SJ Berwin has advised longstanding client British Land and its joint venture partner Oxford Properties on the letting of City landmark the Leadenhall Building to insurance group Amlin. 

The lease is for 111,000 sq ft of office space in the 47-storey building, with the option to take up further space of up to 36,760 sq ft. The annual rental price for the space is around £7m.

The SJ Berwin team was led by the firm's international real estate head Bryan Pickup and fellow real estate partner Pat Jones, while Clyde & Co acted for Amlin with real estate partner Malcolm Rogerson in the lead role.

The Leadenhall Building, which stands directly opposite Lloyd's of London, is one of the tallest buildings in the Square Mile and has been nicknamed 'The Cheesegrater'. The 610,000 sq ft tower is currently 51% pre-let, with risk management services provider Aon occupying 200,000 sq ft. It is due for completion in 2014.

Jones said: "Having acted on the establishment of the joint venture between British Land and Oxford Properties it is extremely exciting to see the Leadenhall Building shaping up as an iconic City landmark and to secure the second pre-letting for our client."

The role for SJ Berwin comes after the firm this March acted on British Land's £142.5m purchase of the 300,000 sq ft Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre, as well as four retail and office properties in Baker Street, Chiswick High Road, Putney High Street and Fulham Road, from Dutch property investment company Wereldhave.