DLA Piper has won a mandate to advise Motorola on much of its real estate work.
The firm’s Manchester arm has been instructed to coordinate all of Motorola’s corporate real estate needs across Europe, the Middle East, Southwest Asia and Africa - an area that covers more than 50 countries.
DLA Piper was appointed by the telecoms giant after a three-month competitive tender process, with the appointment marking the first for the firm’s real estate group, which has not advised Motorola in the past.
The Manchester office will be supported by DLA Piper’s international network of offices, as well as by its referral firms in some jurisdictions.
Corporate real estate partner Roy Beckett will serve as the lead client partner for Motorola from Manchester, coordinating work - which is likely to include largely property acquisitions and disposals - with the overseas offices and referral firms.
He told Legal Week: “This is significant because [it shows] we are an organisation that can service global clients. Winning and transitioning Motorola’s corporate real estate legal work has been an exciting process.”
The firm’s global head of real estate, David Taylor, added: “The ability to offer multinational clients a one-stop solution to their legal needs is why we have invested heavily over recent years in creating a global legal services portfolio.”