Jonathan Wilkes and Ashley Davidson join Simmons & Simmons

Jonathan Wilkes and Ashley Davidson join Simmons & Simmons

The two have been working together for over 15 years

British law firm Simmons & Simmons has made a twin partner hire from Stephenson Harwood to bolster its London real estate team.

While Jonathon Wilkes was head of real estate at Stephenson Harwood, Ashley Davidson became a partner at the firm in 2020. They have previously served property investors including LondonMetric, Longmead Capital, Tristan Capital Partners and Realty Income.

John Kelsey, who leads Simmons' 10-partner strong London real estate team, said, "The addition of two new partners is a significant move for us and reflects our ambitious strategy for the Simmons' real estate business. Jonathon and Ashley's client base and skillset are complementary to ours, whilst we provide them with an enhanced platform both in the UK and internationally."

Wilkes said: "Simmons' real estate offering is second to none, underpinned by strong, collaborative teams across the funds, tax, corporate, litigation and banking practices. Their pan-European network is also extremely impressive and provides us with an excellent opportunity to better support our clients."

Having spent almost 12 years at Stephenson Harwood, Wilkes was previously a partner at Wragge & Co. Prior to that, he worked as an associate at Nabarro. Shortly after he joined Wragge, Davidson also joined him at Stephenson Harwood.

Meanwhile, Stephenson Harwood has appointed Simon Brading to take over from Wilkes as London head of the real estate. A partner since 2014, Brading's practice focuses on large development, investment and forward-funding transactions with Schroders UK Real Estate Fund and The Prudential Assurance Company.

Rebecca Carter, who heads the real estate and projects practice group at Stephenson Harwood, said: "Our real estate experts, including in corporate real estate, real estate finance and property litigation, attract a wide range of clients, but particularly those investing private capital or through funds – a core part of the firm's new strategy. This is a focus area for future growth."