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Portrait ofHeinz Joachim Kummer

Heinz Joachim Kummer

Partner
Rechtsanwalt

CMS Hasche Sigle
Kranhaus 1
Im Zollhafen 18
50678 Cologne
Germany
Languages German, English

Heinz Joachim Kummer advises investors on project developments, national and international real estate transactions as well as on property finance. In his more than 25 years of practising as a lawyer, he has been lead advisor in a number of multi-billion portfolio transactions. He furthermore specialises in private equity transactions, assists funds and advises on restructuring distressed property. Heinz Joachim also advises institutional real estate investors on complex issues involving investment law and handles asset management as well as construction and tenancy law mandates.

Outside of real estate, he has in-depth experience in the healthcare sector, having advised on a number of landmark deals and projects.

After more than 20 years as a partner with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Heinz Joachim joined CMS in 2015 as a partner. He is a long-standing lecturer at EBS European Business School (EBS Real Estate Management Institute) as well as at the University of Muenster. He also regularly sets up working groups and organises panel discussions for Global Real Estate Institute events in Germany and abroad.

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Listed for Real Estate

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2024 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers

Listed for Competition / Antitrust

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2024 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers

‘Joachim Kummer has excellent experience, always separates the important from the unimportant, is quick, commercially minded, and extremely pleasant to communicate with.’, client

The Legal 500 EMEA, 2024

„Oft empfohlen“ für Immobilien- und Baurecht

JUVE Handbuch, 2023/2024

„exzellent“, Mandant

JUVE Handbuch, 2023/2024

Listed for Real Estate

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2023 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers

"A client enthuses: 'Heinz was very efficient and proactive, doing more than you would expect from a lawyer'."

Chambers Europe, 2021

Listed as notable practitioner

Chambers Europe, 2021

Relevant experience

  • Advising Solaia RE S.à r.l. Group, a joint venture of Prelios S.p.A. and Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management Real Estate, on the EUR 917m sale of the DGAG portfolio, consisting of 19,000 residential units, to Buwo GmbH (project “Northwind“)
  • Advising Jamesmail B.V. (asset and property management platform of the former Pirelli Real Estate) on the sale of its entire residential business with more than 30,000 flats under contract to the Austrian Immofinanz Group (project “Yahoo“)
  • Advising Blackstone on the EUR 1.8bn acquisition of a loan portfolio from the Irish National Asset Management Agency that functions as a bad bank (project “Tower”)
  • Advising Cerberus on the EUR 985m acquisition of a residential property portfolio (22,000 flats) from an insolvent investor listed in the Channel Islands and on the restructuring of the financing agreements together with the consortium of financing banks (“Speymill portfolio”)
  • Advising a UK bank on the restructuring of the non–performing Baubecon portfolio (23,500 flats) and the subsequent EUR 1.24bn sale to Deutsche Wohnen AG
  • Advising SEB Investment GmbH, inter alia on the EUR 1.4bn acquisition of the “Daimler Quartier am Potsdamer Platz” in Berlin and the subsequent restructuring of the associated shopping mall and special-purpose properties, including hotels, a multiplex cinema and casino (project “Piccadilly”)
  • Advising Fortress Investment/Eurocastle on the EUR 2.1bn acquisition of 61 commercial properties from RREEF Investment (project “Mars“)
  • Advising Goldman Sachs/Whitehall Funds and the Blackstone real estate fund on the intended EUR 3.2bn acquisition of a retail portfolio consisting of 347 assets from METRO Group (Galeria Kaufhof, etc.)
  • Advising Cerberus European Investment L.L.C. on the intended EUR 1.7bn acquisition of three retail chains (Hellweg, Marktkauf and Max Bahr DIY stores with approximately 240 branches)
  • Advising the Blackstone real estate fund on the EUR 1.04bn acquisition of the Deutsche Bank portfolio (51 head office buildings in nine European countries); at the time, one of the largest ever pan–European real estate transactions and voted international “Deal of the Year 2003/2004” by Legal Week
  • Advising AachenMünchener Lebensversicherungs AG on the EUR 1bn sale of a NPL portfolio
  • Advising EUROHYPO AG on the restructuring and refinancing of two housing associations with a portfolio of approximately 43,000 flats (volume: approx. EUR 1.7bn)
  • Advising Generali on the acquisition and disposal of various real estate portfolios, including selling 77 commercial properties in a limited auction to Goldman Sachs/Whitehall Funds (project “NOTOS”) and selling over 20 commercial properties to Merrill Lynch and the Bauwert Group (project “Queen Mary”)
  • Advising the PATRIZIA Group on the IPO of PATRIZIA Immobilien AG and on the acquisition of several real estate portfolios and individual assets through its investment companies
  • Advising SEB Investment GmbH on the EUR 210m sale of a high–rise building in Shanghai (Platinum Tower) to Shanghai Xin Mao Property Development Co. Ltd. and Smart Dynasty Ltd. (Hong Kong)
  • Advising Talanx/HDI Gerling on the sale of the “Gerling Quartier” in Cologne and on leasing its new head office at Cologne Rheinhallen (largest office lease in Germany in 2007)
  • Advising Viterra AG on the EUR 7.1bn sale of its shares to Terra Firma and Citigroup with a portfolio of approximately 150,000 flats and several commercial properties (to date, biggest real estate transaction in Germany)
  • Advising ABN AMRO Bank and Bank of America on the securitisation of an international, pan–European real estate logistics portfolio of Prologis Group; transaction volume: EUR 870m
  • Advising STRABAG on the realisation of international and national construction and infrastructure projects, inter alia Basrah International Airport in Iraq
  • Advising Macquarie on the realisation of the Warnow crossing in Rostock in a joint venture with the French construction company Bouygues, the first BOT and PPP highway privatisation project in Germany on the basis of the German Private Financing of Highways Construction Act
  • Advising on the realisation of the ICE high-speed rail link between Frankfurt and Cologne (investment: EUR 6.5bn) and on connecting Cologne Bonn Airport to Deutsche Bahn’s ICE network
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Memberships & Roles

  • British Law Society
  • German Association of Construction Law
  • German Bar Association’s working group for administrative law
  • Association for Environmental Law
  • Federal Association for Public Law
  • Permanent Working Group of the Committee on Technology and Plant Engineering of the VDE/VDI Association of German Engineers
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Lectures list

  • Heinz Joachim is a senior lecturer at both the EBS European Business School (EBS Real Estate Management Institute) and at the University of Muenster (postgraduate study program “Real Estate Law”). For many years, he is also chairing and organising various panel discussions at international and national conferences of the GRI Global Real Estate Institute.
  • Heinz Joachim is the author of numerous publications and appears as a speaker at conferences (Handelsblatt, German Retail Real Estate Convention, International Institute for Research, EUROFORUM, ManagementCircle, Heuer Dialog, International Law Congress, etc.).
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Feed

01/11/2022
Commercial rent payments in Germany
1. General overview
18/12/2020
CMS advises Dürr on acquisition of majority stake in teamtechnik
Stuttgart – The Dürr Group has acquired 75% of the shares in teamtechnik Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH, thereby strengthening its market position in the automation sector. teamtechnik, which is headquartered...
29/09/2020
CMS advises real estate investor Peach Property Group on acquisition of...
Cologne – Peach Property Group AG, an investor specialising in holding residential real estate in Germany, has acquired a portfolio comprising around 4,800 apartments in Germany. This boosts the company’s...
30/06/2020
CMS supports on successful closing of the acquisition of the real,- Group...
Dusseldorf - The acquisition of the entire real,- Group department store chain from Metro AG by SCP Group S.à r.l. was successfully completed on 25 June. With the closing of the transaction, SCP takes...
19/02/2020
CMS advises bidder consortium formed by x+bricks and SCP on successful...
Düsseldorf – Madrid Acqui-Co GP GmbH, a joint venture between x+bricks AG and SCP Group S.à r.l., has acquired the entire real,- Group from Metro AG. The consortium is acquiring the entire operational...
26/04/2019
CMS advises on sale of property portfolio by Senioren-Wohnen Holding to...
Cologne – Senioren-Wohnen Holding GmbH has sold a real estate portfolio comprising twelve retirement homes to a subsidiary of French asset management company Primonial. Five properties are already operational...
25/04/2019
CMS advises Tristan Capital Partners and Finch Properties on acquisition...
Cologne – Tristan Capital Partners, a British private equity firm specialising in real estate investment, has acquired the Accent Office Center (AOC) together with real estate investor Finch Properties...
25/04/2019
CMS advises Corpus Sireo and Swiss Life Group on sale of their German property...
Cologne – Corpus Sireo Real Estate, part of the Swiss Life Group, has sold its property management business to Strabag Property and Facility Services GmbH (Strabag PFS). The around 50 employees at locations...
17/01/2019
CMS advises elderly care specialist Axion on care home portfolio transaction...
Cologne – Axion Holding GmbH, a Hamburg-based specialist in advising on, operating and managing properties for senior citizens, has sold seven existing care homes to three companies belonging to the...
06/07/2017
CMS advises on sale of Luxembourg real estate company
Cologne – Real estate investment company Ekistics Property Investors is selling Luxembourg-based real estate company EPIFC 6 S.à r.l. to UK real estate developer Mitsubishi Estate London as part of...
15/03/2017
CMS MIPIM Lunch 2017
Each year, MIPIM brings an opportunity for engaging discussions on industry issues, trends and the challenges for investors, developers and fund and asset managers. We are looking forward to seeing you...