Janeen Pickering

Full Profile

Janeen is an Australian-qualified lawyer with over 5 years of Middle East experience. She advises clients throughout the United Arab Emirates and broader Gulf Cooperation Council region on the full ambit of commercial real estate transactions and issues.

Janeen has a broad range of experience advising on hotel management agreements, real estate development (including advising on community governance arrangements and off plan sales), acquisitions and disposals, real estate joint ventures, asset management and leasing. She has particular expertise advising on large-scale, complex transactions involving multiple assets and key stakeholders.

Janeen regularly advises on corporate real estate transactions, including on the real estate aspects of mergers, acquisitions and disposals, restructuring, IPOs and takeovers. She also has a broad range of experience advising on real estate finance transactions, including in connection with hotel financings.

Experience

• Aldar Properties PJSC – on its acquisition of AED 3.7 billion of assets from Tourism Development and Investment Company PJSC, comprising prime strategic land plots and projects under development, a range of operating assets within various sectors including hotels, retail, residential, education with a particular focus on Saadiyat Island.
• Aldar Properties PJSC – on its AED 810 million acquisition of the beachfront resort, DoubleTree by Hilton Resort & Spa Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE.
• Aldar Properties PJSC – on its USD 1.17 billion acquisition of four prime Grade A commercial towers in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) from Mubadala Investment Company. The acquisition represents one of the largest real estate transactions in the UAE.
• A Saudi Arabian client – on the acquisition of a company in the process of developing a hotel intended to be operated as a Four Seasons-branded hotel in Jeddah
• One of the UK's largest hospitality companies - on its bid to acquire the management rights for over 160 hotels
• Standard Chartered Bank – on its financing for the development of two Caesars Palace-operated hotels on Blue Waters Island, Dubai
• Dubai Airport Free Zone – on its AED 3.2 billion real estate joint venture with Wasl Asset Management Group to develop and operate Dubai CommerCity, being the first and only free zone dedicated to the e-commerce market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region
• Aldar Properties PJSC – on its AED 794 million infrastructure development and land sale transaction with Noon Real Estate in respect of its Motorworld projects in Abu Dhabi
• DP World – in relation to the long term development and regeneration of the Dubai port area known as Mina Rashid, a project valued at AED 25 billion
• A wholly owned subsidiary of Investment Corporation of Dubai – on the structuring, development, leasing, licensing and operation of the new Waterfront Market, a retail centre located in Dubai
• Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia – on:
  • a wide range of real estate matters in connection with its new financial district known as King Abdullah Financial District, including on its template retail and office leasing and master community and building management arrangements; and
  • its phased development of an entertainment mega city in Riyadh known as Al Qiddiya
• CK Asset Holdings Limited – on its £1 billion acquisition of 5 Broadgate, London from British Land and GIC
• Union National Bank - on its $114bn merger with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and their subsequent acquisition of Al Hilal Bank, creating the third largest financial institution in the United Arab Emirates