Middle East team
Gary Youssef
Gary read Law at the University of Bristol, which included one year as an exchange student at the University of Goettingen, Germany. He trained at SJ Berwin and qualified as an English solicitor in 2000. He then joined Olswang. Gary moved into specialist legal recruitment in 2001 and has placed lawyers across the Middle East, Europe and offshore jurisdictions. His particular focus is partner and team moves into both international and local law firms.
Maria Coombe
After graduating in languages, Maria moved to Paris to join a global accountancy firm. She moved into recruitment in 2000 and in 2003 returned to London to join a specialist legal recruiter where she focused on the GCC. She was relocated to Dubai in 2006 and in 2009, joined Footprintlegal where she focuses on placing in house lawyers at all levels into local corporations, MNCs and financial institutions across the region.
Jonathan Warmington
Jonathan graduated in Economics in 2000 and soon after worked for the UK’s leading legal search firm. He subsequently joined one of the global recruitment companies where he provided expertise on the Middle East, European and Australasian legal markets. He has over 11 years’ legal recruitment experience advising associates and partners on their careers. Jonathan joined Footprintlegal in 2011.
Dorette van Biljon
Dorette graduated in Law in South Africa and was admitted as a solicitor in 2010. She spent her first year practising family law and litigation before relocating to Dubai in 2011. It was then that she decided to pursue a career in legal recruitment joining Footprintlegal. Dorette focuses on recruiting legal support and paralegals for both law firms and in house clients across the GCC.