Greenberg Traurig continues to expand its real estate and hospitality capabilities in the Middle East with the addition of two associates in Dubai.
Samantha Shaw, senior associate, and Dani French, associate, will assist clients with a wide range of real estate, development, and hospitality matters across the Middle East and internationally, the firm said in a statement.
The regional practice is led by shareholders Sarah Mahood and Stephen Kelly, who both joined from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner to launch from Dubai in September 2023. Of counsel Rebecca Comerford joined the team that same month.
“We are incredibly excited to have Sam and Dani join our leading practice to further support our key strategic clients in the Middle East and North Africa region,” said Mahood, co-managing shareholder of the UAE office and co-head of the firm’s regional real estate and hospitality practices. “Greenberg Traurig has quickly built one of the largest devoted real estate teams in the region, and these latest additions demonstrate our commitment to strategically growing our presence across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.”
Shaw, who joins from White & Case in Dubai, has experience advising on acquisitions and dispositions of large-scale commercial and industrial properties across the UAE, as well as with musataha agreements and ground-lease developments. She has advised on master community and mixed-use developments, and has assisted clients with several hospitality projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Shaw has practised in Dubai for nearly a decade, and worked on behalf of clients, including master developers, government organisations, sovereign wealth funds, hotel owners, and private companies.
French, previously an associate at Ashurst in Sydney, focuses her practice on the commercial real estate, energy, and hospitality and tourism sectors. Her commercial real estate experience includes assisting clients in connection with conveyancing and due diligence related to major property acquisitions and corporate transactions disposals. She also has experience advising on multiple large-scale commercial leases across Australia and New Zealand.
The Middle East real estate market is booming, with the total value of real estate projects planned or underway in the Gulf Cooperation Council understood to be around US$1.4 trillion.
Trowers & Hamlins is another firm to strengthen its Middle East real estate practice in recent days, with the relocation of partner Eileen Duncan from London to Dubai. Duncan has over 25 years of experience and will work across the firm’s regional offices as head of real estate.
