Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson's London real estate chief is set to leave the firm to join the City office of King & Spalding following the US firm's decision to retrench from UK real estate work.

Heilpern – who has been at Fried Frank since early 2006 after joining from rival US firm Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker – has been given a remit to boost King & Spalding's European real estate practice. He joins alongside senior associate Leo Wilson from Fried Frank.

Heilpern focuses on real estate finance, both on the equity and the banking side, and represents real estate funds as well as major investment banks on European real estate investment programmes. He has also advised on real estate fund formation, as well as the investments made by them, including tax-based sales and leasebacks and general development finance. 

Last week it emerged that the US firm has also hired Mayer Brown's high-profile corporate partner William Charnley, who started in the US firm's London office today (9 July).

Fried Frank has recently seen a stream of departures from its London real estate team, including Stephen John – a senior figure in the London real estate market who joined Fried Frank from the City office of Weil Gotshal & Manges in 2005 – has joined Katten Muchin Rosenman as special counsel. In addition, Ranjeev Kumar, a senior associate in Fried Frank's London real estate department, has joined Katten as a partner.

Katten, which brought in Mayer Brown's London real estate head Peter Sugden earlier this year, has outlined plans to create a top-tier London real estate practice, and has recently hired property litigator Joe Payne, a partner at Field Fisher Waterhouse.