Els Desair graduated as Master of Law at KU Leuven in 1993 and specialises in real estate and environmental law (urban planning , spatial planning, nature and environmental law). Her Postgraduate in Environmental Law at the University of Ghent allowed her to further develop her expertise in these disciplines. Els first built up her experience in an international law firm (Allen & Overy) at the Brussels and Antwerp Bars, before developing her own practice in 2005.