Yasmin Smedley

Yasmin Smedley is Counsel in Simpson Thacher’s London Real Estate Finance Practice. She advises international private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in connection with the financing of U.K. and European real estate and related investments. Yasmin specializes in complex cross-border real estate acquisition and development financings and the restructuring of real estate related secured debt. 

Notable experience prior to joining Simpson Thacher includes advising:

• An ad hoc committee of creditors, including Strategic Value Partners, Cross Ocean and others, on the successful $2.2 billion restructuring of the Intu SGS Group
• 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
• Global Technical Realty on the acquisition financing of a London data center valued at more than £1 billion
• ADA Infrastructure and GLP Capital Partners on the land bridge financing of a site for a data center located in the Docklands, London
• GLP on the financing of its c.€1 billion acquisition of Goodman Group’s CEE logistics portfolio; its c.£201,000,000 financing of a portfolio of logistics assets located in Spain, Germany and the Netherlands; and on various other financings and refinancings of its logistics assets located across Europe
• Brookfield on the financing for its bid to acquire the £4 billion+ iQ student accommodation portfolio
• Centerbridge and KKR as the lead investors in the c.£2.5 billion restructuring and recapitalization of UK hospital landlord GHG and its acquisition of leading private healthcare operator, BMI Healthcare
• PIMCO on the restructuring of the £1.14 billion Diversity Funding CMBS portfolio
• Blackstone on the financing of its acquisition of Bourne Leisure, a leader in the UK domestic holiday market operating through three brands: Butlin’s, Haven and Warner Leisure Hotels
• GIC 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
• Hospital Topco, majority owned by Centerbridge and KKR, on the c.£1.8 billion disposal of BMI Healthcare and the GHG Group
• Brookfield on the financing of its acquisition of ECLA Paris, a 1,200 bed high-end student accommodation campus in Southern Paris
• Global Logistic Properties in respect of the c. €1.1 billion financing of its c. €2.4 billion acquisition of European logistics business IDI Gazeley from Brookfield Asset Management

Yasmin received her LPC from BPP Law School, Holborn, in 2012, with Distinction. She received her LL.B. in Law from University of Sussex in 2011. She is admitted to practice in England and Wales.