Ibrachy & Dermarkar

Energy and Natural Resources Department

Partner.  Practice Areas: Energy and Natural Resources

Ibrachy & Dermarkar Law Firm, Partner, (January 2023 to Present). ExxonMobil Egypt, General Counsel & Executive, (2000 to 2022). British Petroleum Egypt, Counsel, (1996 to 2000). Baker & McKenzie Law Firm, Attorney at Law, (1994 to 1996). Kamel Law Office, Attorney at Law, (1992 to 1994). Shalakany Law Office, Attorney at Law, (1989 to 1992).

English And Arabic

Bar Admissions, Association Memberships:

Egyptian Bar Association in Cairo, Egypt (Licensed to practice before the Court of Cassation “Supreme Court”).

The American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt (Long Standing Member). Society of the University of Hull Graduates, England. Society of Egyptian Graduates of British Universities in Cairo, Egypt.

Publications & Scholarships:

The Commercial Laws of Egypt (Published in the digest of commercial laws of the world, Oceana Publications, INC., issued April 1995). Legal Regime Regulating the Hydrocarbons in Egypt (Published in the Encyclopedia of Hydrocarbons, Italian Publisher House for E.N.I. 2010). The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UK granted Scholarship in 1992.

Education:

Degree Certificates: Cairo University Law School (Ph.D. in Petroleum Law 2004) University of Hull, England Law School (Master of Laws in International Business Law 1993) Cairo University Law School (Bachelor of Law 1988) Non-Degree Certificates: Concord Law School, Kaplan University, USA (Attending distance learning Executive Juris Doctor (EJD) course 2014) BPP Law School in London, UK (Attending GDL learning course 2012) Thunderbird School of Global Management, USA (Attending Business Administration and Management Program 2009) University of Maastricht, Holland, Egypt Branch (Attending MBA course 2003)

Dr. Sherif El Atfy heads the Energy and Natural Resources Law Department. He is a lawyer with more than 30 years of experience, the first 6 years of which were spent with Law Firms specializing in Corporate Law and blue-collar litigation, and the following 25 years specializing in the Energy sector. He has proven experience of advising on a range of matters relating to hydrocarbon business and operations.

Dr. El Atfy started his Energy career with BP in Egypt gathering a wealth of experience supporting BP Upstream onshore and offshore (Gulf of Suez and the Mediterranean Sea) operations and projects. His track record of delivery in BP includes farm out, seismic, concession, joint operating and a host of other complex “deal” agreements which included ventures for carrying out an LDC (Local Distribution Company), NGL (Natural Gas Liquids) project, and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) projects. He also was part of the team that handled BP Downstream entrance to the Egyptian market and BP/Amoco Merger in Egypt.

As the General Counsel of ExxonMobil Egypt for 22 years, Dr. El Atfy had the responsibility, as head of the Egyptians Law Department, of managing the legal affairs of ExxonMobil business and operations in Egypt and UAE. He supported ExxonMobil Downstream Business Lines as a working lawyer: writing agreements, counseling Business functions and Management; assessing risks (Fit for Risk) for business opportunities and investments, conducting compliance training and providing legal support. His area of responsibilities also included handling and supervising Outside Law Firms with regard to legal services and litigations related to ExxonMobil business and operations, in addition to being an Executive member of ExxonMobil Management Committees.

Dr. El Atfy supervised a large network of service stations that offered automotive support.  Dr. El Atfy also supervised the various services that those station provided to the retail market.

Dr. El Atfy has proven experience advising on Upstream operation entrance in the Egyptian market, which he gathered from being a corner stone member of ExxonMobil Upstream start up team business in Egypt which includes three granted Concession Agreements in 2019. His expertise includes new country access, Concession Production Sharing Agreements, as well as Upstream associated agreements, due diligence, legal risk assessments, Joint Operating Agreements and the formation of Upstream legal entities in the Egyptian market.

Dr. El Atfy expertise in the Energy sector was enhanced by attending energy focused training programs tailored and presented by the Energy Companies he worked at which addressed: Upstream State agreements and State actions, PSC concession terms, types of actions being taken by host governments in response to high oil prices, effective management of dispute resolution issues, strategies, best practices for Joint Ventures (and Production Sharing Agreements) relations, dealing with co-ventures (both International Oil Companies and National Oil Companies), antitrust issues related to the Energy sector, do’s and don’ts with regard to Joint Operating Agreement provisions, challenges for major Upstream contracting (i.e. local content, market pressures, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act), introduction to the main commercial aspects of the natural gas liquids business, and the trading business.

Formally, Dr. El Atfy started his career as an attorney at Law with Law Firms based in Egypt representing multinational companies before the local authorities, writing agreements, preparing due-diligence reports; counseling clients in different business fields, handling clients litigation related to investment, civil, commercial, labor, administrative, and intellectual property. He also carried work with regard to registering companies and merger agreements before the local authorities.