Profile
Steven Cowins, Co-Chair of the firm's Global Real Estate Funds Practice, focuses his practice on private equity and fund formation matters. He regularly advises clients on establishing a wide range of fund vehicles covering both equity and debt funds 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
- Heitman
- Hines
- NREP (now part of Urban Partners)
- Oaktree Capital
- Paloma Capital
- Patrizia
- Precede Capital Partners
- Revcap
- Schroders
- Starwood
- Tristan Capital Partners
- Valor Real Estate Partners
In The Legal 500 UK 2024, Steven is recognised as a Leading Individual. The Guide quotes a source saying, “Steve Cowins is a top-notch real estate funds lawyer. Practical, commercial and personable. He understands the industry extremely well. Much more than ‘just a lawyer’.” He is also referred to as “an exceptionally talented partner, who is a valuable asset to all of his clients. Steven is flexible and adaptable to his clients’ needs and is always able to navigate them through the various challenges they face.” In Chambers & Partners UK 2024 he is also 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.”
Concentrations
- Fund formation
- Separate accounts, segregated mandates, and joint ventures
- Acquisitions and dispositions
- Alternative investments
- Secondaries
Capabilities
Experience
Steven has worked on a number of high-profile matters including:
- Advising BlackRock on the establishment of a life sciences vehicle valued at over GBP 1 billion.
- Advising Deutsche Finance International on the formation of its third European value-add real estate fund targeting in excess of EUR 1 billion of commitments.
- Advising Europa Capital on the formation of its continental diversified income fund valued at EUR 2 billion.
- 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 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 Starwood on its joint venture with Lendlease and the acquisition of the GBP 3.5 billion Silvertown development site in East London.
- Advising Valor Real Estate Partners on the establishment of, and investment by Blackstone into, a new GBP 1 billion long-life, core-plus platform, focused on the European logistics sector.
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom, Real Estate Law, 2025
- Listed, Chambers UK Guide, "Investment Funds: Real Estate," 2022-2024
- Listed, Chambers Europe, "Investment Funds: Real Estate - UK," 2020, 2022-2024
- Listed, IFLR 1000 United Kingdom, "Rising Star Partner" Investment funds, M&A, 2018-2023
- Team Member, PERE Global Awards, Law Firm of the Year: Fund Formation in Europe, 2018
- Listed, The Legal 500 United Kingdom, 2017-2022
- Real Estate: Development, 2024
- Real Estate: Investment, 2024
- Commercial Property: Development, 2023
- Commercial Property: Investment, 2022-2023
- Real Estate Funds, 2022-2024
- "Leading Individual," 2024
- Investment Fund Formation and Management: Real Fund, 2017
- Team Member, Chambers USA Award for Excellence, Real Estate, 2017
Credentials
- Nottingham Trent Law School, 2002
- Leicester University, 2001
- England and Wales