Zaki Hashem

Firm Details:

Managing Partner: Yasser Hashem

Senior Partners: Sameh Khodeir, Hala Hashem, Tewfik Shehata, Omar Abou Elenain, Shaaban Gaballah

Number of Partners: 26

Number of Fee-earners: +100

Languages: Arabic, English, French, German, Italian

Firm Overview:

Established in 1953, Zaki Hashem (ZH), Attorneys at Law, is the oldest and largest law firm to be actively – and uninterruptedly – catering to the needs of foreign and local clients in the Egyptian business sector. ZH has an outstanding track record in advising clients on highly complex transactions in the different areas of practice.

The Firm was founded by the late Dr. Zaki Hashem (1920 - 2014) - former Cabinet Minister and a leading renowned international Attorney at Law and Arbitrator specialized in Oil & Gas and International Private Law. Over the years, the Firm developed into a modern partnership firm providing the full range of corporate legal services to both local and international clients through approx. 100 fee earners and 170 employees – all advocates of professional excellence and integrity in their representation of ZH’s clients.

ZH comprises a unique constellation of highly qualified lawyers who had joined the Firm as early as the 1970s such as Hala Hashem (joined in 1980) and Sameh Khodeir (joined in 1982) – who were mentored by highly prominent lawyers such as the late Dr. Zaki Hashem and the late Mr. Mohamed Mahmoud Ibrahim. The wealth of experience of ZH’s members emanates from the unique mixture of senior associates, partners, and of counsels with individual experience records exceeding 40, 30 and 20 years. This long professional record allows ZH’s younger team members to tap on a wealth of knowledge transferred to them through the mentorship of highly experienced attorneys. Furthermore, Yasser Hashem, ZH’s Managing Partner, brings aboard over 30 years of experience in the inception of the private provisions of the telecom services in Egypt, the privatization of hundreds of public entities, the incorporation of foreign and domestic companies and advising foreign and local investors on the most efficient vehicles and structures for implementing their investment in Egypt. He has also overlooked and managed a large number of IPOs and capital market transactions.

Also on board is a fresh generation of lawyers who are dually-qualified in Egypt and other jurisdictions - and who were recipient of knowledgeable experience at international law firms – such as: Arig Ali (a Partner qualified in both the UK and the Egyptian Courts of Appeal and who has joined ZH in 2013 after considerable exposure at an international law firm), Yasir El Akhdar and Hossam Hafez (Partners qualified both in Egypt and in New York), and Tarek El Erian (a Senior Associate also qualified in Egypt and in New York).

In Egypt’s highly intricate legal system, this unique team combination represents an unequaled asset that places ZH as the sole law firm having deep solid roots in the local market while applying a strong legal and business vision – both meeting and exceeding the needs and expectations of local and international clients alike.

ZH enjoys long-established solid connections at all relevant government authorities in Egypt – enabling the Firm to adeptly provide its clients with accurate real-time advice and innovative commercial and legal solutions.

Main Areas of Practice:

• Banking & Finance
• Capital Markets (IPOs, Bonds, Securitizations)
• Competition & Anti-Trust
• Compliance
• Corporate & Commercial
• Corporate Restructuring
• Dispute Resolution (Arbitration & Litigation)
• Distributorships & Agencies
• Education
• Employment & Labour Law
• Energy & Renewables
• Engineering & Construction
• Franchise
• Hospitality & Tourism
• Insurance l Intellectual Property
• International Foreign Investment
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Mining
• Oil & Gas
• Projects & Infrastructure
• Real Estate
• Start Ups
• Taxation
• Telecommunications, Media, and Technology (TMT)

Corporate, M&A:

• Advising the shareholders of Logistica SAE on the ca. EGP 1 billion sale of 100% of their shares
• Advising Hewlett Packard in its acquisition of Samsung Electronics’ business in Egypt (USD1.05 billion)
• Advising Premium Healthcare Group in the EGP 2.335 billion acquisitions of nine laboratories and in restructuring the Group.
• Advising B Investments Holding in the ca. EGP 1.88 billion acquisition of up to 90% of Orascom Financial Holding through Mandatory Tender Offer.

Capital Markets:

• Advising on the Initial Public Offerings of eFinance, BPE Holding for Financial Investments, M.M. Group for Industry and International Trade, Raya Contact Center, Egypt Foods, Orascom Construction, Talaat Moustafa Group, Palm Hills Development, etc.
• Advising on the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, and 13th securitizations by CORPLEASE
• Egyptian Legal Counsel to the joint lead managers in all issuances and updates of Egypt’s USD 40 billion Global Medium Term Note Programme
• Advising Compass Capital and CI Capital Holding in establishing C3 Capital Fund - Egypt’s first EGP 3 bn. PIPE fund to invest in publicly traded companies.

Banking & Finance:

• Advising UK Export Finance and JPMorgan in the ca. EUR 1.885 billion Loan to the National Authority for Tunnels towards the Construction of Two Monorail Lines in Cairo
• Advising CIB and a syndicate of 12 banks in the EGP 18 billion loan to Telecom Egypt.
• Advising ANOPC and ASORC (as borrowers) in the USD 727.52 million Financial Facility Agreement covered by sovereign guarantee from the Government of Egypt.
• Advising Canal Sugar Company SAE in the USD 100 million and EGP 1.2 billion through a Multicurrency Bridge Facilities Agreement designated to finance the procurement, construction and operation of a beet sugar mill and assorted crop cultivation in West Al Menya Governorate, Egypt.

Telecommunications:

• Advising Vodafone Egypt Telecommunications since incorporation in 1998 on all legal and regulatory matters and advising on its licenses and telecommunication agreements
• Legal counsel to Fawry for Banking & Payment Technology Services since its establishment in Egypt in 2008
• Advising Global Peering Exchange LTD on obtaining the first and only data center license in Egypt in 2025 and continue to advise the company on all legal and telecom regulatory matters in Egypt. Also advising Raya Data Center S.A.E. on its incorporation in 2012 and continue to provide ongoing legal and regulatory support in Egypt.
• Advising on the establishment of Oliv Finance SAE, the first fintech company to be established under the new Law no. 5 of year 2022.

Projects:

• As member of the Consortium led by the French SYSTRA, advising the Government of Egypt in the design & procurement (EPC) and operation & maintenance of the High Speed Railway Project connecting Ain Sokhna to New Alamein City.
• Advising Alstom Railways Components Manufacturing LLC on the development of its 40-acre railway manufacturing complex in Borg El Arab, Alexandria.
• Advising Antipollution Egypt SAE on the waste management & services agreements signed with Suez Canal Economic Zones (SCZone) and the Red Sea Port Authority.
• Advising RATP DEV on the operation & maintenance of Line 3 of Cairo Metro through a project company jointly owned by RATP and the concerned public authority.

Energy:

• Acting as the Egyptian Legal Advisor to IEOC - an energy company specialized in the activities of exploration, production, transportation, transformation and marketing oil & gas – and its companies in Egypt (AGIP and ENI).
• Advising INVAP in the second Nuclear Research Reactor and the Radioisotopes Project in Egypt
• Advising OCI Global on the first green methanol bunkering in Egypt.
• Advising the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company in its EPC Contract with the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) on the Egyptian-Saudi Linkage Project.

Dispute Resolution (Litigation, Arbitration, Labor, Employment, IP):

• Representing Centamin Egypt and successfully wining the case raised against it regarding a claim raised before the State Council court to request the annulment of the Sukari gold mine concession agreement for the exploration and exploitation of gold granted to Pharaoh Gold Mines NL (2012 / 2023) – as well as handling all of Centamin Egypt’s litigation matters. (Ongoing).
• Representing the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in the dispute regarding the USD 35 Million loan to Omar Effendi.
• Won multi-party arbitration raised by a state-owned telecommunication company against ZH’s client, Vodafone Telecommunications Egypt (EGP 11 billion).
• Handling the litigation portfolios of a large number of banks as well as the majority of international hotel chains operating in Egypt (including litigations under Labour Law).

Email: [email protected]