About

The domestic luxury retail company, UAE Trading, opened the first boutique store offering luxury brands to the domestic market, back in 1972. Today it owns and operates 24 multi-brand boutiques under its Rodeo Drive and Via Rodeo trading names as well as 23 mono-brand franchise stores. Tri-lingual lawyer Zeina Abillamah initially joined UAE Trading in 2011 as legal counsel but having excelled in the role was promoted in 2014 to her current position, senior legal counsel and head of the legal department. Working with her team of lawyers, Abillamah provides legal support in English, Arabic, and French and is responsible for the day to day supervision, management and output for all of UAE Trading’s commercial legal work. During her time at the company she has worked on a variety of complex commercial contracts, developed in-house agreements and advised senior management on laws impacting the company’s functional areas. UAE Trading is Abillamah’s first taste of in-house life. Before she joined she was an associate at IAA Law firm for just over four years. Part of Abillamah’s success is down to her commitment to constantly learn, and in recent years she has studied M&A courses at the New York Institute of Finance and contracts law at Harvard Law School.