International, Corporate and Banking Law Firm

El-Aref International Law Office

Main Office

Verdun Snoubra, Itani St. Chahine Building, 1st Floor Beirut 135207 Lebanon

 +961 1 865131
 +961 1 860120

www.elareflaw.com
 Contact Mr. Aref El-Aref

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Law Firm Overview

El-Aref International Law Office was established in 1942. It is one of the first renowned Lebanese Law Offices recognized within the Middle East region.

Our experienced team of legal professionals, licensed in both local and International jurisdictions, is able to provide our clients with a wide range of legal services. Our attorneys are committed to excellence in representing our clients' best interests in Lebanon, throughout Middle East and across the world.

Clients benefit from our strengths in the Corporate and Investment Consultancy, Intellectual Property, Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions and Project Financing arenas for national and international markets with a full range of legal services.

Our goal is to offer our business and individual clients access to a wide variety of practice specialties throughout the Middle East and internationally, delivering high quality and responsive service at a cost commensurate with the value delivered.

We serve Middle Eastern clients seeking to do business both locally and internationally, as well as international clients seeking to do business in the Middle East. We are proud of the fact that our clients have consistently given us the highest rankings possible for communication ability, responsiveness, quality of service and value received relative to cost of service.

Year this Office was Established: 1942

Languages: English, French, Arabic

Practice Areas

Additional Practice Areas: International Financial Crimes

Practice Areas Description

Our practice areas include:

- Banking & Finance

El-Aref International Law Office has extensive experience representing banks, finance companies, investment companies and other financial institutions. Our deal-oriented, client-focused team of experienced finance lawyers serves a wide range of financial institutions in highly sophisticated financial transactions. We understand the dynamics of the marketplace and the evolving expectations of issuers and investors. We work closely with our clients to structure transactions as efficiently as possible. Our extensive experience allows us to design and implement complex structures, and to know when a simple solution is best.

- Franchise & Licensing

El-Aref International Law Office enables franchisers to avoid any disputes related to franchise law and regulations, while providing relevant commercial and legal information on franchising. The office offers the clients single unit franchise agreements, master franchise agreements, territorial and area development agreements, area representative agreements, joint venture agreements and all other required documentation in order to enable them to work with potential master franchisees and developers in Lebanon, the Middle East and across the world.

- International Transactions

With a strong understanding of the issues and trends related to commercial globalization, we advise on the regulation of international trade in goods and services. El-Aref International Law Office represents corporations of all sizes across many industries, including high-technology. Working alongside our clients, the team advises legal strategies taking into account specific business goals and latest industry developments. Our attorneys help to safeguard against penalties through internal reviews that assess compliance with customs law and regulation.

- Global Sourcing & Restructuring

What the sourcing transactions in the diverse industries in the twenty first century have in common is the transfer by one enterprise to another of a vital business function, or business process. Transactions of this nature tend to arise from corporate restructuring, which involves the transfer of assets, personnel and facilities associated with the conduct of the business function or process. El-Aref International Law Office has a very dedicated corporate restructuring practice that helps senior management and boards of directors achieve their business objectives within the framework of best practices for its protection. We often advise clients who are subject to multiple corporate governance rules on developing compliance programs that meet the requirements of all the rules that apply to them.

- Arbitration & Dispute Resolution

Working with international contractors and owners of projects in international construction arbitration, El-Aref International Law Office represents parties in cases arising in a broad range of industry sectors, including aviation, banking, construction, international finance, international trade and investments and intellectual property. The Lawyers at El-Aref International Law Office provide legal services for complex international disputes under the principal international arbitration rules, including: The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), The London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), and, American Arbitration Association.

- Criminal Law

The criminal legal practice strives to protect clients' rights and ensure their continued autonomy. Every client receives focused, individualized attention to their criminal case from beginning to end. Our criminal lawyers assist their clients in understanding the details of their case and the progress being made every step of the way. El-Aref International Law Office's criminal trial strategy is unique in that it dedicates a team of criminal attorneys to every major crime we defend. The office's legal cases range from international financial crimes, fraud, embezzlement to other major corporate crimes. The office's criminal defense lawyers focus on defending major complex crimes and criminal trials.

- Power and Energy

El-Aref International Law Office has extensive experience in power transactions including joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, privatizations, finance and project finance, power-linked swaps and hedges, tax, competition, regulatory, confidentiality, commercial/corporate, land use, fuel supply, operation and maintenance and insurance. El-Aref International Law Office advises on the development, operation, and financing of a range of projects in the MENA region.

- Oil & Gas

El-Aref International Law Office oil and gas clients are mainly agents of multinational oil companies in significant markets (e.g. Iraq, Kurdistan Regional Government, Kuwait), who all face challenges posed by a dynamic and evolving sector. El-Aref International Law Office’s attorneys represents oil and gas clients as transactional lawyers while guiding them to understand the challenges they face in running their companies. The attorneys in the firm have been involved in many of the largest, most high-profile and significant transactions in oil and gas sector. We offer dedicated strength and depth across key global jurisdictions and specialize in the full range of oil and gas-related transactions. The oil and gas team offers clients depth of resources, local expertise and a long-term presence in, and commitment to, key oil and gas markets across the globe.

- Litigation

El-Aref Law Office's trial practice is widely recognized for both the breadth of its knowledge and the depth of its experience throughout the MENA region. The practice serves individuals, corporations and related committees or partnerships across a broad range of business disputes and civil litigation, from counseling through trial, appeal and high court. The litigation department in El-Aref Law Office possesses specific single-party, multiparty, and class-action experience involving intellectual property infringements, license and franchise litigation, malpractice cases; commercial, contractual, and construction disputes.

- International Law

Our international law practice represents clients in litigation involving attempts to enjoin, or recover damages for, alleged anticompetitive conduct. It also provides counsel to clients on pricing, sales, and distribution practices as well as on major corporate mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures. Our work is characterized by the diversity of industries we serve, from high-tech, information services to basic industries alike, through the incorporation of increasingly sophisticated economic analysis, through our extensive experience in international trust matters involving patents and other intellectual property; and thanks to our lawyers' ability to prepare and try even the largest, most complex cases.

- Employment & Labor Disputes

El-Aref International Law Office adopts a risk-management approach to avoid work-related disputes and to preempt litigation or grievances, which are costly to defend and consume valuable time, resources and energy. Our lawyers work closely with employers during all phases of the employer/employee relationship, from recruitment to termination, in order to develop practical employment policies and procedures that comply with the law and diminish the risk of employment disputes. Our firm provides an unmatched range of labor, employment and benefits services to management clients. We deal with the defense of complex class actions, yet remain flexible enough to move efficiently and quickly, thus enabling us to serve the needs of multinationals as well as small businesses.

- Trademark & IP

El-Aref International Law Office helps its clients develop, manage and protect their intellectual property assets. Our Intellectual Property attorneys offer a unique combination of knowledge, experience and passion to intellectual property matters. The attorneys handle all phases of trademark selection and protection, patent planning and procurement, and copyright creation and monitoring. Our IP lawyers handle intellectual property litigation, infringement and validity analysis, licensing, intellectual property portfolio development, intellectual property due diligence and intellectual property issues arising in corporate and financial transactions, as well as patent copyrights and trademarks litigation.

- Real Estate

Our attorneys in the real estate practice provide all-inclusive real estate capabilities for institutional investors and developers. They represent developers and land owners nationally and internationally in connection with all aspects of the construction process often involving large-scale developments and rehabilitations. They counsel clients who form partnerships, limited liability companies and trusts for real estate transactions, providing advice on business and tax implications, and setting up and maintaining the records for such entities. The lawyers in El-Aref International Law Office assist at all phases of development: pre-acquisition assessment, acquisition, permitting, conveyancing and leasing. They also counsel clients on land use matters, including subdivision matters, planning and zoning issues.

- Maritime Law

The firm's maritime law attorneys represent clients in a broad range of commercial matters including those relating to contracts, construction and ship sales. They are also involved in traditional admiralty litigation pertaining to collision, personal injury, cargo damage and cases. In addition, the office’s maritime department works on ship financing projects, representing Middle East investors, banks and ship owners. Our lawyers in the maritime department actively participate in and/or conduct admiralty seminars, conferences and lectures, in addition to contributing articles to various maritime publications. Due to the around-the-clock nature of activities in the marine industry, they are on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, to meet the needs of the firm’s maritime clients.

- Investment Law

We are business lawyers who focus on the investment management industry and its specific legal needs. Our practice reflects the breadth and diversity of the investment management industry. We are preeminent in the field; our attorneys are interdisciplinary, drawing on expertise across related fields. Our proficiency extends across all investment and financing strategies. Members of our team have strong and complementary backgrounds and experience that incorporate business, legal, regulatory and consumer perspectives. Our lawyers have solid and extensive experience with financing of funds and investment managers, including representation of both lenders and borrowing entities. We advise clients on employment and incentive arrangements to attract, retain and motivate key personnel, including shadow equity plans, incentive partnership structures and security companies.

- Construction Law

Our construction practice lawyers possess extensive experience in representing clients from the initiation of projects to the preparation of contract documents, to dispute resolution, including negotiation, arbitration, and trial litigation. Our work has involved infrastructure projects, factories/plants, industrial warehouses and hotels. Our construction practice attorneys have represented private owners, engineering and design firms, as well as contractors and subcontractors, including some of the world's largest and most sophisticated builders.

- Mergers & Acquisitions

El-Aref Law Office assists in all aspects of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures. From planning to execution, it anticipates its clients' needs and responds creatively, defining the key issues and developing practical solutions to the most challenging matters. The mergers and acquisitions lawyers in the office work together, successfully coordinating complex global transactions, satisfying regulatory requirements, preparing local documentation, advising on tax matters, assisting in due diligence investigations and delivering the required legal opinions covering multiple jurisdictions.

- Corporate Law

The transactional lawyers in El-Aref International Law Office are preeminent in structuring, negotiating and documenting LLC, Corporations, Holding, Offshore Corporations, as well as mergers and joint ventures for major projects and investments. El-Aref International Law Office corporate department has an international client base located in different jurisdictions and locations including Lebanon, France, the United States, Germany, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and ranging from large, established corporations to emerging companies, across the fields of aviation, banking, construction, consulting, entertainment, franchise, logistics, investment and real estate development.

Affiliations

Partners

	Mr. Sam Bou Shakra Senior Counsel Extradition, Green Cards, Immigration, Naturalization and Citizenship, Visa		Mr. Oussama El-Aref Chairman Agency and Distributorship, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Antitrust and Trade Regulation, Appellate Practice, Aviation Law
	Mr. Aref El-Aref Managing Partner Admiralty and Maritime, Agency and Distributorship, Agricultural Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Arbitration

Associates

	Mr. Mounir Abi Nader Senior Attorney Business and Industry		Ms. Katia Daou Senior Attorney Agency and Distributorship, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Appellate Practice, Arbitration, Business Law
	Mr. Mohammad Ramadan Senior Attorney Agency and Distributorship, Appellate Practice, Arbitration, Arson, Assault		Ms. Lina Saad Associate Business and Industry

Representative Clients

Deutsche Bank AG Medtronic, Inc. The New York Times Company Physio-Control, Inc. British Broadcasting Corporation Vestas AG EADS (European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company) Biomet, Inc. Agent Provocateur Patient Education, Inc. Islamic Development Bank Group STX Heavy Industries Ltd. Arqaam Capital Ltd. Huron Consulting Group Sheraton Hotel

Philip Morris International Inc. HANJIN Shipping General Nutrition Corporation, Inc. Mohamed Abdulmohsin Kharafi & Sons W.L.L. Al-Sayer Group National Real Estate Company Kuwait Real Estate Investment Consortium Kharafi National K.S.C. (Closed); SeAH Steel Corporation Amar Finance Commercial Bank of Kuwait Kuwait Real Estate Investment Consortium K.S.C. National Investments Company K.S.C. Al-Mal Investment Co. K.S.C.

More Information on El-Aref International Law Office

Beirut, Lebanon International Law Firm
Corporate Lawyers in Beirut, Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon Banking Law Firm
Criminal Lawyers in Beirut, Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon Real Estate Lawyer
Maritime Law Firm in Beirut, Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon Trademark Lawyer
Beirut, Lebanon Investment Law Firm
El-Aref International Law Office News and Publications
Contact El-Aref International Law Office