Bennani & Associés LLP > Algiers, Algeria > Firm Profile
Bennani & Associés LLP Offices
25, Rue Djnane El Malik
16035 Hydra
Algiers
Algeria
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Bennani & Associés LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
Algeria > Banking and finance Tier 1
Independent firm Bennani & Associés LLP has a proven track record acting for foreign banks and international financial institutions in relation to credit transactions, finance restructuring and establishing security interests. The firm also continues to consolidate its reputation among leading payment-processing and other fintech companies, with practice head Mourad Seghir acting for a number of international powerhouses, including PayPal and GooglePay. Recently promoted to counsel, Mohamed Debbouche is active in a range of transactional finance matters.Practice head(s):
Mourad Seghir
Other key lawyers:
Mohammed Debbouche
Key clients
American Express
FacebookPay
GooglePay
Islamic Development Bank
Kuaishou
Mastercard
PayPal
Toshiba
Work highlights
- Assisted Islamic Development Bank in the review of the potential $50m financing of strategic Algerian projects and its feasibility under foreign lending rules in Algeria.
- Assisted Toshiba in the context of the disposal of Toshiba Transmission & Distribution Europe to Mutares by advising on the change of project counter-guarantor banks.
- Assisting American Express and Mastercard, respectively, in relation to payment services matters in Algeria and regulatory compliance across Africa.
Algeria > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 1
With key regional offices in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bennani & Associés LLP is regularly instructed on market-leading mandates involving M&A, spin-offs and divestments. The firm has continued to expand its expertise in a diverse range of industries, from oil and gas and pharmaceuticals to energy and technology. Mourad Seghir leads the practice and focuses on assisting international companies on all aspects of foreign investments, joint ventures and M&A. Mohamed Debbouche was promoted to counsel in July 2023 and brings a solid track record on complex cross-border transactions.Practice head(s):
Mourad Seghir
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Excellent team, experienced and capable in the field in which we operate.’
‘Fully prepared and very efficient.’
‘Excellent team.’
‘I want to underline the quality of the advice given by Mourad Seghir in the Algeria office of Bennani. He is pragmatic, straight to the point and knowledgeable. An excellent practitioner. ’
Key clients
Adidas
Airbus
Align Technology
Artelia
Bloomberg
Bristol-Myers Squibb
British American Tobacco
Caterpillar
CFAO Group
Compass
CTC Global
Daimler
Hellenic Petroleum SA
Hyundai Motor Company
IFM Investors
LG
Peters Surgical
Piaggio
Phillips
Sandvine
Sanofi
Snam
Stream Flo
Toshiba
Uber
Work highlights
- Advising Hellenic Petroleum on the transfer of its refining, trading and petrochemicals operations via a legal hive-down into a newly incorporated entity, in a deal worth €1.3bn.
- Advising Snam on its €403m acquisition of a stake in a recently constituted NewCo that will own Eni’s stakes in companies involved in the system of transportation of gas from Algeria to the entry point in Sicily.
- Advising Cargotec and Konecranes (the two largest European manufacturers of cranes) on the competition law filing for the €3.2bn merger between the pair.
Algeria > Dispute resolution Tier 1
Bennani & Associés LLP is especially noted for the scope of its disputes practice in Algeria, covering commercial and administrative litigation, arbitration, and a range of IP, tax, construction and projects disputes. The practice is well placed to handle disputes with a multi-jurisdictional element, leveraging its offices in key regional hubs of Morocco, Tunisia, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Zakaria Zereg leads the dispute resolution practice and has strong experience across oil and gas, transport and infrastructure disputes, as well as IP and commercial litigation. Managing partner Mourad Seghir, qualified in New York, focuses on assisting international companies with commercial, labour and administrative disputes, as well as white-collar criminal matters and international arbitration.Practice head(s):
Zakaria Zereg
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Bennani & Associés LLP in Algeria has a team that is strong, capable, professional and reliable.’
‘Mourad Seghir has been great to communicate and understands the client’s needs perfectly. Also, he understand the difficulties of the situation and provides practical solutions for his cliemt. Very impressive individual. ’
‘A reliable and responsive team. To be recommended. ’
Key clients
Azadea
BP
EVATHERM AG
Consortium:
Centrotherm International AG / Kinetics Germany GMBH
Gucci
Ital Consult
Motion Picture Association, Inc.
SG E&C
Safege
Work highlights
- Advising Bristol-Myers Squibb on the layoff of employees and subsequent labour litigation arising from its disinvestment in Algeria.
- Acting for Studio Altieri and Ital Consult in a dispute involving the construction of the 40,000-capacity Douera football stadium in Algiers.
Algeria > Employment Tier 1
Bennani & Associés LLP has established a market-leading employment practice in Algeria, renowned for the breadth of its contentious and non-contentious expertise. Overseen by managing partner and New York-qualified lawyer Mourad Seghir, the practice covers employment disputes, downsizing exercises and layoffs, contracts and policy matters, work permits and legislation compliance among its key areas of strength.Practice head(s):
Mourad Seghir
Testimonials
‘Mourad Seghir is an excellent professional: his advice is as expected, short and practical.’
‘I found this firm competent and effective in framing the issue and providing the requested advice within the established timeframes.’
‘I interacted with Mourad Seghir who I found to be very competent, reliable and effective. My report was simple and my questions were answered appropriately.’
Key clients
ABB
Abbott
Airbus
Aramex
BP
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Daimler AG
Elekta
ENI
Firmenich
IQVIA (formerly Quintiles and IMS Health)
ING
Lincoln Electric
Luxury Motors Works
Motorola Solutions
Paul Wurth International
Phillips
Simalga
Smollan
Stream Flo
Work highlights
- Advised Bristol-Myers Squibb in relation to its disinvestment in Algeria, including advice on the layoff of employees and subsequent labour litigation.
- Assisted IQVIA in the review of its internal regulations and applicable health and safety rules.
- Acting for metal-processing multinational Paul Wurth in order to obtain work permits and visas for its foreign employees working on a major steel plant project.
Algeria > Energy Tier 1
Bennani & Associés LLP has an enviable client list of household name multinational companies, including powerhouses in the region. Practice head Mourad Seghir offers specialist expertise in commercial contracts and the regulatory aspects of litigation within the oil and gas and wider energy sectors, with wind and solar energy being particular areas of strength. Promoted to counsel in July 2023, Mohamed Debbouche is also a key player in the energy team.Practice head(s):
Mourad Seghir
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
BP
Consortium including Centrotherm Photovoltaics
Dragon Oil
Enel Green Power
ENI
Freepoint
Hellenic Petroleum SA
LG
Linde Gaz
Nabors
Noble Energy
Saudi Aramco Products Trading Company
Snam
Stream Flo (client since 2018)
Work highlights
- Advised Greece-based Hellenic Petroleum on the €1.3bn transfer of its refining, trading and petrochemicals operations via a legal hive-down into a newly incorporated entity.
- Assisted Snam in connection with its €405m acquisition of a stake in a recently constituted company which will own the stakes currently held by Eni in companies active in the system of transportation of gas from Algeria to Sicily.
- Advising a Chinese company on its participation in the tender bid for a 1,000MW solar project, which will be the largest in Algeria.
Bennani & Associés LLP > Firm Profile
Firm overview: Founded in 2004, Bennani & Associes is a leading independent pan-African firm with offices in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire and now also Democratic Republic of Congo. If offers cutting-edge business law expertise to listed and unlisted companies as well as public entities and international law firms active in the region. In each market, the firm has a particular expertise in representing foreign investors across a wide range of complex issues, including:
- General corporate law
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Joint ventures and partnerships
- Corporate restructuring
- Competition/antitrust and other regulatory advice
- Employment law
- Financing
- Commercial litigation and arbitration
Industries served: The firm has extensive experience in representing a range of major industry sector, including (but not limited to):
- Aerospace
- Automotive
- Chemicals
- Consumer electronics
- Energy
- Engineering and construction
- Financial Services
- Food
- Oil and gas
- Pharmaceuticals
- Private equity
- Telecommunications
- Transport
Recent highlights:
- Antitrust counsel to Alstom on filing of its €6.2bn merger with Bombardier (Morocco)
- Counsel to Sage Global Automotive S.R.L. on its acquisition of a 30% stake and voting rights in the Moroccan company, ERT Automotive Morocco Sarl-Au (Morocco)
- Counsel to Bunzl on Moroccan aspects of its acquisition of a 100% equity interest in Proin Pinilla, S.L., and Protec & Marti, S.L. (Morocco)
- Counsel to global investment management firm Carlyle in a $404m bankruptcy litigation procedure against the SAMIR refinery (Morocco)
- Counsel to Representing Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Morocco in commercial arbitration against its former distributor (Morocco)
- Counsel to Facebook on data privacy and payment instruments for new products (Algeria)
- Counsel to Hyundai on a new vehicle manufacturing joint venture with Tahkout Manufacturing Company (Algeria)
- Counsel to Evatherm AG in successful defence against penalty claims relating to a turnkey salt production plant (Algeria)
- Counsel to Enel Green Power on regulatory review of 5,000MW of photovoltaic and wind farm projects (Algeria)
- Counsel to Delfingen Industry in the acquisition of a 100% shareholding in Schlemmer group’s Tunisian subsidiary (Tunisia)
- Counsel to Volkswagen regarding merger clearance of its joint venture with Rimac (Tunisia)
- Counsel to Salama – Islamic Arab Insurance Company PSC on the sale of its Senegalese subsidiary, Salama Senegal, to Groupe Duval (Côte d’Ivoire)
- Counsel to Paystack Nigeria on regulatory authorisation of the company’s activities (Côte d’Ivoire)
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
Staff Figures
All offices : 53 This office : 12Languages
English French ArabicOther
Other offices : Abidjan (Ivory Coast) Other offices : Casablanca (Morocco) Other offices : Kinshasa (DRC) Other offices : Tunis (Tunisia)- Banking and finance
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Dispute resolution
- Employment
- Energy