Hogan Lovells has won a lead role for News International on the £150m sale of its iconic Wapping site to a subsidiary of UK housebuilding company Berkeley Group.

The firm, which fielded a team under London real estate partner Dion Panambalana, won the mandate partly due to US legacy firm Hogan & Hartson's relationship with parent company News Corporation.

The Wapping site, which housed the company's now-defunct tabloid News of the World, was bought by Berkeley's London subsidiary St George, which plans to develop it into homes, offices, shops and communal spaces.

St George was advised by West End property boutique Stepien Lake, which fielded a team led by the firm's founding partners Tim Lake and Kaz Stepien.

The sale – which was announced yesterday (31 May) – marks the end of an era for News International, with the majority of the company's titles now relocated to nearby Thomas More Square.

News Corp had originally planned to refurbish the Wapping base, with management announcing the planned sale in September 2011 after a review of its property portfolio.

Since the merger which created Hogan Lovells in 2010, the firm has taken a number of roles for News Corp, including advising on competition aspects of its multibillion-pound bid for BSkyB, with City-based antitrust partner John Pheasant in the lead role.

The deal comes after News International shut down the News of the World last summer. A host of law firms have picked up roles relating to the phone-hacking scandal, including Linklaters, Olswang and Clifford Chance.

Recently filed accounts revealed that News International has spent more than £53m on its investigation into hacking at the company in the 10 months since the closure of the News of the World, with the majority used to pay legal and professional fees.