Real estate
“This firm benefits from more than three decades' experience in the Middle East, and has significant regional reach. It regularly attracts top clients in both the real estate and construction sectors.”
Chambers Global, 2012
Our real estate team has over 30 years’ experience in the Middle East, having acted on a number of the largest infrastructure and development projects throughout the region. With expertise emanating from our offices across Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Dubai in all real estate practices, we have a vast local knowledge and a continued awareness of the changing legal regimes and business environment in the Middle East, and an understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges to developers and investors that the region presents.
We work on a variety of local, regional, and cross-border real estate transactions, drawing upon the experience of our international real estate colleagues throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, Africa, and Central Asia. Our clients include major financial institutions and corporations, including developers (both master developers and sub-developers), investors (Islamic and conventional), funders, hotel owners and operators, corporate end users, public authorities and infrastructure bodies.
With a specialised focus on our key industry sectors, we can act on real estate transactions throughout a number of industries, including financial institutions; energy; infrastructure, mining and commodities; transport; technology and innovation; and pharmaceuticals and life sciences.
Our areas of work include:
- hotels and hospitality (including hotel management agreements, technical services agreements, centralised services agreements, rental pooling and condominium ownership agreements)
- investment
- infrastructure and development projects
- Islamic finance
- joint ventures
- leasing structuring
- master community structuring
- mixed-use developments
- property finance
Our recent work:
- Advising The First Group on various hotel and hotel apartment projects across the MENA region.
- Advising Legatum Limited on the purchase of Building 6, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
- Advising Emaar Properties PJSC on the AED 3.6 billion (approximately US$1 billion equivalent) Shariah-compliant secured financing for Emaar Properties.
- Advising Mubadala Development Company on its joint venture with Gulf Related to develop, lease and operate “The Galleria at Sowwah Square” as part of its landmark mixed-use development at Sowwah Square.
- Advising Mashreqbank PSC and Al Hilal Bank PJSC (as Mandated Lead Arranger) on the AED367million combined Murabaha and Ijarah financing of the construction of a theme park in Dubai.
Awards and accolades:
- Best real estate deal of the year, 2012 (King’s Reach Tower), Euromoney Islamic Finance Awards
- Best law firm- Real Estate and property, 2011 Islamic Finance News Awards law poll, Islamic Finance News Awards