The Legal 500

Al Kamel Law Office advises on incorporation, general corporate and capital markets matters, and transactions such as M&A. Clients include Procter & Gamble, Xerox, Visa International, McDonald’s, Hilton, Microsoft, EDF, and Ford. Founding and managing partner Mohamed Kamel, Rasheed Kamel, Mostafa Mostafa and Mahmoud Wahba are recommended.

DLA Matouk Bassiouny provides ‘service of the highest quality’ and ‘excellent response times’, has ‘deep knowledge of the local laws and regulations’, and is ‘reasonably priced’. Among recent deals, the firm assisted EuroMena with its $13m purchase of a majority stake in Al O’youn El Dawli Eye Hospital. Omar Bassiouny is ‘an excellent negotiator and dealmaker’, and ‘an asset to have on one’s side’.

Helmy, Hamza & Partners (Baker & McKenzie) provides ‘excellent service’, and is ‘comparable with top US firms’. It recently advised The Savola Group on its E£713.5m acquisition of Al Maleka and Al Farasha Food Industries; and Amwaj International on its purchase of a 49% stake in a tourism company. Mohamed Ghannam, Hatem Soliman, Mohamad Talaat, Hazim Rizkana and Suzan Farid are recommended.

Senior partner Zaki Hashem and managing partner Yasser Hashem jointly head Zaki Hashem & Partners, Attorneys at Law’s practice, which has a first-class reputation for corporate and M&A work.

Ingy Badawy heads Zulficar & Partners Law Firm’s practice, which advised Orascom Telecom on the de-merger of Orascom Telecom Media and Technology. It has also been active in the oil and gas sector, where Mohamed Abdel Wahab is leading advice on the multimillion-dollar merger of two oil and gas companies.

Ibrachy & Dermarkar’s managing partner Bahieldin El Ibrachy has extensive experience in intricate corporate transactions. Tamima Yehia and recently made-up partner Fatma Salah are corporate and M&A specialists, and Hegazy El Wakil is recommended for commercial transactions.

Ibrachy & Partners advises on all aspects of M&A. Clients include EFG-Hermes, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, Dubai Financial Group and Orascom Telecom. Founding partner Ashraf Elibrachy and Tarek Gadallah are highly recommended.

Nour Law Office managed by Trowers and Hamlins provides ‘excellent service’ to blue-chip clients in Egypt and abroad, and is particularly strong in M&A. Clients include Actis, MSCC, Kingdom Hotels Investments, Foster Wheeler, and EFG-Hermes. Sara Hinton has ‘lots of experience in dealing with multinational direct investors in Egypt’. Tim Armsby joined Eversheds LLP in Abu Dhabi.

Nour & Taha recently advised on a term sheet for Compass Capital to purchase a E£45m stake in Beltone Financial, and also acted for another client on the E£25m acquisition of a medical institution. Ehab Taha is ‘particularly good – he has the right business attitude and the much-needed flexibility to accommodate demanding clients’. Ayman Nour is also recommended.

Emad El Shalakany and Aly El Shalakany jointly head Shalakany Law Office’s M&A practice, which advised Living Social on its acquisition of GoNabit; and on National Petroleum Company’s sale of its interests under the oil concession agreement to Sea Dragon. The team is advising Siemens on its $30m acquisition of NEM’s shares.

Sharkawy & Sarhan, which has substantial M&A experience, recently advised Standard Chartered on the potential acquisition of an Egyptian bank, and assisted Shell with the Egyptian aspects of restructuring its downstream business in Africa. It advised GE on its $2.8bn acquisition of Wood Group’s Well Support Division. Ahmed El Sharkawy, Karim Sarhan and Amr Abbas are recommended.

Dentons has been advising on matters such as aircraft sales and public utility franchise contracts, in addition to due diligence and other related work. Michael Lacey is the managing partner of the Cairo office.

Hassouna & Abou Ali advises on all aspects of corporate law, and is particularly experienced in corporate governance. The firm has acted for clients such as Chrysler Group and Dow. Founding partners Ahmed Abou Ali and Mohammed Hassouna are well regarded.

Kosheri, Rashed & Riad has advised Cotecna, Moon Capital, STC, and Philips on M&A deals, and is advising on several significant acquisitions. Recommended managing partner Tarek Riad is a member of the Cairo and New York Bars.

Marghany Advocates has ‘strong business knowledge’ and is ‘good value for money’. It recently assisted a new technology venture capital firm with establishing more than 20 start-ups, and advised OTVentures on two technology sector acquisitions. Amir Marghany gives ‘good suggestions and advice’.

Nadoury & Nahas Law Offices is best known for its dispute resolution capabilities, but also provides non-contentious corporate and M&A advice. Founding partner Ashraf Nadoury is recommended.

Sarie-Eldin & Partners Legal Advisors advised Miraco on the sale of 11.73% of its share capital to the China African Fund. Founder and managing partner Hani Sarie El Din specialises in capital markets, and the firm’s investment banking clients include Morgan Stanley, Citibank and EFG-Hermes.

Nabil Rizkallah heads Sarwat A. Shahid Law Firm’s practice, which advises on corporate and commercial matters, including investments and M&A, as well as on free zone laws, taxation, real estate and corporate disputes.