Hogan Lovells boosts PE real estate bench with Paul Hastings duo

Hogan Lovells has added two partners from Paul Hastings to boost its London private equity real estate team.

Michael James and Edward Meadowcroft both join after more than a decade at Paul Hastings, where they built strong reputations for hotels and leisure deals, in particular. James made partner in 2016, while Meadowcroft was promoted in 2022, according to their LinkedIn profiles.

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The new duo are part of a broader strengthening of Hogan Lovells' private equity and funds bench. The firm has hired across Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany and Italy this year. Earlier this month, it also tapped Paul Hastings for two M&A partners in China, David Wang and Meka Meng.

For Paul Hastings, the hires add to a run of departures from its London office this year - many to UK-headquartered rivals. In August, restructuring partner Mei Lian joined Linklaters, following leveraged finance partner Peter Hayes, who also moved to Linklaters, and infrastructure specialists Jessamy Gallagher, Stuart Rowson and Ally McKechnie, who left for Freshfields.

What they said

James said: "I am looking forward to joining Hogan Lovells’ high-quality Private Equity and Real Estate teams. The firm’s commitment to growing its private equity offering coupled with its global presence and broad real estate offering provide a unique opportunity to support clients in this dynamic sector."

Meadowcroft added: "The firm's strength across corporate, finance, real estate and private equity makes it one of the most compelling platforms in the market. I am excited to join the team and contribute to its further growth in London and beyond."

James Doyle, the firm's corporate and finance head, said: "Michael and Edward’s arrival reflects our ambition to be the firm of choice for our private equity investors in this space."

He added: "London is a key hub in this strategy, and these hires further enhance our ability to connect European capital with opportunities around the world."