Osborne Clarke scoops Real Estate Team of Year

Osborne Clarke won the Real Estate Team of the Year award at last night’s The Lawyer Awards 2008.

The Bristol-based firm won the trophy for its work advising Eurostar and London & Continental on the high-profile St Pancras development.

Osborne Clarke beat last year’s winner Ashurst, as well as the other shortlisted firms Eversheds, Pinsent Masons, Trowers & Hamlins and Wragge & Co.

Osborne Clarke’s head of real estate, Nadine Strahl, picked up the trophy. Strahl said: "We were totally surprised and very pleased. This is the first time OC property team has had this recognition. We always knew it was a high profile
project but the competition was with some very decent law firms."

Strahl advised operator Eurostar, while a system of Chinese walls between the firm’s London and Bristol offices allowed her colleague, partner Ian Wilkinson, to lead a team advising developer London & Continental.

The pair advised on the retail leases, media and IP agreements and construction contracts and managed the relocation of Eurostar from Waterloo to St.Pancras.

The teams particularly impressed the judges for their “impressive project management skills”, including managing varying stakeholder interests with sensitivity.

In second place was Pinsent Masons, in recognition of work including David Meecham and Andrew Yates advice to English Partnerships on the First Time Buyer’s Initiative - the government’s first shared equity housing scheme of its kind.

Third place went to Eversheds, which advised investor Qatar National Bank on the Shard of Glass project at a late stage and helped save the project from credit crunch-related setback through sophisticated restructuring of the financing.

For the law firm, in-house lawyer, management team, employment team and litigation team of the year awards click here, for barrister and chambers of the year click here, for the international firms of the year click here and for the real estate winners click here.

For the full list of winners, click here