Middle East and North Africa focus: The competitive edge

Middle East and North Africa focus: The competitive edge

As the world moves on from the pandemic and growth is firmly back on the agenda at law firms, the impact of the global geopolitical uncertainty triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and soaring energy prices is shifting firms’ focus when it comes to international expansion.

The Middle East, where rapid vaccine rollouts mean economies bounced back earlier than Europe and where construction is booming under ambitious state-backed investment plans, is inevitably a focus for many. Continue reading “Middle East and North Africa focus: The competitive edge”

Africa focus: Rising again?

Africa focus: Rising again?

While the same old story of political volatility continues to pervade in Africa, a bullish M&A market and renewed optimism driven by a pan-Africa trade agreement makes the continent hard to ignore for law firms.

For Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), an ongoing commitment to Africa has played an important role in galvanising its place among global firms. London and Paris offices have targeted the continent for decades, while the launch of a Johannesburg office in 2015 took its ambitions a step further. Nina Bowyer, the Paris-based co-head of HSF’s Africa group is very much alive to the challenges: ‘Obviously, Covid has crippled a number of economies across the world and Africa is no exception. Finding the necessary resources to tackle some of the challenges will continue to be difficult. Continue reading “Africa focus: Rising again?”

Sponsored briefing: The effect of recent English Supreme Court judgments on GCC-based arbitration

Sponsored briefing: The effect of recent English Supreme Court judgments on GCC-based arbitration

Robert Sliwinski, of counsel at Alsuwaidi & Company, explains how common law principles are transforming international arbitration proceedings in the GCC region

Over the past six months there have been two important judgments in the Supreme Court of England and Wales which are likely to influence GCC-based arbitrations where they are based on common law procedures and rules. They may also impact arbitrations seated in the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC), the Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM) and the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) which are pockets of common law jurisdiction within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar Civil Law Structures.
Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: The effect of recent English Supreme Court judgments on GCC-based arbitration”

Sponsored firm focus: Focus on Matouk Bassiouny in association with SH-Avocats

Sponsored firm focus: Focus on Matouk Bassiouny in association with SH-Avocats

1 bis, Chemin des Glycines, Algiers, Algeria

T: +(213) 21 239 723 | E: info@matoukbassiouny.com | W: www.matoukbassiouny.com

Practice areas: Corporate and M&A, capital markets, dispute resolution, and finance and projects

Firm profile

Matouk Bassiouny is a leading, full-service MENA law firm with offices in Algiers, Algeria (Matouk Bassiouny in association with SH-Avocats), Cairo, Egypt (Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy), Abu Dhabi and Dubai, UAE (Matouk Bassiouny) and Khartoum, Sudan (Matouk Bassiouny in association with AIH Law Firm), as well as a country desk covering our Libya practice. Our four offices are strategically located to better serve our clients’ business interests across the entire MENA region.

Our team of over 200 lawyers specialises in advising multinationals, corporations, financial institutions and governmental entities on all legal aspects of investing and doing business in the MENA region.

Trained both locally and internationally in civil and common law systems, our lawyers are deeply ingrained with international best practices and are fully conversant in English, Arabic and French.

Our firm collectively has access to a vast amount of knowledge and experience. We harness this knowledge via our 16 sector-focused groups that support our practice groups. We are therefore able to deliver legal services catered to the industry-specific needs of our clients. Our mission is to find the most innovative and cost-effective solutions for our clients, as we understand that our clients need to drive maximum value from their legal spending. We do this by maintaining a proactive commercial approach to all our legal services.

Team profile

Matouk Bassiouny joined forces with SH-Avocats, a full-service Algerian law firm headquartered in Algiers, to create Matouk Bassiouny in association with SH-Avocats. Led by Houda Sahri (managing partner of the Algiers office) and Jean-Jérôme Khodara (head of Matouk Bassiouny’s Algeria practice), Matouk Bassiouny in association with SH-Avocats has earned a stellar reputation for providing high-quality legal services across a wide range of sectors in the Algerian market.

Houda Sahri, managing partner, Algeria, Matouk Bassiouny in association with SH-Avocats
Jean-Jérôme Khodara, partner, head of the Algeria practice, Matouk Bassiouny in association with SH-Avocats

At a glance: Matouk Bassiouny in association with SH-Avocats

Headcount: 200+ lawyers, 24 partners, 100+ support staff

Offices: Algiers, Algeria; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Cairo, Egypt; Dubai, UAE; Khartoum, Sudan

Key clients: CDC Group, Uber, Etisalat Misr, Pfizer, LafargeHolcim, Lekela Power, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Development Partners International, Hassan Allam, Hilton

Sponsored briefing: Q&A with Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy

Sponsored briefing: Q&A with Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy

Can you give our Legal Business readers an overview of Matouk Bassiouny’s practice in Egypt?

Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy is a premier full-service business law firm in Egypt. We started in Egypt, and since then have expanded across the MENA region with offices in the UAE, Sudan and Algeria. Our firm is organised within four main practice groups, and we have recently developed core sector focus capabilities organised into 16 specialised sector groups. With over 170 lawyers in our Egypt office, our firm collectively has access to a vast amount of legal knowledge and experience. We are therefore able to deliver legal services catered to the sector-specific needs of our clients. Our lawyers are trained both locally and internationally in both civil and common law systems, our lawyers are fully conversant in English, Arabic and French. Our firm is ideally placed to advise on high-profile, high-value complex matters.

What do you see as the main points that rank Matouk Bassiouny as a leading firm in the Egyptian legal business market?

Firstly, our strict core practice groups. Unlike other top-tier law firms in Egypt, we are the only law firm in Egypt that has strict practice groups enabling us to efficiently deliver innovative solutions to our clients. Hand in hand with, I also believe our dedicated sector-focused groups give our lawyers and clients a massive advantage. Our firm has made a tremendous investment in implementing 16 sector-focused groups that cut across all our practice groups in order to achieve an even higher level of intellectual and practical synergy. We have created a space for our lawyers to meet, discuss developments, debate ideas, share precedents, anecdotes and add to each other’s and their clients’ knowledge within specific business sectors. And last, but certainly not least, our diversity and inclusion programme which launched last year, headed by our partner, Mariam Auda. Our biggest source of pride at our firm is that we have implemented a horizontal meritocratic philosophy in order to foster an environment where the brightest minds, no matter their gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or socio-economic background, can come together and flourish professionally.

Given the problems created by the Covid-19 pandemic, how is this affecting your firm and the legal business market generally in Egypt?

Well, the first year of the pandemic was very challenging. Considering that we are the largest firm in Egypt, in the context of the pandemic, size has not helped us. When you are a smaller firm, you are more agile and perhaps able to weather the storm more easily. However, when you are as large as us it becomes more challenging. That being said, we did manage to weather that storm and in fact rose from the pandemic stronger. In a way, it prepared us to manage future crises more efficiently as they may come. From a work standpoint, the first six months of the pandemic were a disaster. The world just froze. Starting from September of last year, however, work began ramping back up. Today we are busier than we have ever been and we have enshrined concepts of mobility and distance working, which will enable us to efficiently manage any future lockdowns or other future safety precautions.

Can you talk about any trends or changes in the landscape you are seeing emerge in the Egyptian legal business market?

We are now seeing Egypt rise to being one of the top destinations for foreign direct investment, which means that inbound M&A has been very hot. Secondly, I believe Egypt is starting to get traction as being seen as a new start up scene. We are seeing a lot of new innovative startups and accordingly, a lot of investment in the startup scene. Accordingly, we are starting to see a slight shift in M&As. In the past M&A was mainly focused on oil and gas, FMCG, health care and education, but now we are starting to see that focus diversify a bit, mainly by honing in on the tech and startup scenes.

How is your firm positioned for an anticipated resurgence in activity in the Egyptian legal business market?

As previously mentioned, we have never been busier than we are today. And so this year, starting from January 2021, the firm has added around an additional 15 lawyers to our teams. Accordingly, we are completely equipped and ready to handle all of our clients’ needs, whatever they may be. Additionally, we were very humbled to have won Corporate and M&A Law Firm of the Year at this year’s Chambers Middle East Awards 2021.

Which sectors are/will be of most interest to foreign investors, and why?

Traditionally speaking, FMCG, education and healthcare sectors are fuelled by strong demographics, however, as I touched upon earlier, Egypt is now witnessing new sectors emerging, namely the tech and startup sectors. We are also witnessing innovative efforts to link the tech sectors with more traditional sectors, for example one of our startup clients is Ashtar which does e-learning, Jilatee which sells secondhand fashion and Shift EV which does acceleration for the transition to electric mobility for fleets in the emerging markets.

Are there any main changes which you have personally made within the firm that will benefit clients?

I think the main, most recent change has been building up our dedicated sector-focused groups. Our 16 sector groups support our practice groups by providing sector-specific expertise, which has proven to be a significant added-value to each practice group’s offerings to clients. This initiative has underlined our commitment to understanding our clients’ industry-specific commercial needs and allows us not to just be lawyers to our clients, but also valuable business partners with them. We remain the only firm in Egypt to adopt such a structure.

Also quite important, is our regional expansion. Our regional firm has continued to grow over the past few years, and just last year we officially opened our fourth office in Algiers, making us one of the largest regional firms in the MENA region.

What has been your greatest achievement, in a professional and personal capacity?

Honestly, I believe my greatest achievement is having found my amazingly supportive wife. Building a regional top-tier law firm like Matouk Bassiouny from the ground up is incredibly time consuming and demanding, and there is no way I could have done it without the patience and support of my wonderful wife.

For more information, please contact:

Omar S. Bassiouny, founding partner and head of corporate and M&A, Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy

E: Omar.bassiouny@matoukbassiouny.com

matoukbassiouny.com

Sponsored firm focus: Focus on Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy

Sponsored firm focus: Focus on Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy

12 Mohamed Ali Genah, Garden City, Cairo, Egypt

T: +(202) 2796 2042 | E: Info@matoukbassiouny.com | W: www.matoukbassiouny.com

Practice areas: Corporate and M&A, capital markets, dispute resolution, and finance and projects

Firm profile

Matouk Bassiouny is a leading, full-service MENA law firm with offices in Algiers, Algeria (Matouk Bassiouny in association with SH-Avocats), Cairo, Egypt (Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy), Abu Dhabi and Dubai, UAE (Matouk Bassiouny) and Khartoum, Sudan (Matouk Bassiouny in association with AIH Law Firm), as well as a country desk covering our Libya practice. Our four offices are strategically located to better serve our clients’ business interests across the entire MENA region.

Our team of over 200 lawyers specialises in advising multinationals, corporations, financial institutions and governmental entities on all legal aspects of investing and doing business in the MENA region.

Trained both locally and internationally in civil and common law systems, our lawyers are deeply ingrained with international best practices and are fully conversant in English, Arabic and French.

Our firm collectively has access to a vast amount of knowledge and experience. We harness this knowledge via our 16 sector-focused groups that support our practice groups. We are therefore able to deliver legal services catered to the industry-specific needs of our clients. Our mission is to find the most innovative and cost-effective solutions for our clients, as we understand that our clients need to drive maximum value from their legal spending. We do this by maintaining a proactive commercial approach to all our legal services.

Team profile

Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy was established in 2005 and has since developed into a premier full-service business law firm in Egypt, and the region. We pride ourselves in our people as well as in the strong and long-lasting relationships we have built with our corporate and institutional clients over the years. We also deeply value the bonds we have formed with numerous tier-one international law firms with whom we routinely team up in providing the highest level of legal services to our clients in the most significant, high-value and sensitive transactions, projects and disputes in Egypt and the region.

Omar S. Bassiouny, founding partner and head of corporate and M&A

At a glance: Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy

Headcount: 200+ lawyers, 24 partners, 100+ support staff

Offices: Algiers, Algeria; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Cairo, Egypt; Dubai, UAE; Khartoum, Sudan

Key clients: CDC Group, Uber, Etisalat Misr, Pfizer, LafargeHolcim, Lekela Power, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Development Partners International, Hassan Allam, Hilton

Sponsored briefing: Q&A with Matouk Bassiouny in association with AIH Law Firm

Sponsored briefing: Q&A with Matouk Bassiouny in association with AIH Law Firm

Can you give our Legal Business readers an overview of Matouk Bassiouny’s practice in Sudan?

Matouk Bassiouny in association with AIH Law Firm (MBAIH) was established in 2016, the first regional firm to open in Sudan, as a result of a co-operation of more than ten years on Sudanese matters in between Matouk Bassiouny and AIH Law firm. MBAIH aims to service clients and law firms seeking advice on Sudanese matters in areas including corporate and M&A, finance and projects and dispute resolution.

What do you see as the main points that rank Matouk Bassiouny as a leading firm in the Sudanese legal business market?

MBAIH aims to serve its clients with all legal needs relating to their business activities. We always adopt a practical, commercial approach that ensures compliance with laws, while navigating the complex administrative aspects. Our ultimate mission, and metric of success, is creating value for our clients.

Given the problems created by the Covid-19 pandemic, how is this affecting your firm and the legal business market generally in the Sudan?

When Covid-19 hit Sudan, Sudan was already in a complex process of rebuilding its political system, following the Sudanese Revolution. Because of the political events, judicial and administrative functions were irregular, which made simple legal tasks (eg, obtaining a permit for a client), challenging. Covid-19 compounded that reality even more. However, we have witnessed an effort for flexibility from Sudanese judicial and administrative officials, which has helped mitigate the issue. The firm has had to considerably upgrade and optimise its IT infrastructure to ensure minimal work disruptions.

Can you talk about any trends or changes in the landscape you are seeing emerge in the Sudanese legal business market?

The Sudanese legal market is rapidly changing, in pace with the changing business environment. Now that US sanctions are lifted, we are seeing an influx of foreign investments, and local entrepreneurial initiatives that are driving the legal market to be more responsive, and commercially minded.

How is your firm positioned for an anticipated resurgence in activity in the Sudanese legal business market?

We constantly ensure that our fee-earners have the sufficient knowledge and training to understand and efficiently answer our clients’ needs. We are able to draw on our regional experience (in Egypt, Algeria and the UAE) to provide the clients with tailored advice.

Which sectors are/will be of most interest to foreign investors, and why?

Agriculture and mining will continue to be important sectors. We also expect a strong uptick in the interest for transport and logistics project, fintech, and general banking sectors.

Are there any main changes which you have personally made within the firm that will benefit clients?

I launched our firm’s regional initiative to establish sector groups that ensure sector knowledge always goes hand in hand with legal knowledge.

What has been your greatest achievement, in a professional and personal capacity?

I would say my team. I always aim to hire and work with people that complement my gaps in knowledge and approach.

For more information, please contact:

Mahmoud S. Bassiouny, regional managing partner, regional head of finance and projects

E: mahmoud.bassiouny@matoukbassiouny.com
www.matoukbassiouny.com

Sponsored firm focus: Focus on Matouk Bassiouny in association with AIH Law Firm

Sponsored firm focus: Focus on Matouk Bassiouny in association with AIH Law Firm

Khartoum South, Plot No. 3, Block No. 1/KH, Khartoum, Sudan

T: +(249) 183 483344 | E: info@matoukbassiouny.com | W: www.matoukbassiouny.com

Practice areas: Corporate and M&A, capital markets, dispute resolution, and finance and projects

Firm profile

Matouk Bassiouny is a leading, full-service MENA law firm with offices in Algiers, Algeria (Matouk Bassiouny in association with SH-Avocats), Cairo, Egypt (Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy), Abu Dhabi and Dubai, UAE (Matouk Bassiouny) and Khartoum, Sudan (Matouk Bassiouny in association with AIH Law Firm), as well as a country desk covering our Libya practice. Our four offices are strategically located to better serve our clients’ business interests across the entire MENA region.

Our team of over 200 lawyers specialises in advising multinationals, corporations, financial institutions and governmental entities on all legal aspects of investing and doing business in the MENA region.

Trained both locally and internationally in civil and common law systems, our lawyers are deeply ingrained with international best practices and are fully conversant in English, Arabic and French.

Our firm collectively has access to a vast amount of knowledge and experience. We harness this knowledge via our 16 sector-focused groups that support our practice groups. We are therefore able to deliver legal services catered to the industry-specific needs of our clients. Our mission is to find the most innovative and cost-effective solutions for our clients, as we understand that our clients need to drive maximum value from their legal spending. We do this by maintaining a proactive commercial approach to all our legal services.

Team profile

Matouk Bassiouny and AIH Law firm joined forces in 2017 to create Matouk Bassiouny in association with AIH Law Firm, a full-service Sudanese business law firm in Khartoum. We are the first regional firm to open in Sudan. We offer a wide variety of services in the fields of corporate and M&A, finance and projects and dispute resolution. Our ultimate mission, and metric of success, is creating value for our clients.

Mahmoud S. Bassiouny, regional managing partner, regional head of finance and projects, Matouk Bassiouny in association with AIH Law Firm

At a glance: Matouk Bassiouny in association with AIH Law Firm

Headcount: 200+ lawyers, 24 partners, 100+ support staff

Offices: Algiers, Algeria; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Cairo, Egypt; Dubai, UAE; Khartoum, Sudan

Key clients: CDC Group, Uber, Etisalat Misr, Pfizer, LafargeHolcim, Lekela Power, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Development Partners International, Hassan Allam, Hilton

Sponsored firm focus: Focus on Matouk Bassiouny UAE

Sponsored firm focus: Focus on Matouk Bassiouny UAE

Office 601, Maze Tower, Sheik Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE

T: +(971) 4289 2195 | E: dubaiinfo@matoukbassiouny.com | W: www.matoukbassiouny.com

Practice areas: Corporate and M&A, capital markets, dispute resolution, and finance and projects

Firm profile

Matouk Bassiouny is a leading, full-service MENA law firm with offices in Algiers, Algeria (Matouk Bassiouny in association with SH-Avocats), Cairo, Egypt (Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy), Abu Dhabi and Dubai, UAE (Matouk Bassiouny) and Khartoum, Sudan (Matouk Bassiouny in association with AIH Law Firm), as well as a country desk covering our Libya practice. Our four offices are strategically located to better serve our clients’ business interests across the entire MENA region.

Our team of over 200 lawyers specialises in advising multinationals, corporations, financial institutions and governmental entities on all legal aspects of investing and doing business in the MENA region.

Trained both locally and internationally in civil and common law systems, our lawyers are deeply ingrained with international best practices and are fully conversant in English, Arabic and French.

Our firm collectively has access to a vast amount of knowledge and experience. We harness this knowledge via our 16 sector-focused groups that support our practice groups. We are therefore able to deliver legal services catered to the industry-specific needs of our clients. Our mission is to find the most innovative and cost-effective solutions for our clients, as we understand that our clients need to drive maximum value from their legal spending. We do this by maintaining a proactive commercial approach to all our legal services.

Team profile

Matouk Bassiouny established its Dubai location in 2018, and since then has quickly established itself as one of the leading local law firms in the UAE. Led by our UAE office managing partner, Jirayr Habibian, our lawyers are experts in advising on all aspects of UAE law. Our Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices are well placed to provide local legal support across the GCC.

We advise both local and international companies on a full range of issues from contentious and non-contentious corporate and commercial matters.

At a glance: Matouk Bassiouny UAE

Headcount: 200+ lawyers, 24 partners, 100+ support staff

Offices: Algiers, Algeria; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Cairo, Egypt; Dubai, UAE; Khartoum, Sudan

Key clients: CDC Group, Uber, Etisalat Misr, Pfizer, LafargeHolcim, Lekela Power, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Development Partners International, Hassan Allam, Hilton

Sponsored briefing: Q&A with Eversheds Sutherland El Heni

Sponsored briefing: Q&A with Eversheds Sutherland El Heni

Can you give our readers an overview of Eversheds Sutherland El Heni Law Firm’s legal practice in Tunisia?

We have five main legal practices in our law firm:

  • Corporate/ M&A: One of the strongest team in the Tunisian market (an average of 20 deals per year) mainly focusing on international investments or very high-profile projects in Tunisia.
  • Business law including IP/IT, labour, civil, commercial and contract: The team is fully dedicated to foreign clients who use, fully or partially depending on their internal legal team, our legal outsourcing service enabling them to focus efforts on their core business.
  • Infrastructure, energy, transport: The work is mostly centred around renewable energy, customs and real estate.
  • Banking and finance: The team is used to assisting the biggest DFIs in Tunisia such as IFC, EBRD, and AFD. In addition, we have a strong insurance activity including the main ones in the Tunisian market (Maghrebia Assurance, Star Assurance, Biat Assurance), and act in project finance.
  • Dispute resolution: We offer market-leading pre-contentious, and contentious assistance with day-to-day complex matters. We play a key role in shaping the law and adapting it to the needs of our international clients. For instance, our multilingual team is able to report in French, English and Arabic. We also manage and lead high-profile arbitration.

What do you see as the main points that rank Eversheds Sutherland El Heni Law Firm as a leading firm in the Tunisian legal business market?

We operate under international standards, which means that we respect our deadlines, we have a sophisticated billing system, and our flexible team is always available to respond to a client in need. Furthermore, we are a full-service law firm, so we are able to assist our clients in every aspect of their projects. Our large law firm of 20 (in comparison to the Tunisian market) and its organisation in several practice areas, enable us to work on several projects simultaneously and different aspects of the same projects at the same time. Finally, being part of a global network of 70 Eversheds Sutherland international offices across 36 countries, we can offer our international clients, multi-jurisdictional advice across the five continents.

Given the problems created by the Covid-19 pandemic, how did you successfully manage your firm?

Our first two goals were the safety of the team and establishing a strong internal organisation in order to maintain a high quality of deliverables. When the above conditions have been filled, it allowed us to nurture our clients and to fully support them by focusing on their needs. As an example, during the first phase of the pandemic, we sent weekly newsletters informing the clients of the measures taken by the government, as it was constantly changing, making it easier for them to take decisions.

Which sectors are/will be of most interest to foreign investors, and why?

From our knowledge and experience, the promising sectors for investments are the new technology, renewable energy, healthcare and diversified industries.

We are currently drafting the digital and telecoms legislation, as well as assisting many successful startups, and we’ve noticed that new tech is still new but very attractive for foreign investors as regulations are moving towards a more digitalised economy.

As far as the renewable energy sector goes, Tunisia has a good positioning and significant projects are currently ongoing. On the other hand, the healthcare and diversified industry sectors are still stable for the moment despite the current situation, but they should be expanding soon.

Are there any main changes which you have personally made within the firm that will benefit clients?

As a business-oriented law firm, we recognise our clients’ needs and risks. We understand urgent matters may arise at any time in a business, especially during a global pandemic, so we took the decision to organise the team in total flexibility. This way, our team is available at any time, which was truly appreciated and very beneficial to our clients. In addition, we put significant financial efforts into supporting our clients economically, which means that we accept to postpone payment deadlines, split/reduce our fees etc.

What is the main added value of Eversheds Sutherland El Heni as a corporate law firm in Tunisia?

We are able to offer our clients the high-level of service and thoroughness that our international clients are used to receiving in mature markets (US, EU, Middle East) adapted to the Tunisian market.

For more information, please contact:


Fares Koussay El Heni
Deputy head Africa (Paris) and managing partner (Tunis)

T: + 216 71 116 720 (Paris)
F: + 216 98 337 117 (Paris)

T: + 33 1 55 73 41 08 (Tunisia)
F: + 33 6 68 20 65 33 (Tunisia)

E: fareselheni@eversheds-sutherland.com