Bird & Bird LLP

Jalal (Jil) is a partner in our Dispute Resolution practice, based in Paris and is the head of our arbitration department in France.

Jil’s practice covers international business law, notably related to the Arab world and Europe, and more specifically in the field of international disputes and foreign investments. Having acted as a counsel, arbitrator and expert in about 100 cases, Jil has strong experience in managing international disputes and particularly disputes regarding shareholders and securities suits, class actions, breach of negotiations, bank guarantees.

The type of business his practice includes relates to the trade of commodities, telecom markets, port concessions, construction industry and sport; etc. With a solid academic background (degrees in law, finance and political science), he is well regarded from a scientific standpoint. He is Lebanon’s UNCITRAL Representative and a member of the ICC Court. Also, he chairs the European Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and is the vice-chair of the IBA Arab Regional Forum.

A regular speaker at numerous international arbitration conferences, Jalal is the author of various articles and the co-author of Arbitration with the Arab Countries (Kluwer, 2011). He is also managing editor of the International Journal of Arab Arbitration, available on www.kluwerarbitration.com and www.intljaa.com. In 2019, he will publish a book on Arbitration Law in France, with Professor Daniel Mainguy (LexisNexis). Jalal is also a lecturer in arbitration law at the Versailles University and SciencesPo Paris (IEP).

Jil is fluent in French, English and Arabic.

He is admitted to practice in Paris (France), Beirut (Lebanon) and New York (USA).

Jil holds a doctorate in law from Paris I – Sorbonne (2003) and also graduated in Political Sciences & International Finance from Sciences Po Paris (1998), in Business & Management from the Institut Supérieur de Gestion (1995) and obtained his LLM from Columbia Law School (2002).