Justin Cornelius

Justin Cornelius is a partner in Goodwin’s Real Estate Industry group. With over 20 years of experience working in the investment management industry across multiple jurisdictions, Justin focuses on the establishment and operation of unlisted closed and open ended real estate funds, joint ventures and high value real estate mergers and acquisitions. He advises fund managers on structuring their management businesses, funds, equity raisings, carried interest arrangements, restructurings, investments, co-investments and exits.

Prior to joining Goodwin, Justin was a partner and global head of the Funds & Investment Management group at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner.

Justin's representative experience includes advising on:

• Advised Frogmore Real Estate Partners IV, L.P. on the acquisition of a corporate structure owning the Hilton London Olympia from a subsidiary of Singapore listed Hotel Properties Limited, for a consideration of £130 million.
• The formation, capital raisings and management of the UK’s largest student accommodation specialist investment fund (value in excess of £2.7 billion), together with multiple acquisitions and joint ventures for the manager, a FTSE 250 company.*
• Equity capital raisings (in excess of £1 billion) for private equity real estate fund manager Frogmore and multiple acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and co-investments for the group including the formation of Innovative Aged Care, a strategic partnership to develop a portfolio of dementia care homes in prime London locations and the acquisition and joint venture of the Notting Hill Gate Estate, London.*
• The indirect sale of the global headquarters of a bank in Canary Wharf.*
• Equity capital raisings (in excess of £1 billion) for private equity real estate fund manager Clearbell and multiple acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and co-investments for the group including the disposal of a portfolio of industrial properties to Blackstone and the acquisition of The Sloane Club, London.*

*Denotes experience prior to joining Goodwin.

Justin is regularly featured in Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 for his Real Estate Funds work. The most recent edition of The Legal 500 UK (2023) ranks him as a ‘Leading Individual’ and includes client testimonials which commend him as an “outstanding” and “exceptional partner who… is very pragmatic and solution-focused.”

Justin is a regular contributor to INREV as course leader of the “Investing in Joint Ventures and Club Deals” training day.

• Quoted, “Fund Formation Law Firms See Increasing Customization,” PERE, April 3, 2024