Scott 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 domestic and international 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 primary transaction counsel to the real estate fund business of Carlyle, KKR and Morgan Stanley (MSREF). He has also represented Blackstone’s real estate funds on numerous transactions as well.

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 Real Estate’s $5.3 Billion acquisition of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village from CW Capital and Blackstone’s $1.25 Billion acquisition 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
• The $1.3 billion sale by Carlyle Realty of 650 Madison Avenue, NYC to an investor group that included Vornado, Oxford Realty and others. This transaction was reported as the largest office building sale of 2013
• Carlyle’s investment and multiple divestitures totaling approximately $1 billion of the 666 Fifth Avenue retail condominium in New York City
• Blackstone’s acquisition and financing of Extended Stay America, a publicly traded hotel company (including representing Blackstone on the then-largest CMBS loan executed to date and multiple layers of mezzanine financing)
• Blackstone’s disposition of several multibillion-dollar office portfolios acquired in the Equity Office transaction

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 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
• 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 development joint venture with Continuum Partners to acquire and develop land in Williston, North Dakota

Representation of The Carlyle Group in development joint ventures with Alchemy, HFZ Capital, Flank Development, Cary Tamarkin and numerous other developers for condominium and mixed-use projects

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.

Education:

• Boston University School of Law, 1992 J.D.
  • magna cum laude; Boston University Law Review, Associate Editor
• Binghamton University, State University of New York, 1989 B.S.

Admissions : New York 1993