Hage-Chahine Law Firm

Hage-Chahine Law Firm provides first-rate comprehensive legal services in Lebanon and the Middle East since 1976.

The firm is known for handling high-profile cases and solving complex legal issues by combining deep academic insights with superior practical efficiency. It has an established reputation as the law firm of choice for international businesses operating in Lebanon and the Middle East.

Hage-Chahine Law Firm is the only law firm in Lebanon with two attorneys who hold the prestigious title of Agrégé of the French Faculties of Law which is the highest academic recognition that is bestowed upon French law practitioners.

Members of their team include graduates of Harvard Law School, Université Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas and Saint-Joseph University as well as law professors who teach at some of the most prestigious universities in Europe and in the Middle East.

In 2019, the firm underwent restructuring with the aim of becoming one of the leading law firms in the Region. The firm adopted state of the art systems for the delivery of legal services and implemented a modern business model that adheres to the highest international standards while still taking into account the specificities of the Middle East.

This new structure has allowed Hage-Chahine Law Firm to expand its practices and to service local and international clients by relying on a team of highly skilled experts that have over 40 years of experience across 14 practice areas and nine sectors.

Practice areas

Corporate/M&A: Hage-Chahine Law Firm’s corporate practice helps local family-owned enterprises, emerging startups and large international companies with corporate services, corporate re/structuring, transactions and mergers and acquisitions. The firm utilizes a unique blend of legal experience and technological savvy to help its clients make informed legal decisions that take their commercial strategies into consideration. Find out more.

Banking and finance: Hage-Chahine Law Firm assists banking and non-banking financial institutions with conventional and Islamic transactions. Their lawyers offer legal advice on capital market laws and regulations, financial instruments, compliance, fraud, anti-money laundering, complex deal structuring and investments. From lender claims and loan facility litigation to interbank disputes, the banking and finance team works closely with the firm’s litigators to provide proficient representation in all types of banking disputes. Find out more.

Regulatory and compliance: Hage-Chahine Law Firm boasts an extensive knowledge of local regulations and is well positioned to help clients in the Middle East deal effectively with regulatory and compliance issues. From managing day-to-day risks to advising on complex transactions, the firm has the resources to enable clients to meet regulatory requirements across multiple sectors.

Insurance and reinsurance: From local insurers and intermediaries to international reinsurers and regulatory bodies, Hage-Chahine Law Firm helps operators deal with the most pressing issues of the insurance industry in multiple jurisdictions. The firm handles acquisitions, investments, compliance, corporate transactions, risk management and provides expert dispute resolution services in several jurisdictions.

Contracts: Hage-Chahine Law Firm’s contracts practice combines a deep understanding of regional rules with extensive experience working across several jurisdictions. The firm helps clients with civil and commercial contracts, compliance, joint-ventures, commercial agencies and franchises and distribution agreements. Hage-Chahine Law Firm also handles disputes arising out of a contract in judicial and arbitral proceedings. Find out more.

International business transactions: Hage-Chahine Law Firm routinely helps clients with drafting and structuring cross-border deals across multiple sectors and ensure that their transactions comply with the applicable rules in various jurisdictions. The firm’s lawyers also handle enforcement of complex agreements and provide representation in disputes in connection with an international business transaction. Find out more.

Arbitration: From drafting arbitral agreements and assisting clients with arbitral proceedings to seeking recourses in front of national courts and enforcement of arbitral awards, Hage-Chahine Law Firm’s arbitration practice provides legal services at all stages of the arbitration process. The firm’s lawyers also act as arbitrators in commercial and investment arbitration and provide legal expert reports to arbitral tribunals. Find out more.

Litigation: Having earned a global reputation for winning high-profile cases, Hage-Chahine Law Firm’s litigation practice covers a wide range of areas especially contracts, commercial agencies and franchises, banking and finance, commercial, medical, transport, insurance, family law, inheritance, real estate and construction. The firm’s lawyers have rights of audience before Lebanese courts as well as French courts and provide aggressive representation in domestic and international disputes. Find out more.

Mediation: Hage-Chahine Law Firm provides mediation services for business, commercial, family and inheritance-related disputes in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East. The firm’s attorneys serve as mediators and act as counsel for adverse parties during the mediation process. Find out more.

Real estate: Hage-Chahine Law Firm offers practical and cost-effective advice to property owners, tenants, developers, international investors, real estate investment funds and lenders on all types of real estate transactions. The firm’s areas of expertise include the acquisition, construction, development, ownership, leasing, and financing of all types of real estate assets in Lebanon and abroad as well as domestic and international real estate disputes. Find out more.

Construction law: Hage-Chahine Law Firm represents builders, developers, consultants, architects, engineers, employers, subcontractors, property owners, investors and financial institutions in construction-related transactions and disputes. The firm is familiar with the specialized jargon of the construction industry and represent clients at all phases of the construction process, from negotiating agreements prior to breaking ground, to litigating and arbitrating disputes that arise out of the construction. Find out more.

Family law: Hage-Chahine Law Firm assists clients with all forms of family-related matters ranging from disunion cases to transactions involving family-owned businesses. The firm’s attorneys help clients with issues involving child and spousal support, custody, guardianship, asset division and divorce. They also act as counsel in complex cross-border family disputes and handle parallel proceedings in multiple jurisdictions. Find out more.

Inheritance law: From mitigating potential tax liability to addressing issues related to religious laws, Hage-Chahine Law Firm provides sophisticated estate planning solutions that take into account the specificity of local rules. The firms also assists clients with complex inheritance disputes and has extensive experience handling parallel court proceedings involving several jurisdictions. Find out more.

Legal consultancy: The exceptional academic backgrounds of Hage-Chahine Law Firm’s attorneys and their deep understanding of the unique legal landscape in the Middle East places the firm in a unique position to offer practical and insightful legal opinions for a broad range of complex transactions and dispute resolution matters in Arabic, English and French across all its practice areas and sectors. Find out more.

Sectors

Commercial agency, distribution and franchises: From negotiating agency contracts and advising on local dealer protection laws to representing clients in arbitral proceedings and court cases, Hage-Chahine Law Firm has a proven track record in the field of commercial agencies and franchises. The firm has established a strong reputation for winning landmark cases and offers unequaled expertise in cross-border disputes arising out of the agency agreement. Find out more.

Sovereign government and international institutions: Hage-Chahine Law Firm boasts one of the most experienced teams in matters involving Sovereign Governments and International Institutions. Aside from an extensive transactional and regulatory expertise, the firm provides a wealth of experience in dispute resolution proceedings involving state entities and has successfully handled the enforcement of court decisions and arbitral awards against state-owned assets in several jurisdictions. Find out more.

Industry and manufacture: From material procurement and machinery installation to calls for tenders and distribution, clients rely on the firm’s innovative approach and deep understanding of the sector to face the myriad of challenges that arise in the MENA Region. The firm has extensive experience in a broad spectrum of industries including agricultural products, building materials, chemicals, consumer products, food and beverage, industrial machinery, pharmaceuticals and technology. Find out more.

Logistics and transportation: Hage-Chahine Law Firm helps shippers, freight forwarders, carriers, brokers, logistics companies, warehousing companies, charterers, ship yards, agents, maintenance organizations, insurers and banks face complex legal issues as they work to provide efficient transportation services in a very competitive economic environment. Find out more.

Medical, Pharmaceuticals and biotechnologies: From regulatory compliance and licensing agreements to intellectual property disputes and malpractice cases, Hage-Chahine Law Firm helps pharmaceutical and healthcare companies deal with the current growth of the sector in the Middle East. The firm assists clients with a wide range of matters, including regulatory compliance, financing, commercial contracts, corporate matters, intellectual property, employment issues and dispute Resolution. Find out more.

Energy and infrastructure: Hage-Chahine Law Firm provides expert assistance with the structuring, acquisition, financing and implementation of energy and infrastructure projects in the MENA Region. The firm has notable experience in the sectors of power generation, oil and gas and public-private procurements and has the resources to help clients navigate through a complex regional regulatory landscape. Find out more. 

Technology, media and telecommunications: From digital conglomerates to disruptive start-ups, the firm guides clients through the constant evolution of the TMT sector in the Middle East. The firm has helped technology developers, consumer technology companies, vendors, users, broadcasting networks and telecommunication companies with corporate/M&A, technology transactions, corporate agreements, intellectual property, regulatory compliance and dispute resolution. Find out more.

Startups: Hage-Chahine Law Firm’s corporate practice includes services that are specifically geared toward startups, accelerators, incubators and venture capital firms that are doing business in Lebanon or seeking to invest in the MENA Region. The firm offers alternative financing methods for startups and is actively working with numerous early-stage companies and investors throughout the Middle East. Find out more.

Consumer products and retail: From luxury brands to food and beverage enterprises, Hage-Chahine Law Firm advises consumer products and retail companies at every stage of the business cycle. The firm’s Lawyers are intimately familiar with consumer protection laws across the Middle East and have routinely helped businesses establish a strong presence in the Middle East. Find out more.

For more information, please visit Hage-Chahine Law Firm’s website: https://www.hagechahine.com/

Additional Information: In 2021, the firm was shortlisted in six categories of the 2021 Thomson Reuters ALB Middle East Law Awards. 

The firm was shortlisted in the following categories:

• Lebanon Law Firm of the Year Award.
• Arbitration Team of the Year Award.
• Litigation Team of the Year Award.
• Corporate Citizenship Law Firm of the Year.

Najib Hage-Chahine was shortlisted for Managing Partner of the Year and was the winner of the Young Lawyer of the Year Award.

The firm was also shortlisted  in five categories of the 2021 Middle East Legal Awards as one of the finalists for the following categories:

• Arbitration team of the Year Award.
• Construction Team of the Year Award.
• Litigation team of the Year Award.
• CSR Initiative of the Year Award.
• Regional Law Firm of the Year Award.

The Firm was named Arbitration Team of the Year and Litigation Team of the Year at the 2021 Middle East Legal Awards.