Nicholas Cowie
Partner
Partner
Sydney,
Australia
Nicholas assists clients on direct and indirect real estate investments and developments.
Nick is one of Australia’s leading real estate lawyers with over 30 years’ experience in the industry. He specialises 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 2006-2015 and 2017-24; and
- top 20 Australia in Who’s Who Legal 2013-2024.
Experience & expertise
Selected matters
- 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 a multinational real estate company 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
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