Kirkland & Ellis International LLP's real estate finance team is distinguished by its dedicated focus on advising borrowers in complex, pan-European transactions, with expertise in sophisticated CMBS and mezzanine financing structures. The practice is jointly led by Jonathan Birks and Kazik Michalski, and their recent work highlights the team’s breadth across different asset classes: Birks, working alongside debt finance partner Peter Chandler, handles major cross-border financings of European office portfolios for foreign investment management firms, while Michalski is a key advisor for sovereign wealth funds and international developers on large-scale acquisition deals for student accommodation-related mandates.
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Profile
Work Department
Debt Finance
Position
Jonathan Birks is a partner in the debt finance practice at Kirkland & Ellis International LLP in London. His practice focuses on complex domestic and cross border real estate finance transactions for private equity and credit fund clients. Jonathan advises across the full spectrum of real estate finance matters, from loan origination and syndication, to restructuring and distressed investing.
Career
2017 to present Kirkland & Ellis International LLP; 2003-2017 Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
Education
Oxford Institute of Legal Practice (Post-Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice 2003); University of Oxford (Law 2002)
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Outstanding legal advice. Creative problem solving. Able to meet any deadlines.' 'Jonathan Birks and Kazik Michalski are excellent finance pros who can solve problems.'
Key clients
- GIC Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Fulham Football Club TPG Real Estate Brookfield GLP Capital Partners Apollo KKR Greykite P3 Group Blackstone CyrusOne
Work highlights
Advising GIC and Greystar on their refinancing of Student Roost, their UK student accommodation platform.
Advising Greykite on the acquisition by the Greykite European Real Estate Fund of a large logistics portfolio of 13 assets totalling 400,000 sqm in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.
Represented CD&R in the financing of an internal sale and leaseback transaction in respect of a large portfolio of Morrisons supermarkets.