Nick Finlayson-Brown

Real estate and Head of China Desk

Partner. A real estate lawyer with over 25 years of experience helping a diverse range of UK and overseas clients in connection with property investment, development and management across the private, institutional, charitable (including heritage) and public sectors acting for pension funds, onshore and offshore investors and sovereign wealth funds, developers, managers and leading heritage institutions and local/central government agencies. This includes dealing with a wide range of clients with a variety of complex requirements and structures. Projects include acting for property investors and developers in connection with the acquisition, management and development of prime London real estate and national property portfolios - including the West End and the City and advising landowners and developers in connection with the promotion and regeneration of brownfield sites across the UK. Nick also acts for leading heritage bodies in connection with the management and development of their estates including The National Gallery, The British Library, The Science Museum Group and The Natural History Museum. Current projects include the procurement of development partners for 3 brownfield regeneration projects in central London in and around King’s Cross, Docklands and Victoria Embankment.

As head of the firm’s China Desk, working with Chinese state-owned enterprises, private companies and multipliers in connection with direct investment from China into the UK and Europe and also working with lawyers in China to provide a trusted network of advisers to clients seeking to invest in the PRC. Current projects include advising Chinese entities on the acquisition of student accommodation, schools, investment in real estate development projects in Docklands and more generally facilitating M&A projects, listings and infrastructure projects.

In his role as Head of Office for Mills & Reeve in Cambridge, Nick is active in many local and national networks to promote the Cambridge economy and the entrepreneurial flare and brilliance that has attracted global investors, tech and life science companies to the region and its clusters.  Nick is a champion for diversity and inclusion within Mills & Reeve. This is something that he is keen to see embraced in the wider community.

Sawston Village College, Cambridge; University of York (BA Philosophy); College of Law, Lancaster Gate, London (CPE; LSF).