FAQs

This section has emerged from the existing Chambers coverage in sections such as UK-Wide Trade Finance, with trade and development financing arrangements a particular area of focus. The section is also open to other areas of finance, including acquisition and leveraged finance, asset finance and reserve-based lending. As with all Africa-Wide sections, law firms should be able to demonstrate a breadth of coverage, with matters originating in multiple African nations. Greatest credit is typically given to law firms operating in international, coordinating counsel roles, although law firms with high-performing domestic offices across the continent may also be eligible for a ranking. Note that this section is intended to be distinct from Chambers’ Africa-Wide Project Finance coverage, and project finance work should not be submitted here. Instead, please provide this work in the submissions for Africa-Wide Projects & Energy.

This section covers transactional work such as syndicated lending, letters of credit facility agreements, acquisition and leveraged finance, in addition to the full range of Shari’a-compliant financing arrangements (e.g. Murabaha or Ijarah arrangements). Specialist areas of finance, such as project or asset finance, may still be relevant here but are likely to be given less credit than in the specialist ranking tables for those areas, e.g. Middle East-Wide Projects & Energy and UAE Transportation (which covers shipping and aviation finance). This is particularly the case where available evidence suggests that departments or individuals focus near-exclusively on a specialist area. Note that banking regulatory work is no longer counted towards this table but should instead be submitted for Regulatory: Financial Services.

This section covers the full gamut of equity and debt capital markets, including sukuk issuances and IPOs. It covers advice to companies listing on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) and the Saudi Parallel Market (Nomu). The section also encompasses work that is tangential to such listings, including securities regulatory advice, securities litigation and the capital markets aspects of Saudi restructuring proceedings however such work will typically be afforded lesser credit compared to advice on equity listings and sukuk issuances.

This section covers all areas of specialism that fall within the wider capital markets space. For South Africa, the section is divided into Equity Capital Markets and Debt Capital Markets. Advice on equity capital markets includes transactions such as IPOs, follow-on offerings, right offerings, capital increases, ADR/GDR offerings, accelerated bookbuilds and block trades. This table also considers regulatory securities work. Debt Capital Markets covers investment grade debt offerings such as bond issues, MTN programmes and commercial paper programmes. We also consider securitisation and convertibles. Although Capital Markets is separated into two ranking tables, law firms should provide one single submission containing both equity and debt capital markets work. 

This section focuses on the negotiation and implementation of commercial agreements such as agency, distribution and operation and maintenance contracts across various industries, as well as the dissolution of these arrangements when this can be achieved without recourse to litigation. The section also covers advice on the establishment of new branches, as well as on matters of corporate governance and day-to-day operational issues.

This section covers advice on all aspects of commercial agreements, including the negotiation of agency, distribution and franchise contracts in various industries, as well as their dissolution. The scope of this section also encompasses corporate governance and general day-to-day company operational advice. Corporate restructuring is also accepted under this heading. Joint venture work is acceptable here, although large-scale joint ventures should be submitted under UAE Corporate/M&A instead. Transactional work such as mergers and acquisitions should all be submitted under UAE Corporate/M&A.

This new category will cover the negotiation of commercial agreements, such as distribution, agency or operation and maintenance contracts, as well as franchising arrangements. It also covers the dissolution of such agreements, when this is achieved without recourse to litigation. Law firms are also welcome to provide details of their work advising corporations on matters of long-term commercial strategy, as well as interactions with the relevant government authority – e.g. in the obtaining of licenses. Typical work may also include advising foreign businesses on the establishment of new branches in Saudi Arabia. Advice on corporate governance and day-to-day operational issues is also relevant.

This section covers construction disputes work concerning issues such as extension of time, prolongation, disruption and wrongful termination. The section also focuses on front-end, non-contentious construction mandates such as procurement issues and the structuring and negotiation of contracts. Lawyers are ranked in separate tables for Construction Disputes and Construction: Non-Contentious. However, law firms are awarded a single ranking for Construction, based on their capabilities across both sides of the practice area. Law firms will typically represent contractors, subcontractors, project sponsors (including government entities), architects or design consultants. While there is some overlap between this section and Middle East-Wide Projects & Energy, project finance work is not relevant to this section and should only be submitted to Projects & Energy.

This section ranks law firms and individuals that advise corporate clients on anti-corruption, anti-bribery and anti-money laundering initiatives, matters relating to embezzlement and white-collar fraud as well as allegations of market abuse and insider trading. Law firms’ involvement can be training, implementing compliance programmes and preventative measures, conducting internal investigations and assisting companies in regard to external investigations conducted by regulatory bodies, including customs authorities, and various branches of law enforcement services. The section also covers advice on compliance with international sanctions, including those relating to Russia and Iran. Note that the investigations covered within this section should relate to anti-corruption. Investigations arising from alleged instances of workplace harassment, bullying or discrimination are not relevant here and should be submitted to UAE Employment.

This broad category covers both public company and private equity (including venture capital) matters. The chapter includes company acquisitions, dispositions and capitalisations, entity selection and formation, operating and partnership agreements, securities and governance matters.

This section covers the full gamut of transactional M&A matters, as is the norm in other Corporate/M&A sections across the Chambers guides. The greatest credit is given to transactional matters such as company acquisitions and dispositions. However, the section also encompasses entity formation, operating and partnership agreements, and corporate governance matters. For the South Africa Corporate/M&A table, law firms’ expertise in black economic empowerment (BEE) initiatives is also relevant. Note that private equity buyouts should be submitted under South Africa Private Equity.

This broad category covers both public company and private equity matters, with the focus being on high-value transactional work such as acquisitions and dispositions. Large-scale joint ventures are acceptable here, while medium and small-sized joint venture work should be submitted under UAE Commercial Contracts. Note that for the UAE, commercial contracts work, such as the negotiation of distribution, supply, maintenance, licensing and agency agreements does not fall under this category but should instead be included on submissions for UAE Commercial Contracts. Matters relating specifically to venture capital and/or emerging companies should now be submitted to the Venture Capital & Emerging Companies section.

This section covers all forms of business-related disputes, including litigation and arbitration cases (with the exception of class actions which should be included in submissions for the Class Actions tables.) The section covers the full course of a dispute, including pre-trial negotiations, documentation and preparation for trial, summary judgment motions, the trial itself, appeals and enforcement proceedings. Priority is given to mandates that result in litigation/alternative dispute resolution, rather than to advisory or preparatory work. Alternative dispute resolution, involving non-court mediation is also featured.

Focuses specifically on all matters relating to class action lawsuits. This category is split into Defence and Plaintiff-side sub-tables.

This section aims to rank the leading advocates handling business-related disputes in South Africa. Senior and junior advocates are both eligible for inclusion. The section is researched alongside South Africa Dispute Resolution (which ranks attorneys and law firms). However, unlike that section, it encompasses expertise in specialist areas such as competition, intellectual property and insurance, which – at the law-firm level – have their own dedicated ranking tables elsewhere in the South Africa coverage. Greatest credit is given to advocacy appearances, as opposed to general advisory work.

This section covers international arbitration as well as litigation taking place within the financial free zones of the UAE, such as the DIFC and ADGM. The focus is on advocacy and advisory work pertaining to high-value commercial and financial services disputes. A lawyer’s appointments as an arbitrator are not relevant here, though firms may submit separately to the Dispute Resolution: Most In-Demand Arbitrators category if there are lawyers within their team they believe fit the description. Specialist areas of disputes work such as construction, shipping, insurance and employment litigation should be submitted to the corresponding UAE sections and are generally not considered relevant here (although there may occasionally be exceptions, where a case has broader commercial implications). Note that litigation conducted in the ‘onshore’ courts of the UAE should be submitted to Dispute Resolution: Domestic.

This section covers the full range of ‘onshore’ litigation proceedings before the courts of individual emirates of the UAE. Domestic arbitration proceedings are also relevant. It is our intention that lawyers featured within this table should have rights of audience to appear before the Emirati courts. However, the complementary table entitled UAE Dispute Resolution: Domestic: Without Rights of Audience highlights the leading individuals overseeing domestic court work but who are not Emirati nationals and cannot themselves advocate before the court.

This section focuses on barristers admitted in England & Wales who are called upon to act as advocates in the courts of the DIFC and other financial free zones across the Middle East, such as the ADGM. Barristers who are active as arbitration counsel on disputes between Middle Eastern parties may also be of note. This section is not primarily intended to cover UK court litigation; please submit such work for consideration in the relevant UK Bar category.

This section covers specialised work in matters relating to mining and mineral exploration. This includes transactional activity in the mining sector, investments, project development and project financing, as well as supply agreements. Mining rights, regulatory compliance and environmental issues related to mining activities are also covered. Contentious proceedings relating to mining and natural resources are also covered by this section. This section contains a subsection entitled Mining: Health & Safety which covers health and safety matters arising from mining operations, including accident investigations as well as official inquiries and accident-related disputes. Law firms are welcome to upload a separate work highlight submission for Mining: Health & Safety matters.

This section highlights the operational side of oil and gas work, such as relevant contractual agreements (e.g., concession agreements). Please note that transactional work such as oil and gas M&A, or the procurement, financing, development and extension of oil & gas projects should be submitted under Middle East-wide Projects & Energy instead.

This section covers advice relating to Cayman Islands Monetary Authority regulations, as well as anti-money laundering and FATCA concerns. Law firms will typically act for major names in the financial services field, such as banks, private equity houses and asset managers as well as trust companies and insurers. Lawyers will also advise on compliance issues arising from international sanctions and assist clients with their preparation for reviews by the relevant regulatory authorities. Regulatory issues relating to fintech, cryptocurrency and virtual assets are also relevant. Broader regulatory concerns, such as data protection matters, do have a place in this section, but strictly as such advice relates to the financial services industry.

This section highlights law firms active on regulatory matters in the financial services industry, including the implementation of new directives and legislation, assisting banks with the establishment of overseas branches and aspects of fintech and e-payment work. Transaction-focused regulatory advice, including with regard to mergers of banks, insurers and asset managers is also relevant.

The Israel Intellectual Property section covers advisory work and disputes related to patent, copyright and trade marks, as well as all related issues such as licensing, IP commercialisation and audits. Litigation concerning trade secrets also features. Priority for ranking is given to those law firms and individuals who attract clients specifically for their expertise in this area.

Intellectual Property: Prosecution focuses specifically on the prosecution of patents and trade marks, hence it is primarily (but not exclusively) focused on ranking patent and trade mark attorneys. All other IP matters should be provided to the main Intellectual Property table.

IT & Data Protection provides focused coverage on firms who specialise in IT issues, including privacy, data protection compliance, data transfers, licensing agreements, cybersecurity and software development.

This section ranks those firms and individuals advising in the world of investment funds. It covers work on behalf of sponsors and institutional investors, including fund formation, fund raising, investments, asset management regulatory matters, hybrid funds, fund-of-funds and spin-outs. Matters related to funds investing into emerging companies should be included under Startups & Emerging Companies, whereas acquisitions of assets should be included under Corporate/M&A.

This section ranks law firms that handle a broad spectrum of matters relating to the life sciences and pharma industries. The firms featured may handle certain elements of, or all stages of, a product’s life-cycle. Transactional work covered in this section includes M&A involving life sciences entities, licensing and collaboration agreements, capital raising and IPOs. A wide range of regulatory mandates are also covered, such as those relating to clinical trials, labelling and market authorisations. Contentious proceedings relating to the life sciences space are also covered in this section, including disputes relating to product liability and medical devices. A number of the firms that feature also offer intellectual property and patent litigation capabilities. The section incorporates the representation of big pharma, early-stage companies, medical device manufacturers and biotech clients. Healthcare work can also be presented.

This section ranks firms and individuals with in-depth knowledge of Life Sciences and is heavily based on regulatory work. Life Sciences primarily refers to work in the pharmaceutical sector, and work relating to biotechnology can also be incorporated here. Work includes advising companies on new regulations and directives, clinical trials and approval work, and the procurement of Life Sciences products. Transactional and contentious work can also be considered. As in South Africa we already cover Intellectual Property in a separate table, the Life Sciences submission should focus less on mandates such as IP litigation and patent work. Healthcare work can be presented.

This section focuses on transactional private equity matters such as buyouts and the merger or reorganisation of private equity houses. Advice on regulatory issues and representation before the relevant regulatory bodies is also relevant. The section gives greatest credit to the representation of asset managers, but also covers the representation of institutional investors and regulators. Law firms should be able to demonstrate that private equity work is a specific focus rather than an incidental feature of a broader corporate/M&A practice. Fund formation work is also relevant.

This is a broad category which aims to cover the full gamut of matters relating to energy, mining and infrastructure projects across Africa. The scope of the section covers advice and representation in the financing, development and operation of projects, with the greatest credit given to principal participants such as lenders, sponsors and lead contractors. Advice on regulatory and legislative issues, such as providing assistance to African governments on new PPP laws, is also relevant. The section also covers corporate and commercial guidance to participants within the energy sector, although to qualify for a ranking in this table (as opposed to simply a ranking in Africa-Wide Corporate/M&A) departments and individuals should be able to demonstrate a high level of both sector and jurisdictional specialisation. Law firms should be able to demonstrate a consistent track record of work in international, coordinating counsel roles, and which have experience acting on matters involving underlying project assets located across a wide range of African countries. The section contains sub-tables for Mining & Minerals, Oil & Gas and Power which focus on projects in each of these areas. Law firms may provide separate submissions for each of these sub-tables, but should not exceed 20 referees for Projects & Energy as a whole.

This is a broad category detailing lawyers and law firms active on energy and infrastructure projects located across the region. The section covers the financing, construction, development and operation of oil and gas projects, as well as renewable energy projects such as solar, wind and hydropower plants. It also encompasses the financing and development of infrastructure projects, such as railways, Metro systems and ports. Matters relating to social infrastructure projects, including the negotiation of public-private partnerships (PPPs) for the construction and operation of schools, hospitals and public utilities are also relevant. This includes mandates which also involve the financing and development of desalination or wastewater treatment plants. The table additionally covers general commercial and contractual matters within the energy sector, although law firms will need to demonstrate a high level of specialisation and focus on matters within this industry in order to qualify for a ranking here as opposed to in Middle East-Wide Corporate/M&A. Furthermore, Middle East-Wide Projects & Energy is open to lawyers and departments located anywhere in the world, however the underlying project itself should be located in the Middle East. Projects located in Africa should be submitted for Africa-Wide Projects & Energy.

This is a new section which aims to rank lawyers and law firms advising the central and regional governments, government departments and government-owned entities in Saudi Arabia on the full gamut of public policy issues, including the shaping and implementation of domestic and foreign policy. Matters such as legislative drafting and the negotiation of trade and investment agreements are also covered. Greatest credit will generally be given to law firms acting on behalf of the government and its entities, but teams consistently representing private sector entities in their engagement with government entities may also be relevant.

This section focuses on law firms and lawyers advising government departments and government entities. This work covers assistance with a wide range of matters, including legislative drafting and policy implementation. The negotiation of trade agreements, investment agreements and procurement contracts are also relevant. Matters are considered both at the Federal Government level and with regard to the governments of individual emirates. Law firms acting for private sector entities in their negotiations with governmental bodies will also have a place in the rankings.

This section covers contentious and non-contentious matters within the sector. On the non-contentious side, typical work will include ship finance transactions. Contentious work will include charter party and bill of lading disputes, as well as proceedings relating to collisions and allisions.

This section covers the two below areas. We request a single submission and referee list to cover both areas:

This section covers a broad range of work carried out by lawyers on behalf of clients in the aviation industry. Matters include transactional and regulatory advice, as well as insurance and non-insurance related disputes, including commercial and non-commercial aviation accidents.

Shipping

This section covers a broad range of work carried out by lawyers for clients in the shipping sector.

This section covers both contentious and non-contentious work. The contentious side involves breaches of charter party disputes, cargo and bills of lading claims, the arrest of vessels and cargoes, marine insurance claims, collision, salvage and environmental liabilities. On the non-contentious side, law firms advise on contractual arrangements for construction, registration of vessels, customs and licensing, and documentation relating to charter parties and bills of lading. 

This section covers contentious and non-contentious work, with the emphasis being on aviation finance transactions and aviation-related disputes, such as those relating to aircraft losses. Regulatory work, including the corporate establishment of new airlines and the opening up of new routes, is also relevant.

The Shipping: Dispute Resolution table covers the full gamut of contentious matters in this sector, including admiralty, casualty and salvage claims, charter party and bill of lading disputes as well as matters arising from ship arrests, collisions and allisions. Disputes relating to commodity trading agreements may be relevant, where such matters relate to the shipping of such commodities. Marine insurance disputes may also be relevant in this section.

Matters of focus in this table include ship finance agreements as well as corporate matters within the shipping sector, including mergers of shipping companies.