Herbert Smith has relocated real estate lawyer Nicholle Kingsley to the firm’s Dubai office.

Kingsley, a London-based planning practice senior associate, will be the firm’s fourth real estate lawyer in the Middle East. The move comes as Abu Dhabi seeks to implement amendments to real estate laws, giving landlords greater powers to evict tenants when a lease expires – which could result in more real-estate disputes.

The firm’s head of real estate Ian Cox said the transfer is a step towards building an international real estate practice: “[Kingsley’s] relocation will provide valuable support to the real estate practice in the [Middle East] region as well as continuing to support the UK practice.”