Global law firm Freshfields has today announced the appointments of private equity (PE) real estate lawyers David Seymour and Will Bryant, who will join the firm from Ropes & Gray in London. Seymour and Bryant focus on cross-border transactions, advising European and global private equity real estate funds, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, family offices and operating partners across all types of real investments, assets and businesses. Their industry experience includes data centres, logistics, major retail and social and educational investments. Seymour is recognised as a pre-eminent PE real estate lawyer and Will as a “Next Generation Partner” by The Legal 500. Together, they will work closely with Alexander Watt, co-head of Freshfields’ Global Real Assets, as well as Global Real Estate Head Niko Schultz-Suechting and UK PE head James Scott. Watt commented: “David and Will join us at a pivotal moment when we look to expand our global offering across the full range of private capital and strategic investors in the real estate sector. We are excited to have them join our growing team, particularly given their impressive experience advising European and international investors.” Schultz-Suechting added: “With an increasingly diversified market, real estate is the biggest asset class in the private capital space. Currently, the sector is going through rapid change, driven by changing working patterns and environments, generational shifts, interest rates, increased construction costs, changed demands and the need to adapt buildings to ESG requirements. We continue to see an increase in the complexity and cross border nature of real estate transactions which we are advising on. The appointments of David and Will enhance our strength in London as well as our global capabilities to meet the evolving needs of our clients.”