Profile
Steven Cowins, Co-Chair of the firm's Global Real Estate Funds Practice and ranked Band 1 in Chambers 2025, focuses his practice on private equity and fund formation matters. He regularly advises clients on establishing a wide range of UK, pan-European and global real estate funds, segregated mandates as well as joint ventures and M&A.
His clients include prominent fund managers, funds, family offices and financial institutions such as:
- BlackRock
- British Airways Pension Fund
- Deutsche Finance International
- Europa Capital
- Greater Manchester Pension Fund
- Heim Global Investor (Heimstaden)
- Heitman
- Hines
- M&G
- NREP (now part of Urban Partners)
- Oaktree Capital Management
- Paloma Capital
- Patrizia
- Precede Capital Partners
- Revcap
- Schroders
- Starwood Capital
- Tristan Capital Partners
- Valor Real Estate Partners
In Chambers & Partners UK 2024, Steven is referred to as “the most commercially aware lawyer I have worked with in my career. He is a strong and driven leader of a fantastic team.” In The Legal 500 UK 2025, Steven is recognised as a Leading Partner. The Guide refers to Steven as follows “exceptional commercial acumen, strong negotiator and very well connected” and his team as “hardworking, technically strong and collaborative, delivering excellent advice due to a commercial approach and deep knowledge of the market”.
Concentrations
- Fund formation
- Separate accounts, segregated mandates, and joint ventures
- M&A
- Secondaries
- Platform formation and GP stakes
Capabilities
Experience
- Advising AEW Europe on the formation of its second pan-European value-add fund.
- Advising Deutsche Finance International on various pan-European mandates including the formation of its third European value-add real estate fund targeting in excess of EUR 1 billion of commitments and a UK urban logistics platform.
- Advising Europa Capital on the formation of its continental diversified income fund with a target capital raise of EUR 2 billion as well as Europa value-add funds IV, V and VI, Europa’s UK debt funds and the establishment of the Europa Generation student accommodation platform.
- Advising the UK’s largest local authority pension fund, Greater Manchester Pension Fund on its investment into a GBP 25 billion + specialist fund vehicle.
- Advising Heim Global Investor on the establishment and first close of its new GBP 700 million UK residential development fund.
- Advising Heitman on the recapitalisation, and continuation of its German and Dutch residential fund, valued at EUR 500 million.
- Advising NREP (now part of Urban Partners) on the formation of two German focused debt funds including its first ESG/sustainable debt fund focused on green senior and mezzanine loan investments in Germany and the Nordics.
- Advising Paloma Capital on the formation of its first three UK focused value-add funds and its continuation vehicle with a cornerstone investor.
- Advising Precede Capital Partners on the establishment of, and investment by QuadReal Property Group into, their new GBP 1 billion debt platform and its second segregated mandate with QuadReal Property Group targeting mezzanine debt investments in UK real estate assets.
- Advising Revcap on the establishment of its value-add Kitty Hawk Capital Partners Funds I to IV, its core-plus Whitehawk Funds I to XI, pan-European opportunistic Sparrowhawk Funds III and IV and various segregated mandates and joint ventures.
- Advising BlackRock on several products involving British Airways Pension Fund including the establishment of a life sciences vehicle valued at over GBP 1 billion.
- Advising Oaktree Capital on various European joint ventures in relation to various residential portfolios.
- Advising Valor Real Estate Partners on the formation of three separate accounts with AIG, one separate account with a US REIT and one separate account with a large Canadian pension plan.
- Advising BlackRock (as investment adviser to the British Airways Pension Fund) on the disposal of its 25.5% interest in the Sainsbury’s Reversion Portfolio with an underlying value of GBP 784 million.
- Advising a joint venture between Oxford Properties and Trinity Investment Management / Pioneer Group on its GBP 420 million acquisition of the corporate structure which owned Victoria House, Holborn.
- Advising Valor Real Estate Partners and AIG on the EUR 1 billion sale of their pan-European urban logistics portfolio, comprising approximately 4.5 million sq ft of real estate in the UK, France, and Germany.
- Advising Starwood Capital on its joint venture with Lendlease and the acquisition of the GBP 3.5 billion Silvertown GDV development site in East London.
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed in Chambers UK Guide, "Investment Funds: Real Estate," Band 2, 2022-2024, Band 1, 2025
- Listed,Chambers Europe, "Investment Funds: Real Estate - UK," 2020, 2022-2024
- Listed, IFLR 1000 United Kingdom, "Rising Star Partner" Investment funds, M&A, 2018-2024
- Team Member, PERE Global Awards, Law Firm of the Year: Fund Formation in Europe, 2018
- Listed, The Legal 500 United Kingdom, 2017-2025
- Commercial Property: Development, 2025
- Commercial Property: Investment, 2022-2025
- Real Estate Funds, 2022-2025
- "Leading Partner," 2025
Credentials
Education
- Nottingham Trent Law School, 2002
- Leicester University, 2001
Admissions
- England and Wales