DWF has announced the return of Stephen Hickling as a partner in its real estate team in Birmingham. He rejoins the firm after four years in-house as legal director at national housebuilder Dandara, where he led legal strategy across the group’s build-to-rent division, advising senior leadership on governance, compliance and risk.
During his time at Dandara, Hickling led negotiations on the divestment of various BTR assets, including complex multi-jurisdictional joint ventures, forward funding arrangements and forward sales. He brings more than 24 years’ experience in real estate, with a background spanning commercial development, investment and portfolio management, as well as major regeneration schemes and public sector development partnerships.
Commenting on his return, Hickling said: ‘After four years in-house, I’m excited to be returning to DWF with a broader commercial perspective and a deeper understanding of what clients need from their legal advisers.’ He added: ‘I’m particularly looking forward to supporting clients in the living sector and to working with colleagues to deliver practical, commercially focused advice on complex development and investment projects.’
Melanie Williams, global head of real estate, said: ‘Stephen’s return is a significant addition to our real estate team,’ adding that his in-house experience and development expertise ‘strengthens our ability to advise clients across the full lifecycle of real estate projects.’
