Business Wire

Simpson Thacher Adds Prominent Real Estate Finance Partner

13.5.2022 08:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release

Share

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP today announced that James Esterkin will rejoin the Real Estate Practice as a Partner in the Firm’s London office.

James advises private equity sponsors and other investors in connection with the financing of U.K. and European real estate and related assets. He specializes in complex real estate acquisition and development financing, non-performing loan financing arrangements and the restructuring of real estate-related secured debt.

“We are very pleased to welcome James back to our team in London,” said Alden Millard, Chair of Simpson Thacher’s Executive Committee. “James has a unique blend of skills across the real estate sector with experience in all sub-real estate asset classes and European geographies that will be of tremendous value to our clients.”

For nearly 45 years, Simpson Thacher’s London office has advised clients on a wide range of transactions and legal matters throughout Europe. With approximately 185 attorneys, the office offers a team of English and U.S.-trained lawyers advising clients on a broad array of corporate transactions and legal disputes. The Firm’s London Real Estate Practice regularly advises on some of the largest and most complex matters throughout Europe. Recent work includes representing Blackstone Real Estate Partners in connection with nearly all of their financings in the region, across more than 20 jurisdictions and all real estate subsectors, as well as other real estate sponsors, including KKR and Apollo, on almost all of their European sponsor-side real estate finance work. Among its many highlights, the Firm recently advised Blackstone on its €21 billion recapitalization of Mileway—the largest-ever private real estate transaction.

“James will be an excellent addition to our team,” said Tom Lloyd, who leads the Firm’s Real Estate Finance team in the London office. “His extensive experience advising private equity sponsors for almost his entire career will enhance the offerings of our growing real estate finance practice.”

London office Managing Partner Jason Glover noted, “James has established himself as a prominent advisor to an impressive roster of real estate sponsors. He is an exceptional match for our real estate finance capabilities in London.”

“Simpson Thacher is renowned for providing outstanding, innovative advice to the world’s most sophisticated sponsors in the real estate sector,” said James. “I’m thrilled to be returning to the Firm and am excited to further push forward the growth of the Real Estate Finance team in London.”

James was previously a Partner in the London office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, beginning in 2017. Prior to that, he worked on Simpson Thacher’s London Real Estate team as an Associate from 2013 to 2017. He received his LPC, with distinction, and an LL.M. in International Legal Practice from University of Law, London, and his LL.B. in Law from University of Nottingham. James received a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from University of Westminster.

ABOUT SIMPSON THACHER

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP (www.simpsonthacher.com) is one of the world’s leading international law firms. The Firm was established in 1884 and has more than 1,000 lawyers. Headquartered in New York with offices in Beijing, Brussels, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, São Paulo, Tokyo and Washington, D.C., the Firm provides coordinated legal advice and transactional capability to clients around the globe.

To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Contact information

Caroline Fatchett
Assoc. Director, Communications
mediainquiries@stblaw.com

About Business Wire

For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Andersen Global Deepens Private Client Tax Capabilities with KTA Tax15.10.2026 16:30:00 EEST | Press release

Andersen Global broadens its private client tax capabilities through a Collaboration Agreement with KTA Tax, a Dublin-based tax practice that has advised individuals and families for nearly three decades. KTA Tax has advised private clients and their families since 1997, combining the personal approach of a boutique practice with deep technical knowledge of Irish taxation. Its services span transaction and tax planning, estate planning, investments and pensions, cross-border matters, Revenue interventions, employment tax, and annual personal tax compliance. “We have remained focused on one thing: providing clear, thoughtful tax advice that reflects the individual circumstances of our clients and their families,” said Lisa Cantillon, CEO of KTA Tax. “Collaborating with Andersen Global is an important step for KTA Tax, giving us an opportunity to build on that foundation while extending the resources available to the clients we serve.” “Private client work demands an understanding of mor

Sysco Awards Partner of the Year Award to Grid Dynamics15.10.2026 16:15:00 EEST | Press release

Grid Dynamics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: GDYN) (“Grid Dynamics”) today announced that Sysco, the global foodservice distribution leader, has named the company its Partner of the Year. The recognition honors Grid Dynamics’ approach and expertise in bringing AI into Sysco’s technology and business operations. Sysco is the global leader in foodservice distribution, generating $84.6 billion in sales for its fiscal year ended June 27, 2026, and serving approximately 670,000 customer locations across 10 countries. The partnership began in 2024 with Grid Dynamics teams working alongside Sysco across product search and discovery, digital commerce, and AI-first software development. Grid Dynamics delivered a range of projects that made everyday work easier for Sysco's associates, enhanced the customer experience, and generated measurable business value. “What makes this partnership work is how closely our teams operate together,” said Ragnarok Rocha, Vice President, Digital Commerce and Customer S

The Outcome Economy at Work – New Research From Vertage15.10.2026 16:01:00 EEST | Press release

Three in four enterprises (74%) define significant work around outcomes, but only 15% are ready to deliver it consistently, according to new global research from HR tech leader Vertage. These ‘outcome-ready’ enterprises report higher customer satisfaction (91% vs. 67%), stronger delivery of strategic goals (86% vs. 65%) and faster conversion of opportunities into value (85% vs. 64%). They also have a cultural edge: 69% of their employees understand their contribution and can adapt how they work, compared with 34% elsewhere. "AI adoption no longer separates strong businesses from the rest. Outcome readiness does," said Edzard Overbeek, Group CEO of Vertage. "The strongest businesses organize people, partners and AI around a clear result, and they keep human judgment at the center." The study, The Outcome Economy at Work, draws on 800 enterprise decision-makers and 1,200 workers across six markets, plus in-depth interviews with senior leaders. Its central finding is clear: outcome-based

Introducing Ledger Atom™—Everything You Value, Finally Secure15.10.2026 15:45:00 EEST | Press release

Ledger™, the global leader in secure infrastructure for digital ownership, today unveiled Ledger Atom™, a security and privacy device that runs your everyday apps, purpose-built to help protect your money, your AI agent approvals, and your privacy. The innovative architecture of Ledger Atom, leveraging Android™ open source alongside Ledger OS™, Ledger’s proprietary security-first operating system running on a secure element chip, allows you to approve sensitive actions in a secure environment while using all your everyday apps on a single device. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261015445765/en/ Ledger has launched Ledger Atom, a security and privacy device that runs your everyday apps, purpose-built to help protect your money, your AI agent approvals, and your privacy. Your phone is not secure, and threats targeting it are escalating; mobile zero-days nearly doubled year over year in 2025, and commercial spywa

Meet Yuvo - The All-In-One Platform Helping Travel Brands Optimize Every Stage of Their Customer's Journey15.10.2026 15:36:00 EEST | Press release

Yuvo data shows that flight disruption hit more than 913 million passengers in 2025, and travellers are now buying travel protection at six times the pre-pandemic rate. Yet for most travel brands, a delayed flight still means support calls, refunds and lost customers. Yuvo turns those moments, and every other step of the trip, into revenue and loyalty. Most travel brands earn from their customers only once: when they book. Yuvo changes that. It helps partners earn across the whole journey, with no technology to build and full control of the customer relationship. Yuvo works with some of the biggest names in travel, turning the customer relationships they already have into an ongoing revenue stream while keeping them fully in control. Built by a team of seasoned travel tech experts, the platform has already helped more than 26 million travelers through its services, improving customer experience and building loyalty worldwide. Yuvo’s Services - adding value at every stage of the journey

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye