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At Gide Loyrette Nouel – Naciri & Associés, the ‘wonderful lawyer’ Hicham Naciri heads a group of partners which clients describe as ‘the best M&A team available in Morocco and maybe in the region’. They advised OCP on the funding of the outsourcing of its pension fund, valued at close to €3bn.

UGGC & Associés has a market-leading reputation for M&A as ‘a serious firm with good lawyers handling a whole range of corporate work’, and is particularly active in relation to private equity. Patrick Larrivé advised London-based private equity house Experian on a joint venture with Moroccan banks to create a credit bureau in Casablanca.

Kettani Law Firm’s name partner Azzedine Kettani is ‘known for his longstanding presence and for acting for US companies’. Nadia Kettani heads the corporate department, which has recently grown by two lawyers, and has been advising on the restructuring of major Moroccan public company Sochepress, and on the acquisition by Café Dubois of the capital of Leaderfood.

At Hajji & Associés, partner Myriam Bennani enjoys a very good reputation for her team’s substantial activity in M&A and for being ‘reliable and responsive’. The firm acted for Bayer in relation to the restructuring of its Moroccan subsidiaries, and has a strong pharmaceutical client base which includes GlaxoSmithKline and Servier.

Mernissi – FIGES’s practice has been strengthened by the arrival from Paris of commercial law specialist Saad Mernissi, and by new client wins including OCP. The firm is active in advising European, particularly French, companies, and has been gaining a number of new cement industry clients, including Switzerland-based Holcim and Portugal-based Cimpor. Name partner Mohamed El Mernissi is a member of the Moroccan competition commission.

August & Debouzy’s clients say the firm’s Casablanca office demonstrates ‘pragmatism and time-efficiency’, and that partner Kamal Nasrollah and senior associate Julien Aucomte are ‘extremely likeable, intelligent and diverse characters, and above typical standard’. Maroc Telecom is a major client, and international clients include Capgemini.

Bennani & Associés LLP’s name partner Mehdi Bennani is a New York-qualified lawyer with a financing background who is ‘impressive and very serious in doing what he does’. The team is instructed by international law firms and clients, and also has a strong Moroccan institutional client base which includes the CDG, the ONA Group and the Banque Marocaine Du Commerce Extérieur. Recent work includes acting for Morocco’s ministry of commerce and industry in negotiations with US-based Tessera relating to the establishment of a research and development centre.

CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre is known for its strong tax practice in the corporate arena. The team recently advised on tax structuring and planning and property co-ownerships agreements relating to a joint venture between the Accor Group, Orco and Thomas & Piron for a major tourism project near Essaouira.

Garrigues Maroc Sarl has a growing office in Casablanca, where the office head is José Ignacio García Muniozguren, and a new office in Tangiers. The team, which is best known for acting for Spanish clients, has recently been advising in the logistics industry.

SFM is the oldest law firm in Morocco. Jacques Humblé, who has particular experience in real estate, and Moulay Abdallah, who has a strong administrative law practice, are the main corporate partners.

The Moroccan office of Algeria-based Law Office of Dr Ben Abderrahmane & Partners is active in corporate and tax work for medium-sized companies, and receives instructions from international law firms.

Ernst & Young – Associated Advisers’s Casablanca office, which has recently grown from three to six lawyers, is well known for advising the Moroccan ministry of tourism on large scale projects.

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Legal Developments worldwide

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  • Labour & Employment

    1 What are the main statutes and regulations relating to employment? The main statutes relating to employment are the Portuguese Employment Code (approved by Law 7/2009 of 12 February 2009) and the Regulation of the Employment Code (Law 35/2004 of 29 July 2004) which is still in force notwithstanding the fact that parts have been revoked with the entry into force of the new Employment Code. Within the Employment Code, the vast majority of the rules are mandatory and, therefore, can only be modified by agreement of the parties and only if such amendment is intended to improve the position or rights of the employees.
    - F. Castelo Branco & Associados
  • Real Estate/ Property/ Infrastructure

    Norms for highway projects pact changed
    - Seth Dua & Associates
  • Projects, Energy & Natural Resources

    Power
    - Seth Dua & Associates
  • Litigation and Dispute Resolution

    Case Laws
    - Seth Dua & Associates
  • Intellectual Property Rights

    Amendments in Information Technology Act, 2000 The Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 has come into force from October 27, 2009. Some key amendments in the Information Technology Act, 2000 (“IT Act”) are highlighted below:
    - Seth Dua & Associates
  • Cross Border Investments & Transactions

     
    - Seth Dua & Associates
  • Capital Markets/ Securities

    Amendments in (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 1997
    - Seth Dua & Associates
  • Trade Laws and WTO Matters

    Certain important and recent legal developments in this area are set out below.
    - Seth Dua & Associates
  • Taxation – Direct Taxes

    Income-tax (Dispute Resolution Panel) Rules, 2009
    - Seth Dua & Associates
  • Indirect Taxes

    Goods and Service Tax
    - Seth Dua & Associates

Press releases

The latest news direct from law firms. If you would like to submit press releases for your firm, send an email request to
  • KF Fastigheter develops the trade area Mobilia in Lund

    KF Fastigheter has acquired parts of the trade area Mobilia in Lund, and will together with Arne Paulssons Byggnads AB develop the area, including i.a. a Coop supermarket. KF Fastigheter has in connection herewith sold a larger property in central Lund to Paulssons. Mannheimer Swartling advised KF Fastigheter.
    Mannheimer Swartling
  • Kaul and Capol sold to Riverside

    Mannheimer Swartling has advised the owners in the sale of Kaul GmbH and UK-affiliate, Capol UK Ltd., to The Riverside Company.
    Mannheimer Swartling
  • Proventus establishes vehicle for investments in corporate loans and bonds

    Mannheimer Swartling has advised Proventus in connection with the establishment of Proventus Capital Partners – a co-investment vehicle focusing on corporate loans and corporate bonds. The investment strategy for this vehicle also allows direct loans to companies and the ambition is to contribute with financing to mid-sized companies in need of capital for growth or restructuring when these companies are unable to secure traditional bank financing.
    Mannheimer Swartling
  • Protego Real Estate Investors selling Swedish retail properties

    Protego Real Estate Investors has been advised by Mannheimer Swartling on the sale of twelve retail properties situated throughout Sweden for a total value of approximately SEK 210 million.
    Mannheimer Swartling
  • Teracom divests its broadband business

    Mannheimer Swartling has advised the Teracom Group in the divestiture of its subsidiary Comet Networks to CSIT. Comet Networks operates the Group's broadband business, currently reaching more than 650,000 households and 80,000 businesses in approximately 50 municipalities in Sweden.
    Mannheimer Swartling
  • Södra Timber acquires Trivselhus

    Mannheimer Swartling has advised Södra Timber in connection with its acquisition of Ittur Prefab Industrier AB, the parent company of the Trivselhus Group, one of Sweden’s leading producers of prefabricated homes. Closing is expected to take place on 1 October 2009. The transaction is subject to inter alia competition clearance.
    Mannheimer Swartling
  • Varian Medical Systems selected for new proton therapy centre

    Mannheimer Swartling has assisted Varian Medical Systems in entering into agreements for delivery of a proton therapy system to Skandionkliniken. The agreements include supply of an estimated USD 60 million in products. Varian Medical Systems will also have a five year service agreement valued at approximately USD 25 million. Skandionkliniken is the first clinical centre for proton therapy in Scandinavia and will have a capacity of treating 1,000 – 2,500 cancer patients per year. Varian Medical Systems is the world’s leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer.
    Mannheimer Swartling
  • Wallhamn, Sweden’s largest private port, gains approvals for expansion

    Mannheimer Swartling has advised Wallhamn AB on matters related to gaining approval for expansion of the port’s fairway to facilitate access for larger cargo ships. The port, owned by the Italian-based Grimaldi Group, is used for RoRo cargo, mainly in relation to the import and export of vehicles. The matter involved negotiations and permitting approval from, among others, the Swedish Transport Agency as well as other authorities and concerned parties. The firm recently also advised the Grimaldi Group on its acquisition of 50 per cent of port Wallhamn from EUKOR Car Carriers Inc, making the Grimaldi Group the sole owner of port Wallhamn.
    Mannheimer Swartling
  • Stena Bulk in joint venture with Asahi Tankers

    Mannheimer Swartling has advised Stena Bulk AB in its new joint venture with Japanese shipping company Asahi Tankers. The joint venture company, Asahi Stena Tankers, will be owned 50/50 by the parties and will invest in tonnage of varying sizes, initially focusing on Suezmax tankers for global transportation of crude oil.
    Mannheimer Swartling
  • Skandia Liv signs asset management agreement with DnB NOR

    Mannheimer Swartling has advised Skandia Liv on an agreement with DnB NOR to manage a portfolio of assets valued at approximately SEK 80 billion. The agreement replaces a previous asset management agreement between the parties and covers DnB NOR’s continued management of a portfolio of Swedish shares and interest and includes a number of special mandates, amongst others in tactical allocation and advice on “socially responsible investing.”
    Mannheimer Swartling