City of London commercial law firm Laytons ETL has launched a new real estate corporate department to address the expanding property needs of its corporate client base. The new practice will be jointly led by partners Scott Hilton (pictured, left) and Simon Jones (right), both of whom bring strong corporate followings and extensive experience in the sector.
Hilton joined Laytons ETL last year from US firm Armstrong Teasdale, while Jones became a partner following the firm’s 2022 merger with Cannings Connolly, the specialist real estate firm he previously owned and led. They are joined by senior associates Harry O’Donnell and Shaan Patel, associate Sophie Hartley, and executive assistants Liz Wills and Kerry-Ann Matticks.
The new division will serve a growing roster of large corporate occupiers and investors, including PLCs, across offices, retail, betting, industrial and logistics assets. It will work closely with Laytons ETL’s tax, corporate, and dispute resolution teams to deliver integrated advice on transactions, investments, and restructuring.
Hilton said the new practice would ‘enhance the service we offer to the growing number of big-ticket clients who have chosen Laytons ETL as their legal partner’. Jones added that the launch ‘reflects the status of our team as an increasingly significant player on the corporate real estate scene’ and would ‘enable us to provide the focused but multi-disciplinary service clients require’.
