Youssef + Partners Arbitration Leaders

A DECADE OF LEADING MENA ARBITRATION

Youssef + Partners is a specialist international arbitration firm dedicated exclusively to high-value, high-stakes disputes. Since 2016, the firm has established itself as the MENA region’s leading arbitration boutique, exercising unparalleled regional influence while delivering client services to truly global standards.

The firm represents foreign investors, leading multinationals, and high-net-worth families in investment treaty and commercial arbitrations across construction, mega-infrastructure, and oil & gas disputes, among others. Our client roster includes Fortune 500 companies and some of the MENA region’s most prominent businesses.

The practice is led by Karim A. Youssef, who has recently been recognized as the sole Star Individual for arbitration in Egypt (Chambers Global 2026) and a Global Elite Thought Leader in arbitration (Lexology). Chambers praises Karim as “a heavyweight arbitration lawyer with extensive experience acting on multibillion-dollar claims” who “knows his cases inside-out and is always on top of things” with “a sharp legal mind and excellent commercial acumen” (Chambers 2026) and a “powerhouse of strategy” (Chambers 2025). Karim drives strategy and advocacy in some of the region’s most consequential arbitrations, serves as a leading expert witness on Egyptian, Qatari, Bahraini, and Kuwaiti law, among others, and sits as arbitrator in major international proceedings. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Harvard Law School’s Center on the Legal Profession-the first Arab and first international arbitration practitioner to receive this appointment.

With a docket of US$7.5 billion (GAR 100, 2025), the firm handles one of the highest volumes of counsel work in the MENA region. The team acts in proceedings administered by the ICC, ICSID, CRCICA, DIAC, LCIA, among others, with active matters spanning four continents.

184 cases in which the team has acted | 94% success rate | 21 nationalities we represented | US$7.5 billion case docket

Now the largest dedicated arbitration group in Egypt, the firm combines multinational expertise, game-changing strategy, and a remarkable track record. The team is led by three partners – Karim A. Youssef (Star Individual, Chambers), Paul J. Neufeld, FCIArb (Houston Lawyer of the Year 2025, Best Lawyer), and César R. Ternieden (Band 4, Chambers Global) – ensuring depth across investment treaty and commercial arbitration.

Ranked Band 1 for Dispute Resolution: Arbitration in Egypt for the seventh consecutive year (Chambers Global 2026). Named Egypt Arbitration Law Firm of the Year by Chambers & Partners for three consecutive years. Chambers describes the firm as “a dynamic law firm highlighted for its exceptional skills in international arbitration” whose “team is unrelenting in its focus to deliver success for its clients” (Chambers 2026). The firm has also been described as a “fighting unit” (Chambers 2025), a “world-class team” (Chambers 2023), and “the go-to for big, complicated cases” (Chambers 2022). Clients note: “There is no better firm in the Middle East and North Africa region in terms of service, quality, and trust” (Chambers Insight Report 2023).

Website: www.youssef.law