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Ashurst Hires First Real Estate Partner for Middle East Team

Reported by Bloomberg Law
Jan 12, 2026· 2 min read
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Key Takeaways
  • • Ashurst appointed Chris Beaumont-McQuillan as a partner in its real estate practice in Abu Dhabi, marking the firm's first real estate partner hire for its Middle East team.
  • • Beaumont-McQuillan specializes in private equity real estate transactions, advising institutional investors including private equity funds, asset managers, sovereign wealth funds, family offices, pension funds, and REITs.
  • • His practice covers complex cross-border deals in senior living, purpose-built student accommodation, hotels and leisure, industrial and logistics, data centers, and large-scale development platforms.
  • • The hire signals Ashurst's strategic expansion of its real estate capabilities in the Middle East region, particularly in Abu Dhabi.
Summary
Ashurst has expanded its Middle East presence by hiring Chris Beaumont-McQuillan as a partner in the real estate practice at its Abu Dhabi office, according to an announcement on January 12, 2026. Beaumont-McQuillan is a specialist in private equity real estate transactions and brings institutional investor relationships to the firm across multiple investor categories.

As a dedicated real estate partner, Beaumont-McQuillan advises a broad spectrum of institutional capital sources, including private equity funds, asset managers, sovereign wealth funds, family offices, pension funds, and real estate investment trusts (REITs). His practice concentrates on structurally complex transactions involving joint ventures, fund formations, and capital solutions, with particular expertise in higher-value deals across multiple real estate sectors.

The sectors within Beaumont-McQuillan's scope include senior living facilities, purpose-built student accommodation, hotels and leisure properties, industrial and logistics assets, data centers, and large-scale development platforms. This appointment represents Ashurst's first dedicated real estate partner in the Middle East market, underscoring the firm's commitment to building regional depth in the real estate practice and positioning itself to capture institutional real estate capital flows in the Gulf region.

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Sources

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AlphaMaven summarised this story from the reporting below. Each link opens the original article.

Bloomberg Law Ashurst Hires First Real Estate Partner for Middle East Team