Profile
Louisa Lynch, co-chair of the firm’s Middle East and European Hospitality Group, advises clients across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar on all aspects of the real estate and hospitality sector. Louisa has spent over 17 years advising clients in the Middle East and her experience spans the entire lifecycle of real assets, including structuring, financing, development, management, acquisitions, and disposals.
Louisa has deep experience in complex real estate transactions in the Middle East, including build-to-suit developments, acquisitions and disposals of high value mixed-use assets, real estate focused joint ventures, and real estate financings and restructurings. In the hospitality sector, Louisa also has significant experience advising both owners and operators internationally on the negotiation of hotel management arrangements and the licensing and selling of branded residences.
Additionally, Louisa works with regulatory authorities on drafting and implementing real property regulations. She provides guidance on regeneration projects and cultural development initiatives, helping clients navigate the legal complexities of transforming existing spaces into new commercial and cultural hubs.
Concentrations
- Real estate development and joint ventures
- Real estate management, acquisitions and disposals
- Hospitality management, licensing and franchising agreements
- Hospitality branded residential and mixed-use
- Real estate focused advisory, planning and regulatory matters
Capabilities
Experience
- Advised Aldar and Mubadala on their joint acquisition of Al Maryah Tower in the Abu Dhabi Global Market and subsequently on the leasing of the offices on an institutional basis.°
- Advised a real estate developer on the proposed acquisition of a portfolio of commercial, school, and land assets located in Abu Dhabi valued at approximately AED 1.3 billion.°
- Advised Aldar on the appointment of Hilton to brand and operate Aldar’s flagship luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi, formerly known and operated as the Anantara Easter Mangroves, under the Waldorf Astoria brand. We subsequently also advised Aldar on the development and sale of residences on Yas Island branded under the Waldorf Astoria brand.°
- Advised the ADGM RA on the drafting and issuance of new regulations to regulate off plan sales and development projects in the ADGM, as well as drafting amendments to the ADGM’s existing real property regulations to address the jurisdiction’s expansion into Al Reem Island – this new body of real property regulations was published on Oct. 1, 2024.°
- Advised a London based ultra luxury operator on hotels and branded residences in Dubai, Thailand, New York and Miami.°
- Advised MIZA as the master developer responsible for the regeneration of Mina Zayed Port as a new culture and innovation hub in Abu Dhabi. This included Advised on MIZA’s underlying real estate interest in the development, the appointment of a development manager to assist with planning and development of phase 1 of the master project, the grant of a lease to an Abu Dhabi government entity for the purposes of building a cultural landmark, and the appointment of a co-living residential manager.°
- Advised HSBC on the build-to-suit acquisition of their LEED gold headquarters in Emaar Square in Dubai including negotiating the development sale agreement and advising on the development process and title transfer.°
- Advised Azizi Developments on the acquisition of the City of Arabia master community and master developer rights under a framework agreement. This included the drafting of the framework agreement and consideration of the requirements of the DDA with respect to the revised master plan and transfer of master development rights.°
- Advised KEZAD Group on the agreement for lease and lease for the development of a “metals” zone in line with KEZAD’s requirements and the subsequent operation of such zone by the developer in order to grow the commodities sector in KEZAD.°
- Advised Mubadala on the development and management of its property portfolio in Abu Dhabi including the development and structuring of The Galleria, the sale of Saadiyaat Beach Apartments, the sale of Lamar, the structuring and leasing of Abu Dhabi Global Market Square, and the sale and development of plots on Al Maryah Island.°
- Advised a Dubai-based family group on the restructuring and transfer of a property portfolio with 52 properties of all uses across the UAE.°
- Advised Nakheel on various real estate joint ventures to develop Riu and Centara branded resorts. We also advised on the negotiaton of the hotel management arrangements for a number of hotels including Avani Ibn Battuta, St-Regis the Palm, and Doubletree by Hilton.°
°The above representations were handled by Ms. Lynch prior to her joining Greenberg Traurig Limited.
Credentials
- Certificate, Sustainable Capitalism and ESG, University of California at Berkeley School of Law
- Certificate, Hotel Real Estate Investment and Asset Management, Cornell University
- Legal Practice Course (Distinction), BPP University, 2009
- Graduate Diploma in Law (Commendation), BPP University, 2008
- Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, University of Calgary
- England and Wales
- Dubai Legal Consultant
- English, Native
- Spanish, Conversational