Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson
  1. People /

Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson

Partner


Sydney/London
Patrick Johnson
  1. People /

Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson

Partner


Sydney/London

Patrick Johnson

Partner

Sydney/London

T: +61 483 054 296

T: +44 7771 674 764

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Biography

Patrick is a Partner in our Global Corporate Transactions Practice. Patrick brings more than 19 years of experience advising on the full spectrum of corporate transactions including M&A, joint ventures, co-investments, equity fundraisings, buyouts, carve outs and strategic investments.  Patrick regularly works with colleagues and clients from across BCLP’s global platform on cross border deals, involving the US, UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia.

Patrick has advised clients from across a range of industries including financial services, sports, media and entertainment, gaming, food & agribusinesses, retail and consumer products but has a particular specialism in real estate and infrastructure M&A. He regularly advises clients who are investing in or transacting real estate and infrastructure related assets, companies and investment platforms.  His transactional experience covers all of the major real estate and infrastructure asset classes, with a particular focus on digital infrastructure, data centres, logistics and hotels.

Patrick is qualified to practice in the UK and Australia. He is the Principal of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (Australia) Pty Limited (“BCLP Australia”), BCLP’s Australian legal practice and frequently advises clients who are investing in Australian companies or assets or otherwise doing business in Australia. Patrick also works with Australian corporates and private capital investors investing in international markets, particularly the UK, the US and Asia.

Patrick has been recognised in Legal 500 for Corporate/M&A.

Spoken Languages

  • English

Admissions

  • England and Wales

    Queensland, Australia

Related Practice Areas

  • M&A & Corporate Finance

  • Private Equity

  • Start-Up & Venture Capital Practice

  • Retail & Consumer Products

  • Infrastructure

  • Strategic Alternatives & Corporate Reorganization

  • Real Estate Private Equity, Investments & REITs

  • Corporate

  • UK Public Company

  • Payment Systems

  • Real Estate Sector

  • Logistics & Industrial

  • Data Center & Digital Infrastructure Team

  • Healthcare & Life Sciences

  • Energy Transition

  • Hotels and Hospitality

  • Renewables

  • Real Estate

Experience

Recent transactional experience includes advising:

  • Driscoll’s on its participation in a consortium with Paine Schwartz Partners and British Columbia Investments to acquire ASX listed Costa Group for A$2.5bn by way of scheme of arrangement.
  • Voneus Broadband (a digital infrastructure platform controlled by Macquarie Capital and Israel Infrastructure Fund) on its merger with Rural Broadband Solutions (a digital infrastructure platform controlled by Tiger Infrastructure Partners and Global Connectivity Plc) and related funding arrangements.
  • Dragonfly on its sale to FiscalNote Holdings Inc.
  • Macquarie Capital on its investment in superfast broadband provider, Voneus Broadband and the subsequent sale by Macquarie of a minority interest in Voneus to Israel Infrastructure Fund (IIF) and the formation of new joint venture with IIF. 
  • Carlyle on the acquisition of senior housing developer, Beechcroft Group from Alchemy Partners and management. 
  • Carlyle on the formation of a UK logistics investment platform joint venture with ARA.
  • Cerberus on the disposal of its IHG franchised hotel portfolio to Marathon Asset Management
  • Cheyne Capital on its joint venture with co-living operator, The Collective and on its joint venture with Fusion for a new purpose built student accommodation development.
  • KKR on the sale of its Nido student accommodation platform to Greystar.
  • KKR on the establishment of its build to rent/multifamily investment platforms with Apache Capital and Moda Living.
  • An Australian superannuation fund on the sale of its interests in the Deepwater Container Terminal Gdańsk to PSA International, the Polish Development Fund and IFM Investors.
  • Morgan Stanley and Thor Equities on the disposal of a UK logistics portfolio to BentallGreenOak
  • Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield on the formation of its private fund limited partnership with PSP Investments and QuadReal to deliver a PRS scheme at Westfield Stratford.

Related Insights

Insights
Apr 30, 2024

Faster, Stronger, and Simpler? Australia’s New Merger Control Regime

On 10 April 2024, Australia’s Federal Government announced far-reaching reforms to its merger control regime, most notably the introduction of a new single, mandatory and suspensory, merger control system. The reform package is due to come into effect from 1 January 2026 and will align Australia’s regime for reviewing M&A transactions from a competition perspective with the majority of other merger control regimes globally.
Insights
Apr 17, 2023

Improving liquidity for Asian real estate investors - Part 3

A common route for property owners to effect divestiture of their real estate assets to de-risk their investments and to improve liquidity is to sell down part of the asset and form a joint venture with the buyer. Alternatively (or as a hybrid), an owner may sell the whole or part of its properties – but on the basis that it receives a lease back immediately on completion so that it can continue to use the property (or properties). In this third article in our “Improving Liquidity for Asian Real Estate Investors” series, we explore sale and leaseback arrangements and how these arrangements can help de-risk investments and provide liquidity for real estate investors in Asia. In case you missed them, you may be interested in Part 1 and Part 2 in the series which examined the key issues that Asian real estate investors should consider if they are contemplating a partial sale and entering into a joint venture with a new capital or operating partner. 
Insights
Apr 11, 2023

Improving liquidity for Asian real estate investors - Part 2

In this second article (in our three part series which explores joint venture and sale and leaseback arrangements for Asian real estate investors), we examine some of the key economic considerations that investors should bear in mind when considering selling down interests and forming a joint venture (JV) involving Asian real estate: (i) funding, (ii) distributions and waterfalls and (iii) exit mechanisms.   In case you missed it, the first article in the series 'Improving liquidity for Asian real estate investors - Part 1' where we discussed some of the other key JV considerations for Asian real estate investors (e.g. structure, governance and control, conflict of interests and deadlock) is available for you to read.
Insights
Mar 23, 2023

Improving liquidity for Asian real estate investors - Part 1

Three years after the outbreak of COVID-19, restrictions have finally eased in Asia. However, investors in the region are still feeling its effects as well as headwinds caused by higher interest rates, rising inflation, supply chain constraints and tightening labour markets – not to mention the potential impact on the broader banking system of the recent failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in the US.  These are challenging times and Asian real estate investors have certainly not been immune to these challenges.   Investors in many locations (including Asia) are experiencing property market slumps partly driven by unfavourable revaluations by lenders and banks of mortgaged properties and the calling in of loans or the anticipated calling in of loans. This is a time when property owners may need to consider ways to de-risk their investments and to improve liquidity by divesting (wholly or partly) of their real estate assets.  A common route to effect such divestiture is to sell down part of the asset and form a joint venture with the buyer. Alternatively (or as a hybrid), an owner may sell the whole or part of its properties – but on the basis that it receives a lease back immediately on completion so that it can continue to use the property (or properties). In our three part series, we explore some of the key issues involved in these joint venture and sale and leaseback arrangements for Asian real estate investors.

Related Insights

Insights
Apr 30, 2024
Faster, Stronger, and Simpler? Australia’s New Merger Control Regime
On 10 April 2024, Australia’s Federal Government announced far-reaching reforms to its merger control regime, most notably the introduction of a new single, mandatory and suspensory, merger control system. The reform package is due to come into effect from 1 January 2026 and will align Australia’s regime for reviewing M&A transactions from a competition perspective with the majority of other merger control regimes globally.
News
Oct 18, 2023
BCLP team advises on $965 million Driscoll’s deal
News
Sep 25, 2023
BCLP advises Driscoll’s as part of consortium to acquire Costa Group for A$2.5 billion (US$1.6bn)
Insights
Jun 16, 2023
Key takeaways from the United States - Australia Climate, Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Compact
Insights
Apr 17, 2023
Improving liquidity for Asian real estate investors - Part 3
A common route for property owners to effect divestiture of their real estate assets to de-risk their investments and to improve liquidity is to sell down part of the asset and form a joint venture with the buyer. Alternatively (or as a hybrid), an owner may sell the whole or part of its properties – but on the basis that it receives a lease back immediately on completion so that it can continue to use the property (or properties). In this third article in our “Improving Liquidity for Asian Real Estate Investors” series, we explore sale and leaseback arrangements and how these arrangements can help de-risk investments and provide liquidity for real estate investors in Asia. In case you missed them, you may be interested in Part 1 and Part 2 in the series which examined the key issues that Asian real estate investors should consider if they are contemplating a partial sale and entering into a joint venture with a new capital or operating partner. 
Insights
Apr 11, 2023
Improving liquidity for Asian real estate investors - Part 2
In this second article (in our three part series which explores joint venture and sale and leaseback arrangements for Asian real estate investors), we examine some of the key economic considerations that investors should bear in mind when considering selling down interests and forming a joint venture (JV) involving Asian real estate: (i) funding, (ii) distributions and waterfalls and (iii) exit mechanisms.   In case you missed it, the first article in the series 'Improving liquidity for Asian real estate investors - Part 1' where we discussed some of the other key JV considerations for Asian real estate investors (e.g. structure, governance and control, conflict of interests and deadlock) is available for you to read.
Insights
Mar 23, 2023
Improving liquidity for Asian real estate investors - Part 1
Three years after the outbreak of COVID-19, restrictions have finally eased in Asia. However, investors in the region are still feeling its effects as well as headwinds caused by higher interest rates, rising inflation, supply chain constraints and tightening labour markets – not to mention the potential impact on the broader banking system of the recent failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in the US.  These are challenging times and Asian real estate investors have certainly not been immune to these challenges.   Investors in many locations (including Asia) are experiencing property market slumps partly driven by unfavourable revaluations by lenders and banks of mortgaged properties and the calling in of loans or the anticipated calling in of loans. This is a time when property owners may need to consider ways to de-risk their investments and to improve liquidity by divesting (wholly or partly) of their real estate assets.  A common route to effect such divestiture is to sell down part of the asset and form a joint venture with the buyer. Alternatively (or as a hybrid), an owner may sell the whole or part of its properties – but on the basis that it receives a lease back immediately on completion so that it can continue to use the property (or properties). In our three part series, we explore some of the key issues involved in these joint venture and sale and leaseback arrangements for Asian real estate investors.
News
Jan 27, 2023
BCLP advises Dragonfly on its sale to FiscalNote Holdings, Inc.
Awards
Sep 15, 2022
BCLP Named ‘Energy and Resources Law Firm of the Year’ at ALB Hong Kong Law Awards 2022