Sean Tierney is a partner in the Firm’s Private Equity / Corporate Real Estate Department, based in London. He has a trans-national practice, advising on transactions in the UK and Europe, while also assisting UK & EMEA-based investors with their real estate investments into the United States.
Sean prides himself on providing solutions-oriented counsel. And, he guides clients through every stage of the real estate investment lifecycle, advising on:
- Joint ventures
- Single-asset and portfolio M&A transactions
- Secondaries
- Financings, refinancings, and disposals
Sean represents clients across the capital and debt stack, working with private equity sponsors, institutional and non-institutional investors, developers, operators, lenders, and borrowers.
Sean also launched the Firm’s London-based hospitality practice. He has market-leading expertise in hotel transactions and the negotiation of long-term hotel management agreements, advising investors and operators on structuring and executing deals with major global brands.
Sean has been recognized as a leading lawyer by:
- Who's Who Legal Hospitality 2024
- Lawdragon 500: Leading Global Real Estate Lawyers, 2024
- Law360: Hospitality MVP, 2023
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ in Real Estate, 2022 and 2023
- Lawdragon: 500 X – The Next Generation, 2023
Representative matters include:
- Acquisition, joint venture, and financing, and hotel management agreement for the Standard Hotel on behalf of three institutional investors.
- Acquisition, financing, and negotiation of the hotel management agreement for the Park Hyatt Zurich (Zurich, Switzerland).
- Representation of the EQ Group in connection with the acquisition of an 18-hotel portfolio in the United Kingdom.
- $835 million acquisition of The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida, the largest hospitality transaction since the Covid-19 pandemic (Florida).
- Acquisition, financing and re-opening of the Hilton Times Square (New York).
- $1.1 billion acquisition of the Dropbox headquarters in San Francisco (California).
- Negotiation of the $2.2 billion construction financing for the Fontainebleau Las Vegas (Nevada).
- Acquisition, re-branding, and recapitalization of the Waldorf Astoria, Monarch Beach (California).
- Acquisition, financings, and repositioning of the Jane Hotel in New York (New York).
Sean graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School. While at Michigan, he worked in the Community and Economic Development Clinic, advising small businesses and non-profit organizations dedicated to the economic revitalization of Detroit, Michigan. Sean graduated magna cum laude from Loyola Marymount University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Philosophy and a minor in Business Administration.
Sean is also a proud member of the Board of Directors of Verbum Dei High School, a college prep school for low-income students located in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Capabilities
Credentials
Education:
- University of Michigan - Juris Doctor
- Loyola Marymount University - Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- California Bar