Najib Hage-Chahine

Career

As the Managing Partner of Hage-Chahine Law Firm, Najib Hage-Chahine oversees all aspects of its operations and its educational initiatives for younger attorneys.

He has supervised the recent restructuring of the firm that aimed to introduce the use of cutting edge legal technology and implement a new system for the delivery of legal services.

Najib Hage-Chahine is a dual-qualified lawyer in Lebanon and France.

He holds the prestigious title of Agrégé of the French Faculties of Law which is the highest academic recognition that is bestowed upon French Law Practitioners and is a Professor of Private Law at the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences at Saint-Joseph University in Beirut and a Visiting Professor at Université Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas in Paris.

He currently serves as the President of the Lebanese International Arbitration Center of the Beirut Bar Association.

Najib Hage-Chahine is routinely solicited to handle complex cross border disputes and international business transactions. He often acts for foreign companies who aim to do business in the Middle East and handles incorporation, acquisitions, commercial contracts, closing down of subsidiaries and establishing joint ventures. He also provides in-depth legal consultations on comparative law and regional compliance.

As an experienced litigator and a listed arbitrator, he specializes in domestic and international disputes arising out of a contract. His expertise encompasses cross-border enforcement of court decisions and arbitral awards as well as investor-state dispute settlements. He is well-versed in issues of sovereign immunity and emanation of state and has demonstrated the ability to deliver indisputable results in matters involving foreign governments and international institutions.

His expertise has been recognized globally and reflected in leading legal directories. He was recently recognized as the Young Lawyer of the Year and as a finalist for Managing Partner of the Year in the 2021 & 2022 editions of the Thomson Reuters ALB Middle East Legal Awards.

In 2021, Najib Hage-Chahine became the first Lebanese Lawyer to be recognized as a Global Leader in Commercial Litigation by Who's Who Legal.

In 2022, he was named by Thomson Reuters ALB as one of MENA Super 50 Lawyers.

The Legal 500 describes Najib Hage-Chahine as "one of the most brilliant legal minds of his generation" and "one the most recognizable private law experts in Lebanon".

According to the Legal 500, he is known for his “encyclopedic knowledge of the law” and his “uncanny ability to find creative solutions to complicated issues” (The Legal 500 – Lebanon, Dispute Resolution).

Who's Who Legal describes Najib Hage-Chahine as "one of the most brilliant legal minds in the Middle East" and "the go-to-strategist for high-profile cross-border litigation" (Who's Who Legal - 2021 Global Guide on Commercial Litigation).

Najib Hage-Chahine has earned a PHD in Private Law from Université Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas, a LL.M. from Harvard Law School, a Master 2 in Private Law from Saint-Joseph University, a Master 2 in Criminal Law from Lyon 3-Jean Moulin University, a Master 1 in Business Law from Lyon 3-Jean Moulin University and a LLB in Lebanese Law from Saint-Joseph University.

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration (FCIArb) and a member of several prominent international arbitration organisations.

He has numerous publications in the fields of Alternative Dispute Resolution, Arbitration, Civil Law, Contract law, Commercial Law, Private International Law, Mediation, and Tort Law. He has published one of the most comprehensive legal studies on international commercial agencies in the Arab Countries and has written an award-winning PHD thesis in Private Law.

He is fluent in Arabic, French and English.

Najib Hage-Chahine currently serves as the President of the Harvard Alumni Association of Lebanon (HUAAL).

Professional Memberships

Member of the Beirut Bar Association

Member of the Paris Bar Association

President of the Lebanese and International Arbitration Center of the Beirut Bar Association

President of the Harvard Alumni Association of Lebanon (HUAAL)

Listed Arbitrator at the Saudi Center of Commercial Arbitration (SCCA)

Listed Arbitrator at the Centre d’arbitrage du Groupement Inter-patronal du Cameroun (GICAM)

Listed Arbitrator at the Lebanese Arbitration and Mediation Centre (LAMC)

Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration (FCIArb)

Member of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)

Member of the Comité Français de l’Arbitrage (CFA)

Member of the International Bar Association (IBA)

Member of the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA)

Member of the Dubai International Arbitration Center (DIAC 40)

Member of the Arab Association of International Arbitration (AAIA)- Has represented the Arab Association of International Arbitration at the 67th session of the Second Working Group of UNCITRAL

Member of the Institut International de Droit d’Expression et d’Inspiration Française (IDEF-Liban)

Member of the Association Henri Capitant des Amis de la Culture Juridique Française

Editorial Board Member of Al Adl Law Review

Former Editorial Board Member of the Harvard Business Law Review

Former Member of the Harvard International Affairs Council

Former Member of the Harvard International Law Association

Publications

Payment of debts denominated in a foreign currency", World Arbitration Review, 2022, n˚51-52

Résolution – Résiliation, Rép. Civ. Dalloz, 2021

"The New ICC Rules 2021: What has Changed", LexisNexis Middle East, E-journal, October 20, 2020

“Covid-19: 4 Issues of Contract Law”, LexisNexis Middle East, E-journal, April 22, 2020

“Covid-19 and ongoing contracts”, published in Arabic by Sader Legal, April 15, 2020

"Transparency in International Arbitration : Recent trends", published in Arabic by the World Arbitration Review nº42-43- April-July 2019, P. 115.

“The distinction between Obligation and Duty in Private Law- La distinction de l’obligation et du devoir en droit privé,” Éditions Panthéon-Assas, 2017.

“The Arab Association of International Arbitration’s Report on the 67th session of the Second Working Group of UNCITRAL,” published in Arabic by the World Arbitration Review nº73- January 2018, P. 25.

“The withdrawal of the arbitrator – Commentary on the Court of Appeal of Beirut’s Decision rendered on february 24th 2016,” published in Arabic by the World Arbitration Review nº73- January 2018, P. 546.

“Commercial Agency in Arab Private International Law- L’agence commerciale dans le droit international privé des pays arabes, ” published in French by Proche-Orient Études Juridiques (POEJ), nº73- 2014-2016.

“La notion d’obligation dans le projet d’ordonnance portant réforme du droit des contrats, du régime général et de la preuve des obligations, ” Petites Affiches, n° 219- 03 novembre 2015, P. 7.

“Culpa in contrahendo in European Private International Law: Another look at Article 12 of the Rome II Regulation,” 32 Nw. J. Int'l L. & Bus. 451 (2012).