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Counselor Sarwat Abd El-Shahid,
after serving for twenty years as a judge and state counselor, founded
the Firm in 1987. The Firm rapidly expanded to become one of the leading international
law firms in Egypt due to its broadly based practice and reputation for
combining modern expertise with traditional high standard personal
service. This reputation has attracted successful entrepreneurs and
multinationals, enabling the Firm to accumulate an impressive client
list. The Firm is accustomed to working with law firms from overseas,
dealing with clients from all parts of the world, and is specialized in
both national and cross-border transactions.
The Firm’s main office is located at the very heart of Cairo’s legal
milieu, next to the High Court of Justice and it maintains a branch in
Heliopolis, Cairo. The Firm is staffed with fifty-five counsel, lawyers,
of counsel, and supporting and clerical staff, distributed over three
main departments - Litigation and Arbitration; Corporate; and
International and Business Transactions, Banking, and Insurance, each
headed by a senior lawyer.
The Firm is a full service law firm and provides multinationals,
companies, and individuals with legal services related to investments;
joint ventures; acquisitions, mergers, privatization, and the related
legal due diligence; corporate finance and restructuring; securitization;
capital markets and securities offerings; local and international banking
transactions and all related agreements; insurance; taxes; bankruptcy;
intellectual property and related registrations; pharmaceutical laws and
agreements; license, franchise, distribution, agency, and manufacturing
agreements; labor laws, employment contracts, and employee benefit
schemes (ESOP); shareholder disputes; infrastructure projects (BOT &
BOOT); construction agreements and disputes; public and private tenders;
estate and tax planning, including wills, trusts, and offshore companies;
hotel and leisure properties and their management agreements; special
sale and lease contracts for units in condominiums and private
residential communities; real estate, including registrations, title
searches, and mortgages; telecommunications; environmental law; maritime
law; free zone law; family law; criminal law; all related local and
international litigation and arbitration; and enforcement of foreign
judgments and arbitral awards.
The Firm is well qualified to establish all forms of business entities
and assist clients in obtaining the necessary approvals for their
investments, licenses to conduct their business, and work and residence
permits. Additionally, the Firm is a leader in the field of litigation
and has an extensive practice in arbitration and other methods of
alternative dispute resolution.
Due to the Firm’s broad areas of experience, it can make available its
specialized legal knowledge to assist foreign companies seeking to
develop their business interests in Egypt and the Arab World and can
provide clients “turnkey solutions” to their business requirements, by
introducing them to suitable prospective partners and joint ventures,
investment and commercial bankers, accountants, and business consultants.
The Firm’s clients benefit not only from its vast experience but also
from a wide network of local and international contacts. This can prove
especially useful for clients where personal contacts and an intimate
knowledge of State regulations and procedures often make the difference
between success and failure. As the Firm’s founder acts as Expert and
Counselor to the Egyptian Parliament, clients are assured first hand and
updated information regarding developments in Egyptian legislation.
The Firm’s ultimate goal is to offer highly professional and personally
tailored services to all of its clients enabling them to meet their goals
in business and litigation. The Firm can provide legal services to its
clients in Arabic, English, German, and French.
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