Krishna Jhala

Law Update: Real Estate, Construction & Hotels

The regional real estate, construction and hospitality sectors have been turned upside down over the last two years, with Covid-19 bringing these sectors to a halt. The impact of the pandemic remains, however, the resurrection of these vital sectors across the region is a welcome relief because they support the development of modern cities, which in turn have attracted commerce and tourism to the Middle East and North Africa.

This latest edition of Law Update, provides vital insights, updates and commentary on the latest trends taking shape across the real estate, construction, hotels and leisure sectors. The articles within this edition cover a broad range of topics, from what’s next for real estate in Dubai, to commentary on Saudi real estate, a market that is set to become the main bedrock of the region for years ahead. You will find articles on reforming real estate laws in Qatar, foreign investment and ownership in Oman, and mitigating risks on hotel construction projects and the lessons learnt from Covid.

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The leading law firm in the Middle East & North Africa region.

Krishna Jhala

Senior Associate

Biography

Krishna Jhala has over 11 years of post-qualification experience. As a member of Digital & Data team she regularly advices on full range of commercial, outsourcing, telecommunications, technology, privacy, data protection, e-commerce and media law matters.

Krishna spent valuable time on secondment to Smart Dubai Government, the technology arm of the Government of Dubai where she assisted them on their Paperless Initiative, Blockchain Strategy and Smart Services. She was also seconded to Mastercard where she was part of Privacy and Data Protection team for Middle East and Africa region.

Her practice includes advising on local law compliance in respect of technology and data related issues, ranging from government procurement rules in a technology context, the use of off-shore storage and processing platforms, e-commerce issues and digital payments regulation, the use of encryption technology and VPNs, implementation of cloud-based platforms and wider data localisation/data residency matters.

In 2011, Krishna was presented the ITech Law Travelling Fellowship. As a part of the Fellowship, she worked with six different laws firms in Europe including Setterwalls (Sweden), Hogan Lovells (Munich), Franklin (Paris) and Dr. Widmer & Partners (Switzerland), CMS Hasche Sigle (Germany) and Matheson Ormsby Prentice (Ireland) with their respective TMT teams. She is an active member of the ITech Law (International Technology Law Association) and IAPP (International Association of Privacy Professionals).

Prior to joining Al Tamimi & Company in 2017, Krishna was practicing in India and primarily dealing in technology, media and telecommunication sector as well as corporate commercial matters.

Recent Experience

Representing a satellite communications company in its acquisition of up to 100 per cent stake of another mobile satellite communications company through a sale and purchase agreement between the Purchaser and the Target’s five majority shareholders.
Advising on legal regulatory issues concerning the Internet of Things, in particular, telematics for connected cars for various major automotive manufacturers in the GCC region.
Advising an international technology company in respect of the regional regulatory environment for the establishment and operation of internet data centres and cloud computing operations.
Advising global social media platform operator on federal and local government procurement requirements, and associated contractual negotiations.
Advising a global leader in cloud services in respect of data protection and telecommunications regulatory considerations.
Advising an international mobile phone operator on legal and regulatory framework for ownership, operation and remote management of Telecoms Network Equipment.
Advising on data protection laws within the GCC region including handling sensitive personal information by multinationals and BPOs.