Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised British Land on its £740m rights issue as the property development company moves to shore up its finances.

British Land, the UK's second-largest real estate investment trust, last week sold 50% of its stake in the Meadowhall shopping centre to London & Stamford Property and reported that the value of its property portfolio had declined by more than 13% in value during the fourth quarter of 2008.

The company will issue more than 340 million new shares at 225p per share.

Freshfields fielded a large team headed up by corporate partners Julian Long (pictured) and Sarah Murphy, alongside real estate partner Emma Kendall, tax partner Sarah Falk, employment partner Simon Evans, finance partner Sean Pierce and construction partner Jane Jenkins.

The issue is being fully underwritten by Morgan Stanley, UBS and Euro Lights Private. Linklaters advised the banks, with a team led by corporate partner Brigid Rentoul.

This is the second recent significant rights issue in the real estate sector, after Hammerson last week raised £584.2m in an effort to prevent the company from breaching the terms of its bank and bond covenants.

On that deal, Herbert Smith advised Hammerson with a team lead by corporate partner David Paterson and real estate partner Don Rowlands. Freshfields advised the underwriting banks.

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