Janeen Pickering

Full Profile

Janeen advises clients throughout the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC region on the full ambit of commercial real estate transactions and issues.

Janeen has a broad range of experience advising on real estate development (including advising on strata and community governance arrangements and off plan sales), acquisitions and disposals, real estate joint ventures, hotel management agreements (including branded residences), development projects, 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, real estate joint ventures, restructuring, IPOs and takeovers. She also has a broad range of experience advising on real estate finance transactions, including in connection with hotel financings.

Janeen is known for delivering clear, commercially focused advice on complex transactions, aligning legal structures with investment objectives and risk allocation across all stages of the asset lifecycle.

Clyde & Co is consistently recognised as Band 1 firm for Real Estate in Chambers. In addition, Janeen has recently been identified as a Thomson Reuters Stand-Out Lawyer in 2025 and 2026 as nominated by her clients, and as a Legal 500 Next Generation Partner in 2025 and 2026.

Experience

• Advising a Dubai Government owned entity on its AED 10 billion real estate joint venture to develop a super-prime development in Dubai, including 3 hotels, 3 branded residences and a significant retail mall.
• 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.
• Advising a listed entity on its proposed AED 1.6 billion acquisition to purchase an office tower in Dubai.
• 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.
• Advising Aldar Properties PJSC on its AED 1.1 billion acquisition of a major mixed-use residential and community retail development in Dubai Studio City, including the complex structuring required to facilitate the acquisition of a high-value development under construction.
• 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 and on its AED 770 million acquisition of the Rixos Bab Al Bahr Hotel in Ras Al Khaimah.
• Advising LEAD Development on the structuring and development of Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental Mansions, a landmark ultra-luxury branded residential development within the grounds of the iconic Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, including the development arrangements, sales structure and branding aspects of the project.
• Advising a joint venture entity, including a Ras Al Khaimah government entity, on its hotel management, structuring, negotiation, sales and community governance arrangements in connection with a luxury hotel and branded residences projects in Ras Al Khaimah.
• Advising a joint venture entity, including a Ras Al Khaimah government entity, on its hotel management, structuring, negotiation, sales and community governance arrangements in connection with a hotel and branded residences project in Ras Al Khaimah with a US brand.
• Advising a Ras Al Khaimah government entity on it acquisition of one of the Marjan Island Resort & Spa, on Marjan Island, Ras Al Khaimah.
• Advising 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 free zone dedicated to the e-commerce market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region
• Advising the owners and developers on a large number of hotel and branded residence projects involving the full spectrum of brands, such as Four Seasons, Rosewood, Mandarin Oriental, Fairmont, SLS, Aman, Janu, St. Regis, Rixos, Hilton, 25Hours, Nobu, Rove, Jumeirah, Ritz Carlton, Nikki Beach and others.
• Advising a major global institutional investor and alternative asset manager on the structuring of its proposed acquisition of a significant Dubai logistics asset as part of its Middle East investment fund.
• Advising a master developer on all real estate aspects of the design and construction of a premium British or IB curriculum school
• Advising a listed entity, as joint venture participant, on the real estate aspects of a proposed joint venture for a large scale data centre in Abu Dhabi.
• Advising a leading UAE master developer on the development of a school within a large-scale mixed-use community in Dubai, including amendments, negotiations and structuring relating to land ownership, development rights and long-term operational considerations.
• Advising one of the largest, listed global logistics providers on its sale and leaseback of logistics assets in Dubai South;
• Advising a prominent Dubai developer on more than 7 standalone branded residence projects in Dubai
• Advising 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.
• Advising Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia on its phased development of an entertainment mega city in Riyadh known as Qiddiya.
• Advising 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.
• Advising one of the UK's largest hospitality companies on its bid to acquire the management rights for over 160 hotels.
• Advising Standard Chartered Bank on its financing for the development of two Caesars Palace-operated hotels on Blue Waters Island, Dubai.
• Advising 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.
• Advising 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.
• Advising 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.
• Advising CK Asset Holdings Limited on its £1 billion acquisition of 5 Broadgate, London from British Land and GIC.
• Advising Union National Bank on its $114 billion 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.