Morocco > Corporate and M&A
Corporate and M&A
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.