Experience
Nicholas specialises in structured direct and indirect real estate, business asset and property trust acquisitions, financing and disposals; tenders, property development, due diligence; commercial, retail and industrial leasing (both landlord and tenant); property and development management, co-ownership and other commercial agreements. He has been recognised as:
- one of Australia’s best real estate lawyers in Best Lawyers International 2009-2022;
- a leading real estate lawyer in the Chambers Global Guide 2006-2016 and 2018-22; and
- top 10 Australia in Who’s Who Legal 2013-2022.
Relevant recent experience
- Currently advising Greenland on the sale of the Primus Hotel to a new Singapore-listed REIT, including arrangements for separation mid-development from the adjoining Greenland Centre residential development
- Assisting Lendlease on its innovation space lease to Sydney City Council at the under-development Circular Quay Tower
- Advised GPT on the sale of its half interest in the iconic MLC Centre in Sydney to Dexus for $800 million
- Advising Vopak Australia on the expansion of its bulk liquid handling facility at Port Botany
- Assisting Bingo Industries on the structured property arrangements for the acquisition of the Dial a Dump waste facility and expansion land at Eastern Creek
- Assisting Genesis Care as tenant on an expanding portfolio of purpose-built healthcare and oncology developments around the country
- Poly Real Estate on the acquisition of a commercial site at Bankstown for, and the launch and subsequent sales of, a mixed-use residential and retail development, including off-the-plan master contracts, titling structure, stratum subdivision, building management statement, strata title subdivision, strata management statements, strata by laws, resolutions and strata establishment
- Country Garden (now Risland) on the structuring and document negotiation for the multi-staged acquisition of over 1,400 hectares of priority growth land south west of Sydney for master planned residential, commercial and educational uses for over $575 million
- Greenland Australia on its residential developments at Bathurst Street, Sydney, Leichhardt Green, North Sydney and, most recently, its six-stage residential, retail and mixed-use development Park Sydney, at Erskineville, including off-the-plan master contracts, stratum subdivision; retail stratum sale; strata title subdivision, strata management statements, strata by laws, resolutions and strata establishment and management of developer rights and obligations during the initial period
- Poly Real Estate on the development and sale of Tilia by Poly at Lindfield, NSW, including master off-the-plan contract and strata title by-laws
- Shokai Ausbao and Develotek joint venture on preparations for and launch of its three-stage, mixed-use strata title project at Granville Place, Granville, including title structuring, strata management statement and creation of various easements and strata by-laws
- China Overseas Land Australia on launch of its new residential project at Macquarie Park, North Ryde including off-the-plan contracts, strata title subdivision and strata by-laws
- Aqualand Australia on the acquisition of a commercial office tower in North Sydney, its bid for another North Sydney tower and its bid for the Australian Technology Park in Redfern
- Aqualand Australia on the structuring and early stages of its consortium bid for Central Barangaroo
- GIC Real Estate on the establishment of two countercyclical office joint ventures with Primewest and Charter Hall with mandates approaching $1 billion, including fund establishment, joint venture documents, investment management, development management and property management agreements
- Charter Hall and Morgan Stanley on the acquisition of Macquarie Bank's Sydney head office, One Shelley Street, King Street Wharf for $525 million
- BlackRock and Centuria Funds Management on the joint venture acquisition of the iconic Zenith towers, Chatswood for over $279 million
- GIC Real Estate and Frasers Property Australia (formerly Australand) on the international marketing campaign and sale of trusts and real estate comprising a portfolio of 26 industrial logistics centres around the country for over $1 billion
- Mapletree on its first direct Australian investment, the acquisition of a commercial office tower in Brisbane
- Mirvac on the sale of trusts owning two commercial office towers in Sydney and on the direct land sale of two office towers in Canberra
- GIC Real Estate on:
- its joint venture investment with Macquarie in a portfolio of student accommodation projects and the manager of the projects, Iglu
- an industrial joint venture with Australand and the acquisition of trusts owning seven industrial properties, as well as a number of subsequent add-on purpose-built and fund through developments
- acquisition of a portfolio of eight industrial properties around the country from the Salta Property Group and subsequent additions to that portfolio and property and asset management arrangements
- staged acquisition of interests in trusts and sub trusts owning 50% of Westfield Parramatta, including all joint venture and operational agreements and a myriad of agreements with third party landholders and tenants for over $700 million
- consortium arrangements for the acquisition and development of Myer's iconic new Melbourne department store
- acquisition of Chifley Tower and Chifley Plaza in Sydney for over $700 million.