Firm Profile > Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy > Cairo , Egypt

Mahmoud Bassiouny, Managing Partner and Regional Head of Finance & Projects

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Matouk Bassiouy & Hennawy from your competitors?

We are very proud at Matouk Bassiouny to have created a diverse workplace, where people from different genders, backgrounds and nationalities can exchange ideas and consolidate on existing knowledge. This is far from being an “achievement”, as we are aware that diversity, inclusion, and knowledge sharing must be a continuous work in progress that takes into account both the shifting dynamics and realities in our region, as well as the nature of the business of law, which has sometimes pushed lawyers to hoarding and self-centred approaches in regard to work and clients.

What do you do differently from your peers in the industry?

We believe in specialization. In 2013 we were the first firm in Egypt to decide on implementing core practice groups (as opposed to the then prevailing generalist model). We have also started implementing sector groups that cut horizontally across the practice groups, with the aim being to create a space for lawyers from the different practice groups to focus and foster knowledge in specific sectors. We are seeing an exponential increase in knowledge sharing and a reduction in the time lawyers need to understand a specific issue.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Some industries will die!

Can you give me a practical example of how helped a client add value to the business?

We firmly believe that our role is to add value to the business, and not just explain the legal requirements. This value was most evident during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, and the years succeeding that, where we had to implement creative structures to diffuse and mitigate labour unrest (our Disputes Resolution group), implement structures that reduced tax and liability exposure (our Corporate and M&A group), and help clients structure project financings in high risk times and move trapped cash out of Egypt (our Finance & Projects group).

Within your sector, what do you think will be the biggest challenge for clients over the next 12 months?

Clients operating in the region have to deal with fast paced political changes regionally, and disrupting technologies globally. We are seeing this affect our clients in many ways, but we are optimistic as we believe that challenges push us towards evolution and change.