Les Koltai

Leslie James Koltai

Consultant
About

Leslie Koltai has been involved in real estate and real estate funds management transactions for over 20 years. He advises on direct and indirect (fund to fund) commercial, retail, industrial and residential property investments, developments, sales and acquisitions, property joint ventures and commercial leasing (retail, commercial and industrial).

He also advises on fund to fund and real estate private equity investments and acquisitions of listed REITS and unlisted funds, sales of business, investment structuring and general commercial matters and foreign investment approvals.

With increased interest over recent years from global real estate investors into the growth markets of Australia and Asia, Les has a particular focus on cross-border real estate transactions and has been involved in significant investments by new foreign entrants into the Australian real estate market including the sale or purchase of a number of iconic assets.

Areas of FocusCorporateReal Estate
Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, 1986

EXPERIENCE

Les' clients include major domestic and international corporations, sovereign wealth funds, foreign pension funds, domestic and foreign private investors, private equity groups, institutional funds, funds investors and investment managers. His recent experience includes:

  • Advising ASX-listed Mirvac Group on its AU$310 million acquisition of Birkenhead Point Shopping Centre, Drummoyne, Sydney, including an adjoining car parking facility and marina
  • Advising the successful consortium the AU$5.6 billion acquisition and privatisation of Sydney Airport
  • Advising one of the world's largest real estate private equity firms on the acquisition of Top Ryde Centre in Sydney's North-West (a recently constructed shopping centre in receivership) from a syndicate of lenders
  • Advising a Korean pension fund, together with a global asset manager, on an AU$1 billion industrial real estate acquisition and development joint venture
  • Advising one of the world's largest real estate private equity firms on the acquisition of Greensborough Shopping Centre in Victoria
  • Advising a Singaporean REIT on their joint venture investment in the commercial office development fund with Mirvac Property Group of the Old Treasury Building site in Perth
  • Advising an investment house on the acquisition, investment structuring and financing of a commercial office building at Concord West, Sydney
  • Advising a Singaporean REIT on their proposed acquisition of a portfolio of industrial properties from Stockland. The targeted portfolio comprised 11 multi-tenanted properties located in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide
Education

    Awards

    Les has been recommended as a leading real estate lawyer in the current editions of Chambers Global, Chambers Asia Pacific, PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook, Euromoney's 'World's Leading Lawyers', International Who's Who of Lawyers, AsiaLaw Leading Lawyers, ALB Leading Real Estate Lawyers, Australian Financial Review's 'Best Lawyers' and the Guide to the World's Leading Real Estate Lawyers.

    Insight Overview

    Les is regularly invited to speak at leading domestic and international property conferences and asked by media to comment on emerging issues in domestic and foreign real estate investment.

    Prior Experience

    Les previously worked for another global law firm.

    Memberships And Affiliations

    • Property Council of Australia
    • Property Industry Foundation
    • Asia Public Real Estate Association

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