Simone is a real estate specialist who provides strategic legal advice to Australia's largest real estate developers and investors on their major projects, investments, and capital partnering and asset management activities.
Her practice has a particular focus on complex development projects, real estate fund investments, structuring and titling issues, fund-through acquisitions and capital partnering, joint ventures and co-ownership arrangements, financing and security structures, complex leasing and the tax issues associated with real estate projects and investments.
Simone has also assisted several major new global entrants to the Australian investment market in the implementation of their Asia-Pacific growth strategies.
Simone's recent work highlights include:
- Commercial office investments: on Mirvac's $580m acquisition and sell-down to M&G Real Estate of a 50% interest in 200 George St, Sydney.
- Commercial office development: for Brookfield on its development of NAB's new head office in Melbourne, including the sell-down of a 50% interest to ISPT on a fund-through basis; for Cbus Property on several new office buildings with associated pre-commitments.
- Retail investments: the acquisition and sale of 50% interests in shopping centres around Australia for Perron Investments.
- Industrial developments: advising Frasers Property, Growthpoint, Melbourne Airport and Port of Melbourne on their industrial developments and leasing.
- Residential and urban regeneration: the structuring, development and financing of various residential and mixed use precincts, and urban regeneration projects, including Central Markets Arcade in Adelaide, City Tattersalls Club in Sydney, Burwood Brickworks, the Yarraville Bradmill site, the Alphington Paper Mill site and Aspire Tower in Melbourne and Gen Fyansford in Geelong.
- Healthcare: advised Dexus on its acquisition of the Australian Bragg Centre, a state-of-the-art clinical and research facility within Adelaide's A$3.6bn BioMed City precinct, on a fund-through basis; advised Peter Mac, Royal Women's Hospital and Epworth Hospitals.
- BTR: advised Sentinel on its establishment of a multi-family platform in Australia; advised AustralianSuper on its cornerstone investment into the Assemble Communities housing platform; advised the successful consortium on Victoria's Public Housing Renewal Project.