Jonathan Birks

Representative matters while at Kirkland & Ellis include:

• GLP on the acquisition of Goodman Group’s Central and Eastern Europe logistics real estate portfolio

• Hospital Topco, majority owned by Centerbridge and KKR, on the c.£1.8 billion disposal of BMI Healthcare and the GHG Group

• TPG on its c. €300 million acquisition of Spanish Real Estate Investment Trust, Témpore Properties

• GIC on the $1 billion acquisition of Equinix Inc’s pan European hyperscale data centre business

• Brookfield on the financing of its acquisition of ECLA Paris, a 1,200 bed high-end student accommodation campus in Southern Paris

• Brookfield on the financing of its acquisition of a portfolio of serviced apartments in the UK and the Netherlands for approximately €210 million

• GIC as part of a consortium acquiring a 55% a stake in the real estate assets of French multinational hotel group AccorHotels for approximately €4.4 billion

• Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, one of the largest global hospitality companies, on the finance aspects of its sale of its European vacation rental business to Platinum Equity for approximately US$1.3 billion

• Global Logistic Properties on the c. €1.1 billion financing of its c. €2.4 billion acquisition of European logistics business IDI Gazeley from Brookfield Asset Management

Representative matters prior to joining Kirkland & Ellis include:

• Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), as lender, on its £240m mezzanine financing for the development of PRS assets in Wembley (London) by the Quintain Group

• Ares Management on the senior and mezzanine financing for its acquisition of the “Traction” pan-European portfolio of 30 commercial real estate assets

• Blackstone on its acquisition of the CG Malls Europe Fund

• Mount Street (formerly Morgan Stanley Mortgage Servicing) on the restructuring and work-out of several distressed capital structures (comprising CMBS and loans), including in respect of:

  • the £535m facilities secured against the Citypoint office tower in the City of London

  • the €1.1bn facilities secured against the pan-European “Vermeer” portfolio

  • the €500m facilities secured against the German “Nautilus” portfolio

  • the £340m facilities secured against the Devonshire Square Estate in the City of London

• Blackstone, as lender, on the €220m financing (and subsequent re-tranching) of 29 pan-European commercial real estate assets for the Invista Group

• Victory Real Estate Funds on the acquisition and financing of various assets in The Netherlands, including in respect of the Atrium office complex in Amsterdam

• Citigroup on the origination and syndication of numerous facilities, including in respect of:

  • a loan secured against a portfolio of UK logistics assets

  • the senior and mezzanine financing of a portfolio of UK shopping centres

  • the financing of Greystar’s £600m acquisition of the “Nido” student accommodation portfolio

• Blackstone on its acquisition of Multi Corporation

• TPG Capital on its acquisition and financing of the Woolgate Exchange office complex in the City of London

• Capita Asset Services on the restructuring and work-out of several distressed capital structures (comprising CMBS and loans), including in respect of the £1.2bn facilities secured against the NHP portfolio of UK care homes

• Blackstone on its bid to acquire the pan-European “Hampton” loan and swaps portfolio from Lloyds Banking Group.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP

• Partner, 2014–2017
• Senior Associate, 2010–2014
• Associate, 2005–2010
• Trainee Solicitor, 2003–2005