Professional Summary
Paul Davis is a counsel in the Real Estate group at the Firm’s Tokyo office. Prior to joining the Firm, he was a senior director at Jones Lang Lasalle in Tokyo, where he provided support in connection with Japan-related real estate transactions. Before that, he was with an international law firm for more than 10 years in Tokyo and Singapore.
Practice Focus
Paul has supported real estate fund managers, operators and institutional investors on cross-border real estate transactions with a focus on Japan, including fund formation, platform and asset-level joint ventures, M&A, asset-level acquisitions and financing and development and leasing agreements. He has also provided support covering a broad range of asset classes, including office, multifamily, logistics, data centers, self-storage and hospitality.
Representative Clients, Cases or Matters
- Supported a Singapore-based fund in its acquisition of a prime Ginza retail and office property.
- Supported an international fund manager in its acquisition of several Japanese logistics fund vehicles and properties in connection with the carve-out of a global fund management platform.
- Supported an international fund manager in its take-private of a listed Japanese residential and hospitality-focused developer.
Selected experience prior to joining Baker McKenzie:
- Supported an international fund manager in the sale of an office tower in Yokohama (non-legal advisor).
- Supported a Japanese company in the sale of a Tokyo-focused self-storage business and portfolio of properties (non-legal advisor).
- Supported a Singaporean REIT in the acquisition of an office building in Ginza.
- Supported an international fund manager in the formation of a joint venture to invest in life science real estate in Japan.
- Supported a global logistics manager in the formation of its logistics development and income funds in Japan and Brazil.
- Supported a data center operator in a data center development in Greater Tokyo.
- Supported a private equity portfolio company in its acquisition of a self-storage portfolio in Japan.
- Supported a private equity fund in its acquisitions of a ski resort and development site in Niseko.
- Supported a fund manager in its affiliated J-REIT’s acquisition of two large hotels in the Cayman Islands.
- Supported a Japanese developer in its acquisition of a US home builder and multifamily development joint ventures.
- Supported a private equity fund in its joint venture to develop and operate data centers in India.
Publications, Presentations and Articles
Author, “Expanding Data Center Acquisition Opportunities in Japan” APREA Knowledge Brief Volume 14, APREA, November 2024
Admissions
New York ~ United States (2012)
(not admitted in Japan)
Education
- Columbia Law School (JD) (2011)
- New York University (Bachelor of Arts) (2003)
Languages
English
Japanese