Scott M. Kobak

Scott M. Kobak is a Partner in the Real Estate Department of the Firm. His main area of concentration has been in representing institutional investors in complex commercial real estate acquisitions and developments, joint ventures and financings including active involvement with many of the most prominent real estate private equity funds. He acts as a frequent transaction counsel to the real estate fund business of Carlyle, KKR, Blackstone and Crown Acquisitions.

Recognized as “an exceptional commercial real estate lawyer” by Chambers and named a Real Estate “MVP” by Law360, Scott has led some of the largest real estate transactions done over the past several years for some of the most recognized real estate fund operators in the United States. Recent high-profile transactions include:

• Blackstone’s $10 billion acquisition of QTS Realty Trust, Blackstone Real Estate’s $5.3 billion acquisition of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village from CW Capital and Blackstone’s $1.25 billion acquisition and subsequent sale of a portfolio of hotels including the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott in Grande Lakes, Florida and the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, AZ
• Crown Acquisition’s purchase of an approximately 49% interest in a $5.3 billion NYC retail portfolio on Fifth Avenue and Times Square, NYC from Vornado Realty Trust and fundraising activities related thereto
• KKR Real Estate’s purchase of a controlling interest in The Observation Deck at 30 Hudson Yards and KKR’s joint venture with Dalan Management to buy a large multifamily portfolio in Brooklyn
• QTS Data Center Company’s multiple project financings of over $3 billion for data center developments across the United States leased by major technology companies
• The Estate of George Kaufman’s sale of Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York and Carlyle Realty’s sale of Manhattan Beach Studios in Manhattan Beach, California
• The $1.3 billion sale by Carlyle Realty of 650 Madison Avenue, NYC to an investor group that included Vornado, Oxford Realty and others
• Carlyle’s investment and multiple divestitures totaling approximately $1 billion of the 666 Fifth Avenue retail condominium in New York City

Scott has focused over the past number of years on significant real estate private equity fund joint venture arrangements and financings with prominent developers and operators throughout the country. Some of the more noteworthy recent development joint ventures include:

• Representation of Blackstone in a $7 billion joint venture with Digital Realty to develop four hyperscale data center campuses across three metro areas on two continents
• Representation of The Carlyle Group in multiple development joint ventures with Extell Development, including One Riverside Park, The Rushmore, Avery, Orion, Aldyn and the Ariel East and West luxury condominium projects and PMG Realty Group for a multifamily project in the Gowanus neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York
• Representation of MSREF in a development joint venture with The Witkoff Group to acquire and develop 10 Madison Square West in NYC and in the subsequent sale of the retail condominium unit
• Representation of KKR Real Estate in a joint venture with ReNew REIT to acquire several senior housing portfolios

Scott joined Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in 1993 after receiving his J.D. from Boston University Law School, magna cum laude, where he was an Associate Editor of the Boston University Law Review. He was elected to become a member of the Firm in November 2000.