Holland & Knight LLP

Olesya Bakar is a corporate attorney in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office and is the head of the firm's Real Estate Fund Formation practice. Ms. Bakar has more than 25 years of experience advising and representing national and global, emerging and mature, private and public companies in an array of complex commercial transactions within a variety of industries, with an emphasis on the real estate industry, covering all corners of the globe.

The core of Ms. Bakar's practice is in representing and advising fund sponsors on the structuring, formation, negotiation, capital raising and operation of private investment funds, with a particular focus on the real estate industry. She provides advice to help her clients succeed, whether it be in a high-profile, multibillion-dollar transaction or to first-time fund managers.

Ms. Bakar has represented many leading fund sponsors in establishing closed-end and open-ended funds, programmatic joint ventures, strategic alliances, separately managed accounts and other investment vehicles. She also represents institutional investors and family offices with respect to their investments. Ms. Bakar's experience advising fund sponsors, as well as institutional and high-net-worth investors, provides her with a holistic perspective of the market and its latest trends, awareness of the unique sensitivities of the parties and the ability to find positive solutions for clients. For decades, her clients have relied on her extensive background and knowledge to guide them through the life cycle of their businesses, from formation, through capital raising and growth, to a variety of exit mechanisms, including general partner (GP) stake deals, sales or going public.

A significant part of Ms. Bakar's practice is representation of clients in joint venture transactions in a wide range of industries, including real estate, defense, automotive, aviation and aerospace, manufacturing, clean energy, technology, life sciences, financial technology (FinTech) and finance. Clients rely on Ms. Bakar to be a trusted adviser in some of their most challenging transactions and to help them think outside the box when creating joint venture arrangements.

On the regulatory side, Ms. Bakar advises clients on aspects of compliance involving the Investment Company Act, Investment Advisers Act and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.