Elise Gillians joins The Bench

The Bench FZE has announced Elise Gillians, a construction and theme park specialist, has joined its team of legal consultants. Gillians has spent her entire career since qualification working in the UAE, starting initially in private practice at Pinsent Masons and Clyde & Co and later transitioned in-house.  She has a broad range of experience but specialises in construction, engineering and infrastructure and has worked on a number of landmark hotel, leisure and entertainment projects in the region.  Her last role prior to joining The Bench was vice president – Legal Affairs at Dubai Parks and Resorts PJSC, whilst concurrently legal director at its parent company Meraas Holding.

Gillians commented, “I’m very excited to be joining Joby and the excellent team at The Bench.  When working in-house I found it almost impossible to get advice from lawyers with an understanding of the UAE market and the needs of clients at a reasonable price.  I think The Bench provides a much needed, innovative solution to that problem”.

Joby Beretta, founder and director of The Bench said, “We are delighted that the Bench continues to attract talented lawyers such as Elise with excellent UAE experience.  Her construction (both contentious and non-contentious), general commercial and theme park expertise perfectly complements our existing hotels & leisure team and expands our offering.”