Darren Rogers, Head of Real Estate at McDermott Will & Schulte — On Building Client Relationships, life in US Law Firms and the Future of Real Assets

In this episode, Darren Rogers, Head of Real Estate in London at McDermott Will & Schulte, shares the career decisions that shaped his journey from trainee to leading one of the firm's fastest-growing practice areas. Darren reflects on qualifying outside London before making the move to the City, explaining why he left a structured environment at CMS after just six months to join a smaller, fast-growing team. He discusses how that decision accelerated his career by giving him greater responsibility, earlier client exposure and the confidence to lead major transactions at a young age. The conversation explores the importance of backing yourself when opportunities arise. Darren shares how taking calculated career risks, embracing responsibility and being willing to step outside his comfort zone helped shape his progression to partnership. A major focus of the discussion is client relationship building. Darren explains why technical legal ability is only the starting point, arguing that the best lawyers invest time in understanding clients as people, developing authentic relationships and building a personal brand that extends beyond the firm's reputation. The episode also explores leadership and mentoring. Darren reflects on developing junior lawyers, encouraging them to negotiate directly with clients, make mistakes early and build confidence through experience rather than relying solely on carefully drafted emails. Darren discusses several pivotal moments throughout his career, including defending major client relationships after a team split and later making the move into US law firms as the legal market became increasingly global. He explains why he believed US firms would fundamentally reshape London's legal landscape and how that prediction has played out over the past decade. The conversation examines the cultural differences between UK and US firms, particularly around entrepreneurship, client ownership and long-term relationship building. Darren explains why trusted adviser relationships are built on authenticity, friendship and understanding clients' motivations rather than simply delivering high-quality legal advice. The episode also explores how the real estate market is evolving. Darren discusses the growing convergence between traditional real estate and infrastructure, with data centres becoming one of the most important asset classes as demand for AI infrastructure continues to accelerate. He also explains how liquidity challenges, ESG requirements and higher interest rates are reshaping investment strategies, driving increased interest in preferred equity, secondaries, value-add opportunities and brown-to-green redevelopment projects. Finally, Darren reflects on the competing priorities facing the built environment, including balancing AI infrastructure, sustainability, housing demand and industrial development. He argues that lawyers advising real estate clients increasingly need to understand not just property law, but the wider commercial, political and technological forces reshaping the global economy. 00:00 Introduction   00:20 Meet Darren Rogers   01:00 Training Outside London   02:00 Moving to Cameron McKenna   03:00 Taking a Career Risk Early   04:00 Learning Through Responsibility   05:00 Building Client Relationships   06:00 Personal Brand vs Firm Brand   07:00 Mentoring Junior Lawyers   08:00 Defending Major Client Relationships   09:00 Becoming a Partner   10:00 Moving into US Law Firms   12:00 Why US Firms Changed London   14:00 Trusted Adviser Relationships   16:00 The Future of Real Estate   18:00 Data Centres & AI Infrastructure   20:00 Liquidity, ESG & Investment Trends   22:00 Brown-to-Green Redevelopment   24:00 AI vs Sustainability Priorities   27:00 Final Reflections & Career Advice