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.
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?”
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”
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
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
Key clients: CDC Group, Uber, Etisalat Misr, Pfizer, LafargeHolcim, Lekela Power, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Development Partners International, Hassan Allam, Hilton
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
Key clients: CDC Group, Uber, Etisalat Misr, Pfizer, LafargeHolcim, Lekela Power, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Development Partners International, Hassan Allam, Hilton
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)
Practice areas: Corporate M&A; commercial, social, IP/IT; digital; infrastructure, renewable energy and transport; banking and finance and project finance; litigation and arbitration
Firm profile
Based in Tunis, El Heni Law firm was created in 1980 and joined the Eversheds Sutherland Africa Group in 2013 creating Eversheds Sutherland El Heni in association with El Heni Law Firm. With our managing partner and deputy head of the Africa Group, Fares Koussay El Heni, founding partner, Mohamed Raouf El Heni, and banking and finance partner, Soundès Mejdoub, our multilingual team of 20 represents a diverse range of clients, from multinational and regional corporations to small and medium businesses, governmental bodies, investors, and entrepreneurs.
The firm has a longstanding presence in Tunisia and can offer 30+ years’ worth of knowledge and experience of the Tunisian government, administration, and market. Our clients benefit from the international experience of our lawyers in various legal matters such as corporate/M&A, commercial, social, IP/IT, legal outsourcing, banking and finance, energy and infrastructure, litigation and arbitration, telecoms and digital.
We have a unique strategy that differentiates us from other law firms:
We know how to bridge the cultural and legal gap between the Tunisian market and the investors’ culture by understanding their business.
We anticipate all the potential legal issues and problems that could arise during the project lifecycle by considering every aspects even including currency, customs, and taxes.
We find innovative solutions, respecting clients’ needs and policies, adapted to the local market to allow the project realisation.
We take care of our clients (reactiveness), we think with them (proactiveness), and we are engaged with them (partnership).
Team profile
Our office is divided into five practice groups according to the experience and expertise of the lawyers. Our large team of multilingual lawyers are well-versed on every aspect of business law and operate under international standards. We are able to advise on various projects simultaneously, but also on different aspect of the same project at the same time. We are business-oriented and value offering an innovative client-experience by anticipating the risks and considering the unique needs of their organisation such as the environment and regulations they operate in.
Fares Koussay El Heni (managing partner and deputy head Africa group, corporate M&A/commercial, social, legal outsourcing, energy and infrastructure, project, IP/IT)Mohamed Raouf El Heni (founding partner, banking and finance, litigation and arbitration)Soundès Mejdoub (partner, banking and finance)
At a glance: Eversheds Sutherland El Heni in association with El Heni Law Firm
Headcount: 3 partners, 18 associates
Number of offices: 74 offices in 35 countries – 1 office in Tunisia
Key clients: GE, Nokia, IFC (World Bank Group), Scatec Solar, Emerson, Bulgin, Rina, Turkish Airlines, Roche, Kone
Can you give our Legal Business readers an overview of Matouk Bassiouny’s practice in Algeria?
Matouk Bassiouny in association with SH-Avocats is a full-service Algerian law firm headquartered in Algiers. We offer an integrated and efficient service combining a true on-the-ground knowledge with international standards. Our teams in Algiers work seamlessly with our other offices in the MENA region (Egypt, Sudan, and the UAE) enabling us to build on the expertise of our regional practice groups specialised in specific industries and legal practices.
We provide advisory and transactional services to local and foreign investors in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. Our team also provides our clients with comprehensive dispute resolution services in English, French and Arabic before Algerian courts as well as regional arbitral tribunals. Our Algiers litigation team includes attorneys qualified before the Appellate Courts and the Court of Cassation of Algeria.
We are client-centric and results-oriented. Building on our sector-focused approach, we provide ‘actionable advice’. Our role is to act as a business adviser identifying and resolving key issues to achieve our clients’ strategic objectives.
What do you see as the main points that rank Matouk Bassiouny as a leading firm in the Algerian legal business market?
Our team of two dedicated partners and three lawyers are trilingual and licensed to practice in Algeria. As we routinely advise international corporations, we operate in line with international best practices, but are also deeply entrenched in the local market, cultural and political environments. It is to be noted that both partners, Houda Sahri and Jean-Jérôme Khodara, have a vast experience in Algeria. Both have worked in Algeria for many years,have a deep knowledge of the Algerian market and are very familiar with the complications of the legal framework in Algeria.
In addition, our firm maintains good working relationships with key Algerian authorities including, the Algerian Central Bank, the Governmental Agency for Investment Promotion, the Algerian Customs Authorities and the Competition Authority, thus allowing us to fast-track administrative hurdles.
Our Algiers office is also licensed to plead before Algerian courts. This puts us in a unique position in the Algerian market, allowing us to serve our clients in all their legal needs, whether of a cross-border or local nature.
Given the problems created by the Covid-19 pandemic, how is this affecting your firm and the legal business market generally in the Algeria?
Despite the political and health instability over the past year, we have seen enormous interest from foreign investors since the issuance of the new finance law that has alleviated the restrictions on foreign investment and the so called 49/51 rule.
Algeria has chosen a highly cautious approach to the Covid-19 pandemic that has slowed down the economic activity of the country. This has of course impacted the legal business, however, the need to diversify its economy has triggered a reform of the investment framework and we have been advising a lot of clients either to explore new opportunities created by this reform or to help existing clients to navigate the changes. So in terms of activity, we have no complaints.
Can you talk about any trends or changes in the landscape you are seeing emerge in the Algerian legal business market?
Algeria is witnessing large changes in the investment legal framework. It started with the alleviation of the general restriction on foreign investment including the restriction to 49% of foreign ownership and the state’s preemption right over foreign transfer of ownership and continues through a pipeline of pro-investment legislation in different sectors including banking, oil and gas and food industry.
In 2020, Algeria also lifted the prohibition on international financing and it is in the process of becoming a member of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Such developments are expected to result in a significant growth of project finance in Algeria.
We are witnessing a surge of requests to understand the ongoing modifications to the investment framework in Algeria which reflects the raise of interest in the Algerian Market which was considered for a long time as a closed market.
How is your firm positioned for an anticipated resurgence in activity in the Algerian legal business market?
Our team of two dedicated partners and three lawyers are trilingual and licensed to practice in Algeria. We have also access to a pool of more than 200 lawyers of Matouk Bassiouny regional offices with a regional experience.
We are also planning to build our capabilities by growing our team in our Algiers office. Our goal is to train young Algerian lawyers to operate in line with our international standards and believe we also have our role to play to add to the legal market in Algeria.
With the experience of our leading partners and the support of the team, Matouk Bassiouny in Algeria is the first full fledged independent law firm and we are planning to be one of the big market players within the next few years.
Which sectors are/will be of most interest to foreign investors, and why?
We are seeing two tendencies: first, the existing clients having their activity in the sectors that are witnessing major amendment mainly: importation, pharmaceuticals and automotive. While importation and pharmaceuticals are still subject to the 49/51 rule, Algerian authorities, with the objective of promoting the local car manufacturing industry and preserving the country’s foreign exchange reserves, have passed stringent legislation over the last few years in order to curb the importation of new vehicles. The most recent is the exclusion of foreign investors from the activity of importation and dealing in new cars must be 100% owned by Algerian residents.
The second is the rising interest of international financing organisations in the financing of big projects in banking and renewable energies.
Are there any main changes which you have personally made within the firm that will benefit clients?
There are no major changes, however since the firm is evolving rather fast we are expanding our capabilities and enlarging the team of lawyers by recruiting new young and experienced lawyers to provide the best services to our clients.
What has been your greatest achievement, in a professional and personal capacity?
Working on successful M&A operations and recovering debt amounts to our clients over the last two years.
For more information, please contact:
Houda Sahri, managing partner, Algeria, Matouk Bassiouny in association with SH-Avocats
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-AvocatsJean-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
Key clients: CDC Group, Uber, Etisalat Misr, Pfizer, LafargeHolcim, Lekela Power, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Development Partners International, Hassan Allam, Hilton
