Key Takeaways
- • Freshfields LLP hired two private equity real estate partners—David Seymour and Will Bryant—from Ropes & Gray in London, bolstering the magic circle firm's real estate capabilities within its private capital practice.
- • Seymour and Bryant bring over a decade of partnership-track experience at Ropes & Gray (Seymour made partner in 2016; Bryant in 2021) and prior collaboration at Slaughter and May, with both ranked by Legal 500 as leading practitioners in commercial property investment.
- • The duo have managed substantial cross-border transactions for institutional investors, including advising The Baupost Group and KKR on a £900m joint venture acquisition of 33 UK Marriott hotels and advising Brookfield on Heathrow warehouse acquisitions, with sector expertise spanning data centres, logistics, retail, and social infrastructure.
- • Freshfields' hiring underscores the firm's ongoing expansion strategy; the firm surpassed £2bn in annual revenue for the first time in 2023-24 and ranked second globally in Q1 deal tables, acting on 33 transactions valued at over $100bn, with recent infrastructure hires from Paul Hastings reinforcing UK capabilities.
Summary
Freshfields LLP has made a strategic double hire from Ropes & Gray LLP to strengthen its London-based private equity real estate practice. David Seymour and Will Bryant, both established partners with over a decade at Ropes, join the magic circle firm as part of its broader expansion in private capital services. Seymour achieved partner status in 2016, while Bryant made partner in 2021; both previously worked together at Slaughter and May earlier in their careers.
The two partners carry substantial transactional credentials in the institutional real estate space. Legal 500 recognizes Seymour as a leading partner in commercial property investment and Bryant as a next-generation practitioner in the same category. At Ropes & Gray, Seymour and Bryant served as the firm's sole London-based real estate investment and transactions partners, supported by two counsel and three associates, indicating they dominated Ropes' UK real estate practice focused on alternative assets.
Their client base and deal experience align closely with institutional investor demand. The duo have advised European and global private equity real estate funds, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, and family offices on cross-border transactions. Notable recent mandates include leading a team advising The Baupost Group and KKR on a £900m joint venture acquisition of a 33-property UK Marriott hotel portfolio in 2024, and assisting Brookfield with joint venture aspects of a three-warehouse Heathrow acquisition in 2023. Their sector expertise spans data centres, logistics, major retail assets, and social and educational infrastructure—core pillars of institutional real estate investment.
This hire reflects Freshfields' aggressive expansion trajectory. The firm achieved over £2bn in annual revenue for the first time in 2023-24, with the United States serving as its fastest-growing region. However, the firm has simultaneously reinforced its UK infrastructure and real estate capabilities, recruiting partners Alistair McKechnie, Jessamy Gallagher, and Stuart Rowson from Paul Hastings for energy and infrastructure work. Freshfields' market positioning remains strong; it ranked second globally in deal tables for Q1 2025, advising on 33 transactions with a combined value exceeding $100bn, demonstrating institutional capital market depth.
The two partners carry substantial transactional credentials in the institutional real estate space. Legal 500 recognizes Seymour as a leading partner in commercial property investment and Bryant as a next-generation practitioner in the same category. At Ropes & Gray, Seymour and Bryant served as the firm's sole London-based real estate investment and transactions partners, supported by two counsel and three associates, indicating they dominated Ropes' UK real estate practice focused on alternative assets.
Their client base and deal experience align closely with institutional investor demand. The duo have advised European and global private equity real estate funds, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, and family offices on cross-border transactions. Notable recent mandates include leading a team advising The Baupost Group and KKR on a £900m joint venture acquisition of a 33-property UK Marriott hotel portfolio in 2024, and assisting Brookfield with joint venture aspects of a three-warehouse Heathrow acquisition in 2023. Their sector expertise spans data centres, logistics, major retail assets, and social and educational infrastructure—core pillars of institutional real estate investment.
This hire reflects Freshfields' aggressive expansion trajectory. The firm achieved over £2bn in annual revenue for the first time in 2023-24, with the United States serving as its fastest-growing region. However, the firm has simultaneously reinforced its UK infrastructure and real estate capabilities, recruiting partners Alistair McKechnie, Jessamy Gallagher, and Stuart Rowson from Paul Hastings for energy and infrastructure work. Freshfields' market positioning remains strong; it ranked second globally in deal tables for Q1 2025, advising on 33 transactions with a combined value exceeding $100bn, demonstrating institutional capital market depth.
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