Expertise

The CMS Real Estate and Construction Sector Group comprises over 130 partners working with more than 250 qualified lawyers. CMS has a successful track record of advising a wide variety of domestic and international clients, including financiers, developers, real estate trusts and funds on all aspects of real estate investment, development financing and construction. CMS is also experienced in advising on real estate funds: the launch and operation of such funds.

Coordinated Team Work

Because of our extensive European presence, we can not only provide clients with a single contact partner in their home jurisdiction, but also a coordinated team of lawyers working to consistent standards across borders.

The range of services we provide includes:

• Property sales and purchases, either directly or through corporate vehicles
• Land, industrial, commercial and residential properties, individual assets or block sales
• Construction contracts, assistance to property owners and developers
• Property management: commercial leases (negotiation, finalisation, rent reviews, eviction), commercial and residential leases
• Town planning: national and local town planning regulations, planning permissions, taxes and contributions, retail planning approvals
• Environment: pollution and facilities requiring a licence, audits of property assets and operating premises
• Property debt financing
• Property funds: launch of closed and open-ended funds, for institutional, private and/or retail investors, as well as issues related to the operation of such funds
• Tax planning related to investment structures, value-added tax (VAT) and local taxes, as well as tax advice and planning for domestic and foreign companies

Key Qualities

Every day, CMS lawyers advise clients across Europe on a wide range of projects and disputes related to real estate and construction. CMS has a number of key qualities which differentiate us from the competition, including:

• Extensive coverage across Europe with specific local knowledge
• Multidisciplinary advice – including corporate, tax, banking and insolvency
• The ability to develop strong teams with clients
• Detailed knowledge and experience within all areas of law – both contentious and non-contentious
• Proactive and business-oriented approach

Contact

For a specific legal expert, please see the contact list in the right column.