David Hawkins
Head of Real Estate, London
Norton Rose Fulbright LLP
Related services and key industries
Biography
David Hawkins is a real estate lawyer and Head of the London Real Estate team. He has extensive experience of all areas of commercial real estate law, with a particular focus on inward investment and large-scale mixed-use development projects.
David acts for investors, owners, developers and occupiers on projects across a range of sectors, including offices, industrial, student accommodation and mixed use schemes.
David is Vice-Chair of the City of London Law Society Land Law Committee.
Professional experience
Collapse all- B.A. in Law, Bristol University
- Distinction in the Legal Practice Course, College of Law
- Solicitor, qualified in England & Wales
- Kensington Olympia - advising a joint venture of institutional investors on the £1.3bn redevelopment of Olympia London, a 130 year old exhibition and events business, situated on a prime 14 acre freehold site in West London, into a leading cultural and entertainment destination
- Commerz Real – advising German open-ended fund Commerz Real on the £1.5bn forward funding of Phase 1 of the Westfield London Shopping Centre and the forward funding and joint venture arrangements for the c.740,000 square foot extension to make it the largest shopping centre in Europe
- DP World – advising since 2005 on the ongoing development of a 1,500 acre container port and c900 acre logistics park at Thurrock Essex including land reclamation arrangement with the Port of London Authority, arrangements with Intergen for a new power station, the relocation of the Thames Haven branch line, the joint venture arrangements with Prologis for the development of the first shed on the logistics park and the preletting of a new c.450,000 sq.ft. distribution warehouse to DHL
- Ashby Capital – advised on a number of projects including its forward funding of a 100,000 square foot office building in Slough (as part of the Heart of Slough regeneration) and its option arrangements over the remaining two phases of development, its joint venture arrangements with Helical for the acquisition and development of a new 200,000 sq.ft. office building next to Smithfield Market and its joint venture arrangements with Native Land for the acquisition and redevelopment of an Edwardian office building in the Knowledge Quarter of London
- Asian investor – supported on the acquisition, letting, management and subsequent disposal of 7 and 8 St James's Square, London. Number 8 St James's Square is a multi-award winning building with private terraces and views on the square, providing 62,200 square foot of modern office space, including the highest office rent per square foot in London. Number 7 is a 30,000 square foot Edwin Lutyens-designed mansion that fronts on to St James's Square.
- Barnards Inn Trust – advising Europa and Hobart Partners on the acquisition, refurbishment and letting of Barnard's Inn in London's Midtown
- IMI – advising on their pre-letting of a state of the art manufacturing facility at the Advanced Manufacturing Hub, Aston
- Resolution Property – advising on the purchase and subsequent letting of the iconic Royal Exchange, a Grade I listed building next to the Bank of England, comprising 68,023 sq.ft, of office space.
- Heron Residences – advising on the redevelopment of land at Milton Court EC2, to erect a new 36-storey mixed-use tower comprising a new Guildhall School of Music and Drama, with residential apartments above it. This was the largest residential development in the City for 30 years
- Singaporean investor – advised on the acquisition of a portfolio of student accommodation properties in Bristol, Manchester, Nottingham and Newcastle, comprising over 750 beds
- City of London – advised on the option and joint venture arrangements with Helical Bar for the development of a c. 275,000 square foot office development at Creechurch Place, London EC3
- BNP Paribas – supported on a number of investment and development finance transactions, including those for the redevelopment of 7-10 Hanover Square and Eland House, Victoria
- Eco World – advised on a £2bn joint venture with Ballymore Properties for one of the three large-scale London residential opportunities, comprising two 50-storey towers at Arrowhead Quay in the London Docklands
- D2 Private – assisted with a number of projects, including the acquisition, redevelopment and subsequent disposal of 11/12 St James's Square, London and the acquisition, management and disposal of Waterside House Paddington to a consortium of Korean investors.
- Commerz Real - on the sale of its long leasehold interest in 1 Paternoster Square, one of the two mixed use office and retail buildings that CRI owned on the iconic Paternoster Estate, next to London's St Paul's Cathedral.
Leading individual, The Legal 500, 2025
Recognised practitioner, Chambers and Partners
- Vice-Chair of the City of London Law Society Land Law Committee
- Investment Property Forum
- Westminster Property Forum