New Real Estate practice group at Schalast

Member firm in Germany, Schalast, has launched its new interdisciplinary real estate practice group. The firm is welcoming two proven real estate experts as partners: the lawyers Mahren Williams (49) and Dr Marc-Alexander Lüth (49) will be contributing their comprehensive experience and expertise. Both have advised on real estate transactions and portfolios both in Germany and abroad for banks, real estate developers and investors. Additional Schalast colleagues will be completing the practice group with specific know-how from the firm's Hamburg and Frankfurt offices.

The new partners
Dr Marc-Alexander Lüth comes to Schalast from the real estate investor Aroundtown, for which he in recent years established a management platform for commercial real estate investments. Prior to this, Dr Marc-Alexander Lüth worked for Aroundtown's Luxembourg holding, Grand City Properties, as well as Patron Capital Partners, Dundee International (Dream Global), Hudson Advisors, Lovells and ECE. At Hudson Advisors he was entrusted with the handling of non-performing, mostly real-estate backed loans (NPL) and the servicing of the Lone Star fund in Luxembourg. He is bringing comprehensive management experience to Schalast in relation to real estate companies and funds. He was also responsible for the complex liaison in real estate projects, for example between investors, financing banks, construction companies, authorities, commercial tenants and lawyers.



Mahren Williams has for twelve years run her own specialised commercial real estate law firm in Hamburg. She advised clients on real estate and contract law in connection with all real estate project development phases of shopping centres and commercial properties (including hotels, office buildings, medical centres, mixed-use properties, port building conversions). Prior to this, she established the commercial real estate practice group at the boutique real estate law firm Gappmayer & Partner in Hamburg.



Interdisciplinary team
The founding partner Professor Christoph Schalast and Barbara Busch are also members of the interdisciplinary team. Barbara Busch is a lawyer, tax advisor and public accountant. She has for many years advised national and international clients on real estate transactions, as well on all legal and tax issues in all real estate life cycle phases. She is also a partner at Schalast. According to the magazine WirtschaftsWoche, they are among the top real estate lawyers in Germany.

The lawyer Alexander May, LL.M., is also contributing his commercial real estate expertise to the practice group. As counsel he advises clients on all commercial real estate law issues, the execution of real estate transactions and the restructuring of real estate backed credit exposure. Proven real estate experts also work at Schalast's notary's office; they will likewise be active in the practice group.

International advice
Schalast is a member of the international law firm network Multilaw and can provide its clients with international advice. Christoph Schalast himself has been a member of the Real Estate practice group at Multilaw for many years and therefore has direct access to real estate law specialists around the world. 80 selected law firms are represented at Multilaw; they are based in all strategically important jurisdictions.

"Hitting the ground running"
Christoph Schalast explains as follows: "We have with Marc-Alexander Lüth and Mahren Williams gained another two real estate experts with excellent reputations. Hence, we are increasing the visibility of our law firm in a targeted fashion. Together with Barbara Busch, Alexander May, and our colleagues from the notary's office, we have an excellent team capable of initiating and advising on complex international real estate issues such as transactions, project development and financing. We are also expanding our Hamburg office, for which further projects are in the pipeline."