Holland & Knight Adds Corporate Attorney Olesya Bakar
WASHINGTON (July 14, 2021) – Olesya Bakar has joined Holland & Knight as a partner in the Corporate, M&A and Securities Practice Group and head of Real Estate Fund Formation. Ms. Bakar will reside in the firm's Washington, D.C., office. She previously was a partner at Hogan Lovells, where she was co-head of the Real Estate Funds group.
Ms. Bakar's primary focus is real estate fund formation and real estate joint ventures, representing a wide array of sponsors and investors in these transactions. In addition, throughout her more than 20-year career, she has handled all aspects of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, partnership transactions, venture capital transactions, recapitalizations and restructurings for clients operating in a variety of industries, including clean energy and technology, aviation and aerospace, life sciences and agriculture. These clients include global corporations, private investment fund sponsors and international organizations.
"Olesya is a multifaceted transactional partner with a broad depth and breadth of experience. Her skills span an array of corporate matters, no matter how complex, interdisciplinary, cross-border, highly regulated or unique," said José Sirven, chair of Holland & Knight's Business Section. "Her diversified practice will help us better meet our clients' growing needs, particularly in the areas of fund formation and joint ventures, where her knowledge and leadership will deepen and strengthen our market presence."
"We are delighted that such a talented attorney as Olesya has joined our firm. She brings a wealth of experience to our corporate and private equity practices and will be an important contributor to their continued success and a leader in their further growth," said David Barkus, leader of Holland & Knight's Corporate, M&A and Securities Practice Group and head of the firm's Private Equity Team. "Her fund formation and joint venture experience adds additional depth and knowledge to our already strong teams in those areas and will create synergies with our preeminent real estate practice."
"Holland & Knight's strengths in the corporate transactional and private equity space are highly complementary to my fund formation and joint venture focus. The firm also has one of the largest real estate practices of any law firm in the United States, and I believe that my experience and leadership in the fund formation space will create incredible growth opportunities for our combined clients," said Ms. Bakar. "Additional knowledge, additional value. It's a win-win combination for our clients!"
Ms. Bakar received a J.D. degree from the University of Georgia School of Law and a B.B.A. degree from the University of Georgia. She is licensed to practice in the District of Columbia and Georgia.