Kirkland & Ellis has hired Linklaters‘ head of real estate M&A Matthew Elliott, who leaves the Magic Circle firm after 17 years, in a bid to boost its private equity offering within the real estate sector.
Elliot previously led Linklaters real estate private equity practice, and primarily has experience advising financial sponsors on real estate investments. Some of his key clients include Cerberus, Ares, PIMCO, TPG, Brookfield, Oaktree, sovereign wealth funds and Canadian funds including PSP and CPPIB. Recent work includes acting on the bid for Canary Wharf-owner Songbird Estates by Qatar Investment Authority and Brookfield Property Partners.
Elliot trained at Linklaters in 1998, and spent time in the firm’s Tokyo office in 1999 and 2000, after which he became an associate. He became a partner in 2004.
Kirkland’s executive committee chairman Jeffrey Hammes said: ‘Matt joins us as one of the top attorneys in his market. His joining is a reflection of our commitment to broadening our strong transactional offering in London. Matt is our first partner in Europe with significant experience in private equity real estate, together with substantial experience in a wide variety of other corporate transactions. He is a great fit for our team.’
The hire comes after the firm announced last month that former Kirkland partner and London head Jim Learner would return as a partner in the firm’s corporate practice.
jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk