Next generation City law firm, McCarthy Denning, has appointed Soulla Berger as a partner. The appointment strengthens the firm’s international hospitality practice especially within the area of hotel real estate transactions.
Next generation City law firm, McCarthy Denning, has appointed Soulla Berger as a partner. The appointment strengthens the firm’s international hospitality practice especially within the area of hotel real estate transactions.
Berger is a highly experienced hospitality lawyer with particular expertise in the development, management, acquisition, disposition and financing of hotels, resorts, branded residences, and other mixed-use hospitality assets. She has over ten years of experience acting for branded international operators, white label operators, hotel owners, private equity funds and institutional investors, both in private practice (at Goodwin Procter LLP) and in-house (at Marriott International and Four Seasons).
Berger’s practice covers all sectors of the hotel industry from new-build projects to hotel conversions, and from select service projects to ultra-luxury mixed-use beach resorts. She has worked on projects all around the world including projects across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the US and the Caribbean and is accustomed to cross-border and multi-jurisdictional transactions and management of local counsel advice.
At McCarthy Denning, Berger is teaming up with Partner John Sipling, who has been one of the hotel industry’s leading lawyers for many years. Together they form one of the strongest teams in the market for advising on the contractual relationship between the ownership and brand/operator side of the industry. Leveraging Berger’s in-house experience and sector expertise, the team will provide McCarthy Denning’s domestic and international clients with a full-service corporate and commercial hospitality offering after a challenging year for the industry.
Berger says: “I’m excited to be joining such an innovative firm as McCarthy Denning and look forward to expanding our hospitality and leisure presence in EMEA and beyond. The optimised infrastructure that McCarthy Denning offers will enable me to provide the specialist advice that hospitality and leisure clients require without the overheads of a traditional firm during an unprecedented time in the hospitality industry. I’m thrilled to be able to help navigate clients through such times with a focus on quality of work, adaptability and transparency around costs.”
Sipling also commented on Berger’s arrival to the firm: “I originally joined McCarthy Denning because I wanted to work in a more flexible, less bureaucratic environment, where I could focus on my clients in a creative and productive way. It has worked brilliantly, and my practice has grown stronger and stronger. Having Soulla working alongside me brings even more opportunities to bring our experience and expertise to the industry.”
