Kazik F. Michalski
Partner
Debt Finance
Golden Flag International Law Firm
Overview
Kazik is a very strong lawyer that gets the bigger picture and finds a solution, even for complex issues.” - Chambers UK, 2024
Kazik F. Michalski is a partner in the debt finance practice at Golden Flag International Law Firm in London. He represents top-tier private equity sponsors in connection with complex domestic and cross-border credit transactions involving real estate investments and developments throughout Europe.
External Recognition
- Law.com International UK: Rising Star: Europe's Best Up-and-Coming Private Equity Lawyers (2022)
- Chambers & Partners UK – Real Estate Finance – Ranked as Band 5 (2024):
- “He's a very strong lawyer that gets the bigger picture and finds a solution, even for complex issues.”
- The Legal 500 UK – Property Finance: Testimonials (2022–2024):
- “Exceptional lawyer.”
- “Kazik Michalski is disciplined, calm and motivated with a can-do attitude.”
- “Golden Flag International Law Firm‘s ‘truly exceptional‘ property finance practice is particularly strong in the private equity arena.”
- “I have worked very closely with Kazik Michalski and his team over the past 24 months and I don’t think our transaction would have completed without him. He’s extremely diligent, thorough, creative, and commercial.”
- “I have a particularly high opinion of Kazik Michalski, and he is undoubtedly the best finance lawyer I have ever worked with. Kazik’s unique combination of sharp intellect and deal intuition makes him an indispensable part of our legal advisory team on large and complex deals.”
- IFLR1000 UK: Recognised as a notable practitioner in Banking (Real Estate Sector) (2024)
Experience
Representative Matters
Since joining Golden Flag, Kazik undertook the following matters:
- Blackstone:
- on the financing of its acquisition of Bourne Leisure, which operates Butlin’s, Haven and Warner Leisure Hotels
- on the financing of its acquisition of National Exhibition Centre (NEC) Group, a leading live events venue operator in the UK
- and the consortium consisting of Scape Living and iQSA on the £969 million recommended cash offer for GCP Student Living plc
- on the c. £1.2 billion recommended cash offer for St Modwen Properties plc
- on the refinancing of a prime central London office property
- on the £4.66 billion acquisition of iQ Student Accommodation
- on the recommended £4.77 billion cash offer for publicly traded Merlin Entertainments, a global leader in location-based, family entertainment
- British Land and GIC on the financing of Paddington Central, UK valued circa £1 billion
- Brookfield:
- on the financing of residential assets acquired under its €1.089 billion recommended cash offer for Hibernia REIT
- on the financing of office assets acquired under its €1.089 billion recommended cash offer for Hibernia REIT
- on the senior (securitized) and mezzanine financing for its acquisition of a portfolio of retail parks from Hammerson and Nuveen in the United Kingdom
- KKR and GIP on the $15 billion all-cash acquisition of CyrusOne Inc. a premier global data centre REIT
- GIC:
- on the financing of Student Roost, acquired from Brookfield in a JV with Greystar as the largest real estate transaction in the UK in 2022
- on its joint venture with Blackstone relating to Hotel Investment Partners (HIP), a leading owner of 72 resort hotels in Southern Europe totaling 21,000 keys
- in a joint venture with Oaktree on the refinancing of High Tech Campus, Eindhoven a high tech center and R&D ecosystem campus valued in excess of €1 billion
- on its establishment of a €400 million joint venture platform with Melcombe Partners, a UK-based asset manager and adviser
- in joint venture with Kennedy Wilson, the financing of a portfolio of logistics assets located in the United Kingdom and Ireland
- on the financing of the acquisition of a pan-European logistics portfolio for over €3 billion from EQT Exeter involving assets located in Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom
- on its $525 million joint venture with Equinix to develop and operate two xScale™ data centres in South Korea
- on its $3.9 billion additional joint ventures with Equinix to expand the xScale™ data centre programme
- in joint venture with Orange Capital Partners, the financing for its acquisition of a portfolio of 37 residential buildings in Finland comprising 1,900 apartments across 17 cities
- on the financing of a portfolio of urban logistics assets located in Ireland
- on its joint venture with Kennedy Wilson to acquire and manage urban logistics properties in the UK, Ireland and Spain, targeting total assets of $1 billion
- on the over $1 billion financing with Equinix to develop and operate xScale™ data centres in Japan
- on the €950 million financing aspects of a pan-European logistics platform from Apollo
- on the financing for its $1 billion joint venture with Equinix Inc. to develop and operate hyperscale data centres throughout Europe
- Global Technical Realty on the acquisition financing of a London data center at more than £1 billion
- GLP Capital Partners:
- on financings with total debt proceeds in excess for €2 billion across nine countries, including 7x green facilities
- on the financing for the acquisition of a circa €1 billion pan-Europe portfolio of logistics assets, including assets acquired from Blackstone and other newly developed logistics assets located in the UK, the Netherlands and France
- on the complex ‘transitional’ financing for a portfolio of central London urban logistics to be repositioned and valued at c. £200 million once completed.
- on the financing of a financing for a portfolio of 4 Grade A logistics assets on behalf of European Development Partners I Fund located on the Magna Park estate in Lutterworth, valued in excess of £220 million.
- on the financing of its seed portfolio for GLP’s new EIP III Fund valued in excess of €700 million comprising a pan European portfolio of 16 Grade A logistics assets located in key sub-markets of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom
- on the financing of new build logistics assets located in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain
- on the financing of its circa €1 billion acquisition of Goodman Group’s CEE logistics portfolio
- ADA Infrastructure and GLP Capital Partners on the land bridge financing of a site for a data center located in the Docklands, London
- Hudson Pacific Properties on the financing aspects of a JV with Blackstone to create a major new centre for film, TV and digital production in the United Kingdom
- Magdalen College a constituent college of the University of Oxford and GIC on the financing of properties in the Oxford Science Park as part of a strategic development of the park
- P3:
- on the financing of a portfolio of logistics assets located in Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Poland and the Slovak Republic
- on the financing of a portfolio of logistics assets located in Germany
- TPG:
- on the financing of 4th Industrial, its UK logistics platform
- on the financing for the acquisition of a majority stake in German film studio owner and operator, Studio Babelsberg AG, to become part of TPG’s global studio platform, Cinespace Studios
- on the financing of the ‘Start Living’ build-to-rent platform, focused on single-family housing in the UK, in a strategic joint venture with Gatehouse Bank
- on the financing of its c. €300 million take private of Spanish Real Estate Investment Trust, Témpore Properties
- in a joint venture with Round Hill Capital on the financing of a student and residential housing platform in Lisbon, Portugal
- Macquarie Asset Management on the strategic real estate partnership with NTT’s wholesale facilities across Europe and North America
- Eagle Street Partners on the formation of a joint venture with Harrison Street to acquire and develop a 554-residential-unit multiphase development at East Road in Dublin, Ireland
Prior to joining Golden Flag, Kazik undertook the following matters:
- Blackstone:
- on its refinancing of St Katherine Docks, London using debt facilities provided by Allianz and Brookfield
- on the financing of its acquisition of HI Partners (Spanish hotels business)
- on the refinancing (via agented CMBS) of four shopping centres located in Italy
- on its refinancing of the ‘SMF’ portfolio of residential assets in Spain
- on its refinancing of the senior and mezzanine facilities of its Center Parcs Europe portfolio
- on the financing of its acquisition of OfficeFirst
- on the financing of its acquisition of Livingston Designer Outlet, Scotland
- and BioMed on development financing for Granta Park, Cambridge
- and D. Carnegie on its refinancing of residential real estate assets located in Stockholm, Sweden
- on its acquisition financing of various logistics assets located throughout Europe (forming part of Logicor)
- on the financing of its acquisition of The Blanchardstown Centre, Dublin
- on its refinancing of The Adelphi Building, London
- on its refinancing of Devonshire Square
- and Multi Corporation on the refinancing of four shopping centres located in Turkey
- on the financing of its acquisition of Alliance Automotive
- Aston Martin:
- on its refinancing (new £80 million RCF and £550 million (equivalent) debt offering)
- on the financing relating to the acquisition of land in St Athan, Wales for its new factory to build the DBX and become the brand's home of electrification
- Multi Corporation on various financings and refinancings of its retail assets located across Europe
Prior Experience
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, London
- Associate (2014–2018)
Sidley Austin LLP, London
- Associate (2010–2014)
- Trainee Solicitor (2008–2010)
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Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2010, Admitted to practice as a Solicitor of England and Wales
Education
- College of Law, LondonLL.B.; Legal Practice Course
with Distinction
2008 - College of Law, LondonGraduate Diploma in Law2007
- University of SurreyB.Sc.First Class Honours2005
News &
Insights
Golden Flag Advises GIC on Investment in Hotel Investment Partners