03 November 2021

Burges Salmon is pleased to have been Highly Commended in the Real Estate Team of the Year category at The Lawyer Awards 2021, for its work advising Transport for Wales and the Welsh Government on the Core Valley Lines railway network.

The Lawyer Awards set the industry standard for benchmarking and celebrate the best teams and best practice in innovation in the legal industry, and the ‘Real Estate Team of the Year’ category is open to commercial property lawyers working in planning, development, finance or institutional investment.

Burges Salmon was Highly Commended in respect of the strategic advice and extensive rail industry insight provided to Transport for Wales (TfW) and the Welsh Government on the transfer from Network Rail to TfW of all the track, signals and rail infrastructure that comprise the Core Valley Lines (CVL) railway network. The successful transfer of the CVL to TfW is both a ground-breaking project and a critical element of the Welsh Government’s £738 million South Wales Metro. Without the transfer of the CVL, the ambitious project to provide a modern, sustainable travel network to serve the people of South Wales and which reduces the environmental impact of the transport network in this region would not be possible.

Led by Real Estate partners, Philip Beer and Colin Ligman and Real Estate Director, Amy Simpson, the Burges Salmon team worked collaboratively across a range of specialisms and delivered completion of the asset transfer seamlessly, both throughout lockdown and without any interruption to passenger or freight services.

The Lawyer Awards judging panel, which included industry experts from The Bar, Private Practice and in-house sectors, found that the Burges Salmon team behind this shortlisting was worthy of the ‘Highly Commended’ endorsement.

Burges Salmon was also shortlisted in the ‘Best Talent and Inclusion Initiative’ at the Awards, a category that focuses on legal service providers who have demonstrated a strategy to recruit and retain a workforce that represents the diversity reflected in wider society.

Philip Beer says: “We are delighted to have been recognised at The Lawyer Awards 2021 as Highly Commended in the ‘Real Estate Team of the Year’ category, demonstrating a commitment to collaborative teamwork and depth of specialist knowledge in relation to the sector, as we continue to pursue a commitment to the needs of our clients.

“It’s also great to have been shortlisted in the ‘Best Talent and Inclusion Initiative’ category and to see the hard work that we put into building and maintaining an open and inclusive culture recognised.”

This year’s awards were held as an online virtual event and winners were announced at a ceremony that took place on 2 November 2021.

Key contact

Philip Beer

Philip Beer Partner

  • Real Estate
  • Transport
  • Energy and Utilities

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