Leighton Smith joins Real Estate Practice of Jones Day in Brisbane
Leighton Smith will join Jones Day as of counsel in the Real Estate Practice, based in the Firm's Brisbane Office.
Mr. Smith has 16 years of experience as a real estate lawyer, serving clients across Australia on some of the most significant property acquisitions, disposals, and development projects. He frequently acts as a strategic advisor in the sale, purchase, lease, and development of residential, rural, commercial, and industrial properties, and has an active transactional practice in negotiating and closing major real estate deals for institutional investors. His recent work includes advising a major global real estate developer in relation to an acquisition of a key interest in a premium Sydney CBD commercial office tower to be developed in Sydney's Circular Quay precinct with a value of approximately $2 billion, representing an international client in its acquisition of several large scale renewable energy projects across Australia, and advising one of the world's largest residential development companies on a project that will exceed $1 billion in value.
"Leighton has worked on some of the most significant property portfolio transactions in Australia, and his work on numerous energy and infrastructure development projects has been especially effective in helping clients achieve first-class outcomes based on a clear understanding of their business requirements," said John Cooper, Partner-in-Charge of Jones Day's Brisbane Office. "This combination of legal skills and real estate business insights will be an excellent complement to our team here in Brisbane and Australia, and I am pleased to welcome him to the Firm."
Mr. Smith joins Jones Day's global team of more than 120 lawyers in the Firm's Real Estate Practice, which provides seamless collaboration across multiple disciplines, including funds, joint ventures, M&A, finance, development, tax, regulatory, planning/zoning, and environmental. The Firm leverages its global reach, local market knowledge, and multidisciplinary resources to deliver tailored, solution-driven advice throughout the real estate investment lifecycle. Jones Day's Real Estate clients include private equity real estate funds, institutional investors, public and private companies, REITs, lenders, developers, operators, and managers.
"Leighton has a wide range of experience assisting clients with the strategy, negotiation, documentation, and execution of complex real estate deals in support of their objectives," said Anna Cartwright, co-Leader of Jones Day's Real Estate Practice. "His extensive track record in a broad range of real estate and infrastructure transactions makes him an important addition to our team in Australia and his counsel will be valuable to our Firm's clients worldwide. I look forward to his contributions."
Jones Day has achieved a top ranking among global law firms in Bloomberg's real estate M&A league tables, ranked by number of completed deals, every year since 2003. The Firm's Real Estate Practice was also recognized by Legal 500 for its "deep bench of resources" and "attorneys who anticipate client needs and respond quickly with well-crafted, customized solutions."
Mr. Smith earned his bachelor of law degree and his graduate diploma of legal practice from Queensland University of Technology.
"Jones Day is respected worldwide for consistently offering clients access to one of the top global practice groups in the real estate space, thanks to the team they have constructed of some of the most skilled lawyers in real estate," said Mr. Smith. "The lawyers in the Brisbane Office and other offices in Australia serve national and global clients in a broad range of high-stakes corporate legal matters across Australia and worldwide. I am delighted to join the team."