Dentons Zaanouni

Dentons Zaanouni Law Firm & Associates is one of the top leading business law firms in North Africa. With more than 50 years of experience, our law firmhas developed a full range of legal services to a wide variety of clients, from large multinational corporations to small Tunisian and foreign family-owned business, as well as individuals, in various sectors (e-commerce, energy, banking, industry, tourism, private education, healthcare, public works, agriculture, distribution, air transportation) and takes part of the business lifecycle by providing strategic advisory to enhance its clients to trigger decision-taking process of new investments or extension of existing projects.

The firm has acted in some of the most importantcommercial, property, touristic, industrial financial and shipping transactions during its professional activity. It has established important international relations and acquired unparalleled investment expertise both in relation to Tunisian clients in the international market, as well as to foreign clients in Tunisia.

Thefirm has played an important part in the founding and growth of several major Tunisian companies and has also played an active role in assisting foreign investors in their ventures with Tunisian partners.

In addition, most of the firm’s lawyers have had an extinctive exposure to one or more foreign cultures and legal systems such as the common law legal system, and some of them are graduated from French law schools.

Our Commercial-Corporate-M&A Department, composed of 11 talented and highly-skilled lawyers provides a wide range of services on key-hand delivery basis such as:

• Negotiation of high-added value asset transfer transactions (support to client discussions, preparation of pre-transaction documents such as NDAs, non-binding offers, letters of intent, red-flag and detailed legal, social and tax due diligence of entities and assets, negotiation and drafting of transaction documents and conditions precedents to transaction such as SPA, share/stock assignment agreement, assignment of goodwill or business sale, assistance to closing operations);
• M&A, IPO, bloc control transfers and other stock exchange transactions, with all regulatory aspects such as notification to financial market authorities and submission/publication of prospectus, tenders and other notifications, notification and approval from competition control authorities;
• Assistance and support to client to define business investment strategies and implementation, and playing key active role to encourage and trigger new investments or extension of existing projects. As key components of its duties, DENTONS ZAANOUNI LAW FIRM & ASSOCIATES regularly provides the following services:Establishment of joint ventures, partnership agreements, feasibility study and applicable framework, fundraising, liaising with competent authorities, incorporation of companies, subsidiaries and branches, opening of bank accounts, assistance with all regulatory approvals, authorizations, consents and filings according to the sector of activity;

Once projects are properly established, our firm stands with its client and provides full legal support to ensure proper running of business and anticipate any legal or business risks by providing:

-Regular updates of any change of the applicable legal and tax framework which are likely to affect the business;

-Compliance checks (AML/CFT, corporate governance, social and environmental, data protection, IP, diversity and inclusion);

-Corporate secretary services;

-Customs and foreign exchange regulations;

Our Commercial-Corporate-M&A Department also includes the following areas of practice:

• Banking & Finance (private equity, asset finance, project finance, capital transactions, banking products etc.);
• Intellectual property & IT (filing and protection of trademarks and patents, electronic trade, digital assets, blockchains, cryptocurrencies, data protection and related regulatory matters);
• National and International Litigation & Arbitration (definition of disputes strategy, negotiation of amicable settlements, pre-litigation safeguards measures, court claims before civil, commercial, criminal and administrative courts, filing of remedies, mediation and conciliation steps, national ad hoc or institutional arbitration, international arbitration ad hoc or before ICC, ICSD, DIFC and other reputed institutions);
• Energy & Environment (assistance with all contractual, regulatory and transactional aspects of renewable energy projects with a special focus on green hydrogen projects, conventional and unconventional oil & gas projects);

Our national and international client portfolio covers a wide range of economic activities such as:

• Air transport
• Automotive industries
• Education
• Finance
• Healthcare
• Industry / Technology / Electronics
• Insurance
• Media & Communication
• Tourism

Languages of work: English, French and Arabic.