egypt 01

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1 egypt 01

2 DLA MATOUK BASSIOUNY Overview DLA Matouk Bassiouny is a Cairo-based international business law firm and exclusive member of the DLA Piper Group, a first-class alliance of legal practices headed by the international law firm DLA Piper, currently the world s largest law firm. Our firm specializes in advising international and Cairobased multinationals, corporations, financial institutions and governmental entities on all legal aspects of doing business, concluding transactions and undertaking projects in Egypt and the region. We routinely advise on high-profile and high-value complex transactions. Our team of six partners and over 35 fee earners are trained and qualified both locally and internationally and are fully conversant in English, Arabic and French. The firm prides itself on its in-depth understanding of cultural and business practices and on providing a commercial, problem-solving approach to its legal services. Our firm is ideally placed to assist on cross-border and international transactions by drawing on the breadth and scope of the DLA Piper Group, an exclusive alliance of international full-service legal organizations with a shared vision. With over 4,200 lawyers across 76 offices and 30 countries, the DLA Piper Group has members across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and the US delivering expert local know-how and integrated international solutions. Locally, our firm is in good standing before all competent judicial, administrative and regulatory authorities in Egypt, including but not limited to the Central Bank of Egypt, the Financial Supervisory Authority, the Egyptian Stock Exchanges, the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, and the Commercial Registry department. SECTORS Our departments are structured to efficiently service the full range of our clients legal needs we have developed in this respect considerable sector strength in the following practice areas: Agriculture Aviation & Defence Construction Education Gaming, Hospitality & Leisure Health Care & Pharmaceuticals Heavy Industries Information Technology Insurance Media and Entertainment Oil, Gas & Mining Real Estate & Urban Development Telecoms Textiles Transport Utilities 02 Egypt

3 key information on egypt The Arab Republic of Egypt is strategically located at the cross-roads between Asia, Africa and Europe. Egypt plays a pivotal political, commercial and cultural role in the MENA region. It borders the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula. It has a surface area of approximately 1,001,450 square kilometers and a population of more than 80 million. Egypt sits on a vast desert plateau, which is interrupted by the Nile valley and delta, and has a desert climate with hot, dry summers and moderate winters. The vast majority of Egypt s population are Egyptian (98 per cent), with some minorities such as Berbers, Nubians, Bedouins, Beja and ethnic groups from Armenian and Greek origins (two per cent). In modern history, Egypt has traditionally enjoyed a stable yet centralized political climate with a heavy socialist influence. The current government s efforts have included moving towards increased economic liberalism and democratisation in order to support the implementation of bold economic reforms. Arabic is the official language for education and law and is spoken by the vast majority of the population. English has an increasingly important role as the country s business language with French nevertheless remaining a language spoken by many. Egypt became officially independent from the UK in 1922 but did not acquire its full independence until after the Second World War. Egypt is a republic with an official multi-party democracy based on adult franchise, with a strong executive branch and an independent judiciary. It is a member of the Organization of African Unity, the Arab League, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. THE LEGAL SYSTEM The Egyptian legal system is based upon a mixture of Napoleonic code, Islamic law and Common Law. Egypt accepts the Compulsory Jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice with reservations. Judicial review is undertaken by the Supreme Court and Council of State (which oversees the validity of administrative decisions). Egypt is signatory to the 1958 Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. 03

4 DLA MATOUK BASSIOUNY Our DEPARTMENTS Our firm is structured into five separate departments: Corporate and M&A, Capital Markets, Finance and Projects, Commercial and Dispute Resolution. Corporate and M&A Department Our corporate and capital markets department specializes in providing General Corporate, M&A and Capital Markets services to a wide range of multinational corporations, private equity firms, fund managers and blue-chip investors in Egypt and the region. General Corporate Company Formation & Administration Restructuring Corporate Secretarial Corporate Governance Advisory Regulatory Compliance Corporate Restructuring Liquidation Capital Markets Department Capital Markets IPOs Listing De-listings Reporting and Disclosure requirements Bonds Issuance Mergers & Acquisitions Due Diligence Deal Structuring Privatization Private Placements Transaction Documentation Preparation and Negotiation Leveraged Buy-Outs 04 Egypt

5 FINANCE & PROJECTS DEPARTMENT COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT We provide a wide range of commercial and regulatory advice to clients actively engaged in foreign direct and indirect investment in Egypt and the region. Our advice is commercially driven with a focus on supporting our client s business objectives in Egypt whilst ensuring an optimal level of legal protection. Our services in this respect cover the following fields: Our lawyers have substantial experience in providing local legal advice on the banking and finance sector in Egypt including advice on asset based finance, infrastructure and project finance, trade finance and real estate finance as well as on the strengths and weaknesses of local security available to lenders in the Egyptian market. Our lawyers maintain close relationship with Egyptian financial institutions which enables them to have firsthand knowledge of what constitutes commercially acceptable solutions for the major institution involved in large-scale deals. Antitrust & Competition Commercial Agency Commercial Contracts Distribution Employment Intellectual Property International Trade Joint Ventures Manufacturing Agreements Product Liability Regulatory Compliance Supply of Goods and Services Finance Banking Syndicated Facilities and Loans Trade Finance Private Equity Finance Asset Finance Insolvency Perfection of local security Projects Project Finance Real Estate Finance Infrastructure Finance 05

6 DISPUTE RESOLUTION DEPARTMENT Our Dispute Resolution team boasts a very strong record of successfully representing both foreign investors and large Egyptian corporate in high-value and high-visibility commercial disputes before primary, appellate and cassation courts in Egypt as well as before arbitral tribunals in Cairo. Our team also enjoys a strong relationship with relevant regulatory authorities (such as the Egyptian labour office for employment disputes) and local law enforcement (with regard to the enforcement of criminal matters). Our dispute resolution capabilities include the following: Arbitration Commercial Disputes Employment Disputes Torts Actions IP Infringement Securities Litigation White Collar, Corporate Crime & Investigations Amicable Dispute Resolution Mediation Tax Claims 06 Egypt

7 DLA MATOUK BASSIOUNY Key contacts John Matouk Managing Partner Head of Commercial T /8179 (ext. 104) john.matouk@ Mahmoud Salah Bassiouny Partner Head of Finance & Projects T /8179 (ext. 103) mahmoud.bassiouny@ Omar Salah Bassiouny Executive Partner Head of Corporate/M&A T /8179 (ext. 129) omar.bassiouny@ Mohamed Abdel Fattah Partner Head of Capital Markets T /8179 (ext. 251) mohamed.afattah@ Osman Mowafy Partner Head of Litigation T /8179 (ext. 112) osman.mowafy@ Mohamed Gabr Partner Corporate & Capital Markets T /8179 (ext. 123) mohamed.gabr@ If you have finished with this document, please pass it on to other interested parties or recycle it, thank you. DLA Matouk Bassiouny is part of DLA Piper Group, an alliance of legal practices. Copyright 2012 DLA Piper. All rights reserved. FEB