Egypt corporate law

15 January 2010

The six the leading corporate lawyers practising in Egypt are: Zaki Hashem, Bahieldin Elibrachy, Taher Helmy, Emad el-Shalakany, Sara Hinton and Ashraf Elibrachy

Zaki Hashem

Position: Founder, Zaki Hashem & Partners

Biography: Zaki Hashem founded Cairo-based Zaki Hashem & Partners, one of the country’s longest-standing law firms with a modern partnership structure, in 1953. Its principal focus is on corporate law. Hashem studied law at Cairo University, in Egypt, and the US’ Harvard University, from where he graduated with a master’s degree in 1947 and a doctorate in 1950 respectively. In 1942, he was admitted to the Egyptian Bar Association. In 1946, he became a member of the Egyptian Council of State, part of Egypt’s legal administration system, and from 1981 to 1991 he presided over the Egyptian Society of International Law. He continues to be its honorary president. Hashem has held a number ofgovernment posts. From 1950 to 1952, he was a deputy legal adviser at the foreign affairs and commerce ministries. From 1972 to 1973, he was tourism minister under President Anwar Sadat.

Contact: (+20) 2239 33766

Bahieldin Elibrachy

Position: Partner, Ibrachy & Dermarkar

Biography: Bahieldin Elibrachy’s practice focuses on corporate mergers and acquisitions as well as arbitration and energy law. Bahieldin led the team working for the lenders in the financing of the Damietta Port Project, which was closed in 2008. In the same year, he led the team advising France’s Lafarge on issues of Egyptian law which arose in the $15bn purchase by Lafarge of the local Orascom Building Materials Holding. In 2000, Bahieldin was the chief  legal architect of the very intricate merger of internat-ional oil majors Exxon and Mobil in Egypt. Elibrachy was educated at the US’ George-town University Law Centre, in Washington. In 1985, he graduated with a master’s degree before joining Ibrachy & Dermarkar in the same year. Elibrachy holds a bachelor’s degree from Cairo University Law School. From 1977 to 1980, he served as legal adviser to the director of Egypt’s Artillery Corps.

Contact: (+20) 2 760 4592

Taher Helmy

Position: Senior partner, Helmy, Hamza & Partners

Biography: Taher Helmy is admitted to practise law in the US, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, focusing on corporate, project finance and mergers and acquisitions law. He practised in the US for nine years, before co-founding both the Riyadh and Cairo offices of Helmy, Hamza & Partners in 1986. Helmy, Hamza & Partners is a member of US law firm Baker & McKenzie, as its Egypt representative. Helmy is the current president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt. In 1992, he co-found-ed the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies. Helmy has expertise in the project financing of large industrial and energy sector developments. In 2001, he acted as local counsel to the consortium led by the UK’s BG Group in relation to the Idku liquefied natural gas project in Egypt. Helmy studied law at the US’ St Louis University, graduating in 1974.

Contact: (+20) 2246 19301

Emad el-Shalakany

Position: Senior partner, Shalakany Law Office

Biography: Emad el-Shalakany holds a law degree from Egypt’s Alexandria University. He graduated in 1989, and joined Shalakany Law Office where he became a partner in 1999 and a senior partner in 2004. El-Shalakany heads the firm’s corporate department. His practice focuses on major financial, industrial, and commercial transactions, in particular those involving joint ventures. He also specialises in public infrastructure and large-scale installation and facilities projects. El-Shalakany regularly provides legal advice to the public sector on public private partnership transactions. He is the legal adviser to the Water Resources & Irrigation Ministry on the design, build and operation phase of the West Delta irrigation system. He also advises the Education Ministry on its ongoing school building programme. Shalakany is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration in London.

Contact: (+20) 3484 9998

Sara Hinton

Position: Resident partner, Trowers & Hamlins

Biography: Sara Hinton is the managing resident partner of the Cairo office of UK law firm Trowers & Hamlins, which has operated in Egypt through a partnership with the local Nour Law Office since 1999. Hinton has dual Egyptian/British nationality and more than 12 years’ experience practising law in Egypt. She has extensive knowledge of the Egyptian legal and business environment, with particular expertise in banking and finance, corporate, energy and infrastructure. Hinton is a board member of British Egyptian Business Association. The Cairo office of Trowers & Hamlins has advised on high-profile deals including representing the UK’s Vodafone in 2006-07 in relation to a joint-venture deal with Egypt telecom worth $123m. The deal related to the setting-up of a new company holding a 51 per cent stake in Vodafone Egypt Telecommunications.

Contact: (+20) 2273 57332

Ashraf Elibrachy

Position: Partner, Ibrachy law firm

Biography: Ashraf Elibrachy’s practice focuses on banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate law. Elibrachy graduated from Cairo University in 1987. He was admitted as a barrister in the same year. He studied for two years with Mohamed Abdalla, the head of prosecution at the Court of Cassation, one of the highest courts in Egypt. In 1990, he was awarded a master’s degree in commercial law from France’s Universite Pantheon-Assas Paris II. He then joined Ibrachy & Dermarkar as a lawyer and partner, heading up the corporate and finance team, which moved with him in 2006 to break away and form Ibrachy Law firm. The Ibrachy  practice now has eight lawyers. Under Elibrachy’s leadership, the firm specialises in advising local and multinational corporations including the local Orascom Telecom and Al-Ezz Steel Rebars Company on Egyptian law.

Contact: (+20) 2333 81099

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