insight into how they worked and their internal politics, while the contact partners found it 'very difficult in meetings to keep schtum and let their lawyer make the point'.

Freshfields' policy is to act for itself in property transactions, although Mr Le Pard's personal view is that it too should engage external lawyers.

Neil Rose