Following on the news of Eric Rosedale's leaving to join Greenberg Traurig, Dentons has announced that Partner Pawel Debowski has been appointed the sole Chair of Dentons European Real Estate Group.
Debowski, previously Co-Chairman of the Group and Head of Central Europe Real Estate, joined Dentons' Warsaw office with his team from Clifford Chance in 2010. Debowski will head the European Real Estate practice, which consists of more than 200 lawyers based in 15 offices across mainland Europe. The group advises a number of top institutional real estate players, including Starwood Capital Group, Tristan Capital Partners, Heitman International, Deka, Union Investment, and GLL Real Estate Partners. In a statement released by the firm, Debowski is enthusiastic : “It's been a great year for the Real Estate Group. We have added some exceptional talent to the team and continue to represent an impressive client roster. I am proud to lead such an outstanding team and I expect to see some great successes as we move forward.” He also noted: “Last year saw the highest pan-European commercial real estate investment volume since 2007 with approximately EUR 166 billion transacted, and this volume is expected to continue to increase this year.”
Evan Lazar, co-founder of legacy Salans’ (now Dentons) Global Real Estate Group, who has been with the firm since 2004, will remain Co-Chair of Dentons Global Real Estate Group. Dentons claims that, since the firm's launch April 2013, the Global Real Estate Group has tripled its size, and that it now has nearly 600 members globally. Lazar commented of his colleague's new appointment that: "Pawel leads a very strong team which will continue to work on large-scale, complex transactions for both local and international clients. Since joining us he has been one of our key leaders in Europe and he will continue to play a critical role in the continued success of the group.”