Clifford Chance‘s offering in the real estate finance space encompasses both new money financing for the acquisition of properties and the refinancing of existing portfolios. The team, under the guidance of Tobias Schulten, acts for both bank lenders and asset managers as borrowers on deals across assets including logistics and office properties, in addition to data centres. Schulten himself acts for banks providing credit lines for property deals and is also well versed in project finance. Georg Lübbehüsen acts for both lenders that include banks and debt funds, and sponsors, on transactions centred on German and international property portfolios.

Ashurst LLP is frequently tasked by lenders with the handling of loan provisions for clients looking to finance the acquisitions of hotel, residential and logistics properties in Germany and further afield, additionally overseeing restructuring mandates for both lender and borrower clients. The team is headed by real estate and asset finance specialist Filip Kurkowski, who acts for banks, mezzanine lenders and asset managers, among others. Adding further real estate and also project finance expertise is Alexander Vorndran.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner‘s real estate financing work encompasses both lender and borrower-side mandates, advising banks, including a number of state banks, asset managers and property developers on new money and refinancing matters. Frank Schwem handles the financing arrangements for the purchase of property portfolios and construction, while Torsten Pokropp is well versed in the structuring of lines of credit for deals concerning office, retail and hospitality space, among others; they lead the practice in tandem. Martin Wilmsen is noted for his expertise in ESG-compliant financing.

In addition to advising banks on the provision of new money real estate facilities, Norton Rose Fulbright is also called upon by real estate investors and developers for its expertise in acquisition and development finance. The practice is also adept at overseeing special situations, including the restructuring of credit lines in the event of insolvency. Practice head Bernhard Fiedler acts for a host of banks, advising them on debt-based financing structures for borrowers in the real estate field, while Veit Sahlfeld supports developers in the retail and hospitality sectors on acquisition, development and mezzanine facilities.

Working closely with the firm’s capital markets and restructuring practices, the White & Case LLP real estate finance group led by Thomas Flatten and Gernot Wagner oversees a variety of loans and other capital raising structures for the acquisition and development of property portfolios, in addition to assisting with the restructuring of existing credit facilities. Sébastien Seele is well versed in the latter, in addition to assisting asset managers structure both mortgage-backed facilities and bonds. The October 2024 arrival of A&O Shearman‘s Joachim Schmidt further expanded the firm’s capacity on this front.

DLA Piper is instructed by asset managers and other investors looking to acquire and develop portfolios in Germany and across Europe, in particular in the logistics sector, in addition to assisting banks with the structuring of ESG-focused lines of credit. Michaela Sopp handles both new money facilities and restructuring mandates, including for senior and mezzanine facilities, while Eike Neugebauer specialises in advising regulated borrowers on their real estate financing arrangements.

GSK Stockmann services a range of real estate developers and asset managers requiring assistance with the structuring of term and mezzanine facilities for the development or redevelopment of office, residential and infrastructure assets, among others. Jointly spearheading the practice’s efforts are Stefan Koser, who handles borrower and lender-side mandates, and Alma Franke, well versed in financing structures aimed at retail and hospitality assets. Rebecca Comtesse specialises in development financing arrangements.