Legal Services / Egypt
Egypt & Cairo Legal Counsel
Egyptian commercial law advice for international businesses, delivered by Egyptian Bar lawyers in Cairo as part of MEASA's wider Middle East and Africa practice.
Choosing Egyptian Counsel
Local law, understood from both sides
Choosing counsel in Egypt means understanding who will advise on local law, who can represent you in court, and how that advice fits your business objectives.
Our legal practice covers governance and compliance, mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, contracts, regulatory approvals, commercial disputes and investment structuring, with particular depth in Egyptian and GCC law. In Egypt that work is done by lawyers called to the Egyptian Bar, working from our Cairo office in Zamalek.
We stay involved through the legal work, alongside clients and their advisors. If you are comparing firms, ask who will handle the matter, what experience is relevant to your transaction or dispute, and which approvals or procedural requirements need attention first. Our Cairo team combines commercial and regulatory advice with an Egyptian litigation practice.
Before a foreign company enters Egypt, the legal structure, partner arrangements and proposed activities need to be considered together. Those choices can affect the approvals required, the treatment of profits and the options for changing the business later.
We work through investment structuring with you as a legal question and a commercial one at once. That includes whether a subsidiary, branch or joint venture fits your plan, how a local partner's role should be documented, and how an Egyptian entity sits within a wider GCC or Africa footprint. Because MEASA also practises across the Gulf, we can compare Egypt with other options honestly rather than assume Cairo is the answer.
Areas of focus
- Investment structuring
- Mergers, acquisitions & joint ventures
- Corporate governance & compliance
- Egyptian and GCC comparison
Egyptian law is a civil law system, and contracts drafted on a common law template can behave differently once they are interpreted locally. Boilerplate on remedies, termination, penalties or governing law deserves a second look before it becomes the foundation of a distribution, supply, agency or services relationship.
We draft and negotiate commercial contracts with enforcement in mind, and we advise on the governance of Egyptian entities: how decisions are taken, who may bind the company, and what records and filings need to be kept in order. Where a deal involves a counterparty with more leverage than you, we help you understand which terms are worth holding firm on.
Areas of focus
- Contract drafting & negotiation
- Corporate governance & compliance
- Shareholder and partner arrangements
- Cross-border agreements
Regulated activities in Egypt can require licences, permits or concession arrangements before operations begin, and the order in which they are obtained often matters. A submission that is incomplete or inconsistent with an earlier filing can cost a project months it did not budget for.
Our regulatory work covers submissions and approvals, licensing, and concession-related matters, led on the Egyptian side by counsel with a compliance and government-facing background. We help you map the approvals your business will actually need, prepare materials that are consistent from one authority to the next, and plan the project timeline around them.
Areas of focus
- Regulatory submissions & approvals
- Licensing & concessions
- Compliance frameworks
- Government engagement
When a commercial relationship fails, procedure decides a great deal: where a claim can be brought, what must be proved and in what form, and how long the process realistically takes. Our litigation practice is led by Senior Counsel who has appeared before Egyptian courts at all levels, in corporate, commercial, labour, civil and regulatory disputes.
Employment is a frequent source of avoidable disputes for foreign employers. Egyptian labour law has its own rules on contracts, termination and process, and a decision that looks routine at home can carry real exposure here. We advise before action is taken wherever possible, and represent clients when it is not. Early advice on a dispute, including whether to settle, is often the most valuable part of the engagement.
Areas of focus
- Commercial dispute resolution
- Labour and employment matters
- Civil and regulatory disputes
- Court representation
Typical Situations
When businesses call us in Egypt
Before entering
You are weighing Egypt against other markets, or deciding between a subsidiary, a branch and a partnership with a local company.
Mid-negotiation
A distributor, supplier or joint venture partner has sent a draft governed by Egyptian law and you need to know what it really commits you to.
Under regulatory pressure
A licence, approval or concession step is stalling a launch, or a compliance question has surfaced inside your group.
In dispute
A counterparty has defaulted, a claim has been served, or you are considering whether proceedings in Egypt are worth pursuing.
Managing people
You are planning a restructuring or need to end an Egyptian employment relationship and want the process reviewed first.
Reviewing an investment
You are acquiring, or investing into, an Egyptian business and need the structure and key risks understood before signing.
Qualifications
Who advises on Egyptian matters
Ahmed Elashry
FounderCalled to the Bars of British Columbia, Canada and Egypt. Dual-qualified in common law and civil law, bridging how international investors think and how Egyptian counterparts operate.
Maher Mohamed
Senior CounselCalled to the Egyptian Bar in 1984. Leads litigation across corporate, commercial, labour, civil and regulatory matters.
Olfat Hamed
Senior CounselCalled to the Egyptian Bar. Advises on compliance, licensing and concessions.
Mayada Maher
CounselCalled to the Egyptian Bar. Advises on commercial contracts, disputes and market entry.
Cairo Office
Reach us directly
Our Cairo office is in Zamalek. Contact us to arrange a call or a meeting; we will tell you who on the team is best placed to take your matter.
- 7 Aziz Abaza Street, Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt
- +20 100-988-8897
- info@me-advisor.com
Further reading
Practical background from our Egypt practice. General information only, not legal advice for your circumstances.
01
Company formation in Egypt
Vehicles, requirements and sequencing for establishing a business.
02
Terminating an employee under Egyptian labour law
What employers should understand before ending an employment relationship.
03
Egypt's new investment law
What the investment framework means for foreign investors.
Planning something in Egypt?
Tell us what you are trying to achieve and where it stands. We will give you a candid view on structure, approvals and risk.