FAQs

Administrative & Public Law (including Public Procurement) (South Africa) 

This section covers lawyers and law firms advising the full range of actors in the public and private sectors on public procurement tenders and contracts. More broadly, the section also covers advice on regulatory compliance and legislative drafting. Contentious proceedings are also relevant, including administrative review applications and constitutional challenges. Although public procurement has a separate ranking table, law firms should provide a single submission covering Administrative & Public Law as well as Public Procurement. 

Banking & Finance (Africa-Wide) 

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. 

Banking & Finance (UAE) 

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. 

Capital Markets (Saudi Arabia) 

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. 

Capital Markets (South Africa) 

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.   

Commercial Contracts (UAE) 

This section covers advice on all aspects of commercial agreements, including the negotiation of agency, distribution and franchise contracts in various industries. The scope of this section also encompasses corporate governance and general day-to-day company operational advice. Transactional work such as mergers and acquisitions should be submitted under UAE Corporate/M&A. Note that while franchising agreements are relevant here, a submission that heavily emphasises franchising work at the expense of other forms of commercial contracts, may be taken as stronger evidence of a commercial IP practice and thus given less credit within this section compared to UAE Intellectual Property.  

Construction (UAE) 

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 side 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. 

Corporate/Commercial: OHADA Specialists (Africa-wide) 

The Africa-Wide Corporate/Commercial: OHADA Specialists table ranks law firms and individuals involved in mandates taking place across OHADA-member jurisdictions. Ranked firms and lawyers are expected to demonstrate cross-border capabilities throughout the region and advise on corporate/M&A, projects and financing transactions. Related contentious matters can be considered as well. Advice to governments and corporations on OHADA regulations and arbitrations is also featured.  

Corporate Compliance & Investigations (UAE) 

This section ranks law firms and individuals that advise corporate clients on anti-corruption, anti-bribery and anti-money laundering initiatives, as well as 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.  

Corporate/M&A (Israel) 

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. 

Israel Corporate/M&A includes the newly launched Corporate/M&A: Technology sub-table, which is a category dedicated to M&A lawyers who have a highly specialised focus on deals in the tech sector. These matters should be included in the general Corporate/M&A submission. 

Corporate/M&A (South Africa) 

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 are no longer relevant for this category and should be submitted under South Africa Private Equity. 

Corporate/M&A (UAE) 

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. 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. 

Dispute Resolution (Israel) 

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. 

Dispute Resolution: Class Action (Defence) (Israel) 

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

Dispute Resolution: Advocates (South Africa) 

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. 

Dispute Resolution (UAE) 

Dispute Resolution: Domestic (UAE) 

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.  

Dispute Resolution: The English Bar (Middle East-Wide) 

Energy & Natural Resources: Mining (includes Health & Safety) (South Africa) 

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. 

Financial Services: Regulatory (Cayman Islands) 

This new 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 is 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. 

Intellectual Property (Israel) 

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 (Israel) 

Intellectual Property: Prosecution focuses specifically on the prosecution of patents and trademarks, 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 (Israel) 

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. 

Investment Funds (Israel) 

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. All work for emerging companies in their funding activities should be included under Startups & Emerging Companies, whereas acquisitions of assets should be included under Corporate/M&A. 

Private Equity (South Africa) 

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; it may be highlighted in a separate ranking table as this section matures. 

Projects & Energy (Africa-Wide) 

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.  

Projects & Energy (Middle East-Wide) 

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.  

Public Policy & Government Affairs (Saudi Arabia) 

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.  

Regulatory: Government & Public Affairs (UAE) 

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.  

Regulatory: Financial Services (UAE) 

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.  

Startups & Emerging Companies (Israel) 

Startups & Emerging Companies covers work on behalf of emerging growth companies, startups, individual investors and VC funds. Work may include early and late-stage venture financings, venture capital partnerships, regulatory compliance issues, other advisory work, and IPOs. Emerging markets of focus include technology, life sciences and clean energy. Work for funds investing into startups should be included under the Investment Funds submission. 

Transportation (Israel) 

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

Aviation 

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.   

Transportation (UAE) 

This parent category contains sections entitled Transportation: Aviation, Transportation: Shipping: Dispute Resolution and Transportation: Shipping: Finance & Non-Contentious. The two shipping sections are the same tables which previously featured under the name of UAE Shipping. The Aviation table will cover contentious and non-contentious work, with the emphasis being on aviation finance transactions and aviation-related disputes. The Shipping: Dispute Resolution table continues to cover 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. In the Shipping: Finance and Non-Contentious table, matters of focus include ship finance agreements as well as corporate matters within the shipping sector, including mergers of shipping companies. Firms may provide separate submissions for each of these three areas, but should not exceed 30 referees for Transportation as a whole.  

Venture Capital & Emerging Companies (UAE) 

This section focuses on corporate transactional work within the venture capital space, including investments, acquisitions and sales, as well as corporate governance matters. Lawyers and departments will typically be active on behalf of funds, investors, venture capital firms and financial institutions. Fund formation matters should not be submitted here, but instead included on the submission for Middle East-Wide Investment Funds.