Olswang’s head of real estate finance Eleni Skordaki has quit the firm after nearly ten years to join Dechert’s City finance and real estate group.
Skordaki specialises in advising banks in real estate financings and restructurings.Last year, she advised Santander and Hypothekenbank Frankfurt on a £177m acquisition facility provided to Legal & General UK Property Income Fund. Prior to joining Olswang in October 2004, Skordaki was a senior lawyer at Allen & Overy for four years.
Her hire follows the top 35 UK firm’s growth of its financial services practice in Luxembourg with the hire of partner Johan Terblanche, who joined from Dutch firm Loyens & Loeff.
Terblanche has experience of advising managers and investors of investment funds, focusing specifically on alternative funds.
Dechert in February this year was among the first of the US firms to reveal its financials for 2013, with revenue up by 6.6% to $777.2m from $729m.
The firm has been expanding more generally in Europe, including launching a life sciences practice in Frankfurt in June, with the hire of Ruediger Herrmann, former corporate head at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.
Dechert chief executive officer Daniel O’Donnell (pictured) said: ‘We are very pleased to have both Eleni and Johan join us. Their experience helps us expand in two key practice areas. They are a welcome addition to our firm.’
Jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk