The Bench Enters Legal 500 Hall of Fame

Since 1987, Legal 500 has been providing readers with an annually updated, impartial, third-party opinion on the leading law firms and lawyers in countries across the region. The rankings each year are based on the complexity of relevant projects worked on in the last 12 months, independent research and feedback from clients.

The Bench retained all of its three firm rankings again in 2026 including:

• Band 2 firm ranking for TMT (alongside A&O, Bird & Bird, Lathams and Simmons);

• Band 3 firm ranking for Real Estate (alongside Charles Russell, Clifford Chance, Dentons, Greenberg Traurig, King & Spalding and White & Case); and

• Band 3 firm ranking for Intellectual Property (alongside CWB and Taylor Wessing).

In addition, The Bench's Founder Joby Beretta was elevated from 'Leading Partner' (a ranking held for 13 years) to 'Hall of Fame' status (one of only 3 in the UAE for TMT). The Legal 500 Hall of Fame recognises lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

A massive thank you to all our clients and peers for your kind words again this year! Comments and testimonials from Legal 500 2026 include:

Technology, Media & Telecom

"The Bench’s broad caseload encompasses data protection, technology licensing, and IT matters, for which Salio De Souza is a key contact. Leading members of the practice include Kelly Tymburski, who handles telecoms mandates; Jouhayna Amr, who is skilled at FinTech matters; and media specialist Lara Haidar. Muhanned Bukhatwa is well-versed in data protection and Joby Beretta is proficient in intellectual property matters."

Real Estate

"With a strong focus on the hospitality sector, The Bench is a key port of call for landlords, hotel managers, and tenants. Joby Beretta is particularly active in the hotel sector, while Alexandra Plain and Annika Dreesman  are well-versed in real estate acquisitions and disposals. Other key members of the practice include Yulande Neethling."

Intellectual Property

"With a strong presence across the hospitality, technology, and media sectors, The Bench’s IP offering is led by Joby Beretta, Russell Woodford, and Lara Haidar. Beretta is noted for his capabilities in intellectual property transactions, while Haidar handles portfolio management and brand custodianship. Woodford is knowledgeable of cross-border intellectual property exploitation and enforcement."

"Joby Beretta is just a pleasure to work with; he has a lot of integrity and commitment to us as a client. I very much value his approach to working with us and his style of interaction."