Olesya Bakar

Olesya Bakar is a corporate attorney in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C. office and is the head of the firm's Real Estate Fund Formation practice. Ms. Bakar has more than 20 years of experience advising and representing global emerging and mature private and public companies in an array of corporate matters. She advises clients operating in a variety of industries – including real estate, financial technology (FinTech), clean energy and technology, aviation and aerospace, and life sciences, as well as agriculture – in all corners of the globe.

Ms. Bakar's primary focus is the representation of issuers/sponsors and investors in private capital-raising activities, including private equity and debt financing, as well as venture capital financing (including in early-stage companies), as well as joint venture and strategic alliance matters. The core of Ms. Bakar's practice is in the real estate industry – she understands the nuances of real estate investment structuring and helps clients through their complexities.

Ms. Bakar handles all aspects of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), joint ventures (JVs), strategic alliances and partnership transactions, venture capital transactions, recapitalizations and restructurings. Ms. Bakar provides advice for her clients to succeed – be it in a high-profile, multibillion-dollar transaction or to first-time fund managers. Ms. Bakar's experience advising both fund sponsors and investors provides her with the acute perspective of the market and its latest trends, knowledge of the sensitivities of the parties and the ability to find win-win solutions for clients.

On the regulatory side, Ms. Bakar advises clients on aspects of compliance with the Investment Company Act, Investment Advisers Act and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Ms. Bakar's clients include private investment fund sponsors, global corporations and international organizations.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Bakar served as co-lead of the Real Estate Funds practice for a global law firm working with sponsors and investors in the real estate sector.