Partner

Pablo Fernandez

Pro-active, commercially minded, pragmatic and client focused, Pablo is comfortable with complexity, efficient and accurate. Pablo has more than 16 years’ experience acting in commercial and industrial property sales and acquisitions as well as development projects, advising from the commencement of negotiations, including structuring advice and property due diligence, through to completion. He has gained considerable experience advising on the establishment of Australian property funds and the acquisition of real estate through such vehicles.

Pablo has a significant leasing practice of institutional, large corporate and family group landlords, as well as major national tenants and retailers, on their Australia-wide leasing portfolios. With extensive experience in drafting and negotiating retail, commercial and industrial leases, from high value leases to complex agreements for lease and other related contracts, Pablo is highly regarded by his clients for his commitment to understanding and delivering upon their business objectives as well as his commercial acumen, and is recognised in leading legal directories including, Best Lawyers, Legal 500 and Doyle’s Guide.

An industry leader, Pablo has more than a decade of experience and participation with leading industry body, the Property Council of Australia including appointments as chair of the Future Directions Committee, an advisory board member of the Mentoring Program, and most recently a committee member of the Commercial Office Committee.

Pablo is fluent in both written and spoken Spanish and is accredited at tertiary level.

Expertise

Pablo’s expertise includes:

  • Acting for purchasers and sellers alike on sales and acquisitions of major commercial, retail and industrial assets
  • Legal due diligence and structuring advice for property assets
  • Complex contractual negotiations
  • Advising on high value agreements for lease and leases pertaining to major developments and redevelopments
  • Development and subdivision of land and buildings
  • Advisory work such as lease disputes, make good obligations, maintenance, rights of quiet enjoyment and termination rights (amongst others)
  • Advising landlords and tenants alike on their retail, industrial and office property holdings including leasing, disputes, licensing and various other contracts
  • Fluent in both written and spoken Spanish and accredited at tertiary level

Recent Projects

  • Acting for AFIAA Swiss Foundation for Real Estate Investments in:
    • pre-purchase due diligence and acquisition of 100% interest in the landowning trust (and 100% share in its trustee) holding 36 Carrington Street, Sydney
    • Sale of ‘HQ’, 520 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley, Queensland and contemporaneous acquisition of 628 Bourke Street, Melbourne (sale on one side and purchaser on the other, with the same party on the side, in an effective land swap deal)
    • pre-purchase due diligence and acquisition of 114 William Street, Melbourne
    • pre-purchase due diligence and acquisition of 525 Flinders Street, Melbourne
    • major redevelopment of 60 Union Street, Pyrmont, inclusive of lease advice and pre-committing more than 11,000m2.
  • Acting for Marprop Real Estate Investors in the pre-purchase due diligence and acquisition of 50.1% interest in the landowning trust (and 100% share in its trustee) holding 60 Carrington Street, Sydney.
  • Acting for Futuro Capital and Marprop joint venture in the acquisition of 300 Flinders Street, Melbourne.
  • Acting for Australian Unity Retail Property Fund (subsequently merged into the Diversified Property Fund), on the redevelopment of Blackburn Square Shopping Centre in Victoria increasing the lettable area to approximately 18,000 square metres with a number of specialty and mini majors, to more than 50+ tenancies with three major supermarkets.  This included acting in all the leasing pre-commitments to the redeveloped Centre and all advice throughout the development including in respect of sitting tenants.
  • Acting for Australian Unity Office Fund (ASX:AOF), on its national property portfolio consisting of office buildings across Australia, including in Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Queensland.
  • Acting for Kador Group across its Victorian and South Australian land holdings.
  • Acting for Marprop Real Estate Partners across its national property portfolio consisting of office buildings across Australia, including Victoria, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and South Australia.
  • Acting for Wilson Parking across its national property portfolio on its leasing, licensing, management and other service agreements.
  • Acting for Keppel REIT at Pinnacle Office Park at Macquarie Park, New South Wales.

Professional Memberships / Accreditation & Activities

  • Bachelor of Laws (Monash University) – 2006
  • Bachelor of Arts (major in Spanish) (Monash University) – 2006
  • Member of the Law Institute of Australia
  • Present Property Council of Australia, committee member of the Commercial Office Property Committee.
  • Recognised Lawyer, Real Property Law, Best Lawyers in Australia
  • Recommended Lawyer, Leasing, Doyle’s Guide
  • Recommended Lawyer, Real Estate, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific

    Sector

location

Melbourne

Partner

Matthew Barry

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