Adrian de Souza
General counsel
Land Securities
As a relative newcomer to the property world, for general counsel Adrian de Souza the past few years have been all about finding his feet in the business he joined back in 2010. De Souza was tasked with cutting down the number of firms that Land Securities regularly works with. He has successfully reduced the number from 25 firms to eight, although the company used to have around 100 firms on its roster.
His legal spend is still around £20m, although he says ‘the key is quality, not cost’. He adds that he has noticed some Magic Circle firms retreating from property work and despite this trend, he wants access to the best real estate lawyers.
Law firms used: Allen & Overy, Berwin Leighton Paisner, Clifford Chance, Dundas & Wilson, Eversheds, Herbert Smith Freehills, Hogan Lovells, Nabarro
2010-present: General counsel, Land Securities
2008-10: Head of legal, SABMiller
2004-07: Senior counsel, SABMiller
1999-2004: Senior associate, Clifford Chance