Greenberg Traurig has hired a partner from Pinsent Masons to co-lead its Middle East and Europe hospitality practice based from the UAE.
Louisa Lynch has joined the firm, bringing close to two decades of regional experience across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar.
Before joining Greenberg Traurig, she worked at Pinsent Masons for nearly three years and Norton Rose Fulbright for almost 13 years, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Her move follows the recent addition of Elias Hayek, who also joined the firm to co-chair the Middle East and Europe hospitality practice, based from the UAE and Saudi Arabia offices.
Together, Hayek and Lynch will lead the firm’s hospitality efforts across the Middle East and Europe.
“Welcoming top tier legal talent like Louisa and Elias remains key to our delivery of the extraordinary results our clients have come to expect from Greenberg Traurig in the Middle East, Europe, and around the globe,” said Richard Rosenbaum, the firm’s executive chair. “These additions further cement our position as the foremost real estate and hospitality practice in the Middle East and Europe, as we strategically deploy our long-term strategy: bringing in top talent with deep industry expertise, empowering and respecting them on the ground, encouraging their collaboration across our unified global firm, and handling our clients’ most important projects.”
Lynch has experience in real estate and hospitality transactions, including acquisitions and disposals of properties, built-to-suit development projects, real estate financing, and hospitality management. Her work spans the entire lifecycle of real assets, including structuring, financing, development, asset management, acquisition, and disposal.
“We are delighted to welcome Louisa onboard; she brings significant real estate and hospitality experience and is truly embedded in the region, particularly among its regulatory authorities and government entities,” said Khalid Al-Thebity, the firm’s Middle East regional chair and Saudi Arabia managing partner. “Undoubtedly, she and Elias will form a great partnership as co-chairs of the firm’s Middle East and European hospitality group together with our existing leading real estate regional practice.”
In addition, Lynch works with regulatory authorities to draft and implement real estate regulations. She provides advice on regeneration projects and cultural development initiatives, transforming existing spaces into new commercial and cultural hubs.
Sarah Mahood, co-head of the Middle East real estate practice and UAE office co-managing partner, said: “I am truly excited to work with Louisa again after our days together at Norton Rose and have watched her career go from strength to strength as she has become a formidable player in the real estate and hospitality space.”
Greenberg Traurig launched in the Middle East in 2023 with offices in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Since then, the firm has been growing steadily in the region, planting roots in the key industries and business sectors most active in the Middle East.
