Kenneth Juster is joining Cooley’s Boston office as a partner in the financial services regulatory practice. He was formerly a partner at White & Case.

Silvia Bauzá joins Allen & Overy as a partner in its Madrid office to head up the employment law practice, strengthening an area that is important for the firm’s activity both in Spain and at a global level.
 
With more than 20 years’ experience, Silvia was previously a partner in the employment practice at Hogan Lovells in Spain. Prior to this she worked in Gómez-Acebo y Pombo and Garrigues. Silvia is well respected in the market and is considered to be one of the leading employment lawyers in the country.
 

Real estate investment company TH Real Estate, acting on behalf of Chop (Cityhold Office Partnership), has acquired off-plan 28,262 sq.m. of office space in the Morland Mixité Capitale Parisian urban innovative development, located in the heart of Paris, from Société Parisienne du Nouvel Arsenal, represented by Emerige.

Herbert Smith Freehills has advised large-format retail expert Aventus Retail Property Fund on its A$148 million proposal to internalise its management functions through the acquisition of its external manager, the Aventus Property Group. The proposal was approved by a 72% majority of unitholders on 25 September 2018 and completed on 1 October 2018.

Led by Frankfurt partner Marc P. Werner Hogan Lovells has advised Covivio Immobilien GmbH on the divestiture of operating businesses of nine hotels to French budget hotel group B&B Hotels.

B&B Hotels will take over operations of nine Première Classe hotels, still owned by the Covivivo group, which is part of the Foncère des Régions group, one of the largest real estate companies in Europe.

Global law firm, Norton Rose Fulbright, has successfully closed the financing facilities on a 50MW solar PV plant in Sikasso, Mali for the first French green Independent Power Producer, Akuo Energy.

The Kita solar farm is its first project to begin construction in Africa and is the largest in west Africa.

Head of Banking and Finance at Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa, Jackie Midlane, who led on the transaction, said, “We are proud to have played a key role in the region’s most high-profile, innovative transactions.”

Slaughter and May advised The Unite Group plc ("Unite") on its £275 million senior unsecured bond issuance.

The bonds are guaranteed by various subsidiaries of Unite and bear interest at a rate of 3.5 per cent per annum with a term of 10 years. The bonds have been admitted to listing on the Official List and trading on the Global Exchange Market of Euronext Dublin.
Contacts

Financing: Matthew Tobin (partner), Oliver Wicker (partner), James Broom (associate), Charlotte Elliot (associate); Tax: William Watson (partner), Edward Creamer (associate)

Ashurst advised ING Bank as the lender (arranger, original lender, security agent and facility agent) on granting a €200m loan ('covered loan agreement') to Hyundai Capital Bank Europe GmbH.

Intertrust Trustees GmbH acts as data trustee to guarantee data protection.

The Ashurst team comprised of Dr Martin Kaiser (lead), counsel Nikolos Tsagareli and associate André Schaumburg.

International law firm Ashurst has advised Oxford Properties Group ('Oxford') on its A$3.35 billion acquisition of 100% of the units in Investa Office Fund ('IOF').

Oxford and Investa Listed Funds Management Limited ('ILFML'), as responsible entity of IOF, have entered into a scheme implementation agreement in relation to a trust scheme pursuant to which Oxford will acquire 100% of the units in IOF for cash consideration of A$5.60 per unit.

DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, in conjunction with DLA Piper LLP (US), acted as lead counsel for Pinnacle Renewable Holdings Inc. (“Pinnacle”) in the acquisition of a 70% interest in an operating industrial wood pellet production facility located in Aliceville, Alabama (the “Aliceville Facility”) from The Westervelt Company (“Westervelt”) for approximately US$37.1 million.