12 Feb 2026
DWF welcomes back Stephen Hickling as partner in real estate
"DWF has reappointed Stephen Hickling as a partner in its real estate team in Birmingham; he will work in the real estate practice, focusing on build-to-rent divestments and broader development and investment matters."
Hickling returns to DWF after four years in-house as legal director at Dandara, a national housebuilder, where he led legal strategy across the group’s build-to-rent (BTR) division. In that role he advised senior leadership on legal delivery, governance, compliance and risk, with a particular focus on the divestment of multi-family and purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) developments. He also led the legal negotiations on the successful divestment of various BTR assets, including complex multi-jurisdictional joint ventures, forward funding arrangements and forward sales, giving him insight into investor requirements, operational models and the commercial realities shaping development decisions.
Hickling brings more than 24 years’ experience in real estate with a strong background in commercial development, investment and portfolio management across multiple asset classes. Prior to moving in-house he spent eight years at DWF advising developers, investors and public sector bodies on high-profile development projects across the office, industrial and retail sectors, and has experience advising on major regeneration schemes and public sector development partnerships.