IFLR 1000
The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms

	Allen & Overy Bowman Gilfillan Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton Clifford Chance Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs Eversheds Herbert Smith Freehills Hogan Lovells Linklaters Norton Rose Shearman & Sterling Stephenson Harwood Trinity Law Firm Webber Wentzel Werksmans White & Case
	Addleshaw Goddard Ashurst Baker & McKenzie Baker Botts Chadbourne & Parke Clyde & Co CMS Curtis Mallet-Prevost Colt & Mosle Dentons DLA Piper Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Gide Loyrette Nouel Hunton & Williams Mayer Brown Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy Miranda Correia Amendoeira & Associados Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe Simmons & Simmons Vinson & Elkins

Gide Loyrette Nouel has a team of eight partners based in Paris with international practices, among the key names are François Krotoff, John Crothers, Rupert Reece and Stéphane Vernay. The leading French firm has offices in Morocco and Algeria, and while it recently lost its ability to officially manage an office in Tunisia due to rule changes in the Tunisian market it maintains close connections to the jurisdiction.... [more]

Gide Loyrette Nouel has a team of eight partners based in Paris with international practices, among the key names are François Krotoff, John Crothers, Rupert Reece and Stéphane Vernay.

The leading French firm has offices in Morocco and Algeria, and while it recently lost its ability to officially manage an office in Tunisia due to rule changes in the Tunisian market it maintains close connections to the jurisdiction.

Deals
François Krotoff led a team that acted to establish Tizir, a joint-venture between Eramet Titanium and Iron (ETI) and Grande Côte Mineral Sands. The deal spanned the joint-venture corporate aspects as well as financing issues, and involved the development of a railway system and rights to a terminal at the Port of Dakar, Senegal. The project will oversee developments in Norway and Senegal.

Krotoff also led a deal for Macquarie Bank, London, on a $30 million bridge facility to Petroceltic International to develop assets in Algeria.

(See Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco or local work in these countries)

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	CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre Ghellal & Mekerba Gide Loyrette Nouel
	Aidoud Law Firm Law Office of Yamina Kebir Lefèvre Pelletier & Associés
	Bouchaib Law Firm Cabinet Hadj-Hamou et Djouadi Chemloul & Associés Goussanem & Aloui Law Firm
	Cabinet d'Avocats Samir Hamouda Cabinet Mustapha Hamdane Cabinet Sator Hamza Law Office SCP Boudiaf & Boudiaf Thompson & Knight

Although Gide Loyrette Nouel has an office in Algiers it effectively acts as a foreign law firm, unable to advise clients before the courts of Algeria.Its presence in Algeria gives it an advantage over its competitors in terms of the level of local knowledge the team has, and this is most apparent above all in its leading partner Samy Laghouati, who is the lawyer of choice for many corporates and even other international law firms.... [more]

Although Gide Loyrette Nouel has an office in Algiers it effectively acts as a foreign law firm, unable to advise clients before the courts of Algeria.

Its presence in Algeria gives it an advantage over its competitors in terms of the level of local knowledge the team has, and this is most apparent above all in its leading partner Samy Laghouati, who is the lawyer of choice for many corporates and even other international law firms.

Gide is possibly the premier law firm in Algeria, having the deepest pedigree in the market in all corporate and finance matters. The Algeria office is also supported by a strong team with North Africa experience in Paris.

The firm has a number of Algerian and French lawyers building strong experience on deals, among them senior associate Rym Loucif, and associates Julien Gontier and Sonia Daoui.

Deals
Laghouati led on all the deals supported by a regular team of associates. The firm advised EADS Deutschland, a consortium of three companies including Rohde & Schwarz and Carl Zeiss Optronic and led by EADS, on a setting up a joint-venture in the defence and security sector with the Algerian government.

The team also advised RATP Developpement, the operator of the Algiers metro, on the establishment of joint ventures with two state companies in order to operate the trams in Algiers, Constantine and Oran.

In the oil & gas sector, the team was retained by GDF Suez as it entered the development phase of the Touat Gaz project, in partnership with Sonatrach, and it also advised CCC on setting up a joint-venture with an Algerian company for an infrastructure project. The latter was the first deal with a Middle Eastern company partnering up with an Algerian private company through a joint venture.

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	Naciri & Associés – Allen & Overy
	Gide Loyrette Nouel Kettani Law Firm Lefèvre Pelletier & Associés Norton Rose UGGC
	Clifford Chance CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre Morocco Garrigues Maroc Sarl Hajji & Associés Mernissi-Figes
	Bennani & Associés Benzakour Law Firm Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira CWA – Eversheds
	August & Debouzy Baker & McKenzie El Amari & Associés Fraikech Associés JeantetAssociés

Gide Loyrette Nouel has gone through a number of significant changes in the past year with the loss of its partnership with Naciri & Associés to Allen & Overy. Consensus is that the firm has been depleted but there are many who believe it will regenerate, thanks in part to its long experience in the country.... [more]

Gide Loyrette Nouel has gone through a number of significant changes in the past year with the loss of its partnership with Naciri & Associés to Allen & Overy. Consensus is that the firm has been depleted but there are many who believe it will regenerate, thanks in part to its long experience in the country.

In 2011/2012 the firm handled a good number of deals covering capital markets and M&A transactions for clients such as Helios Investment Partners, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Vitol Group and ALAC (World Bank Group's Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean Fund).

The lead partners in the firm are Julien David, who leads on corporate and M&A deals along with senior associate Simon Auquier, and partner Mariam Roussi, who leads many of the banking and finance deals.

Deals
Julien David and senior associate Simon Auquier advised the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and ALAC (World Bank Group's African, Latin American and Caribbean Fund) on a €90 million equity investment into Saham Finances, an insurance company of the Saham Group.

The pair also acted for Vitol Group and Helios Investment Partners on the acquisition of Shell's downstream and distribution businesses and assets (fuels and lubricants) in December 2011, while David assisted Hikma Pharaceuticals on its €81 million acquisition of a 63.9% stake in Casablanca listed Promopharm from a group of shareholders in October 2011. Another notable M&A deal saw David advise Aabar Investments on its acquisition of a €2 billion interest in a joint venture between Qatar Holding, the Kuwait Investment Authority and the Moroccan Tourism Development Fund.

On the banking and finance side, Mariam Rouissi acted for the Tanger Med Port Authority (TMPA) on the €395 million financing from Attijariwafa Bank and advised the Office Chérifien des Phosphates on a €350 million bond issue.

Rouissi was also active for the firm on a number of other banking transactions for clients such as Attijariwafa Bank, on a €150 million facility to the TMPA, and Technopolic Rabatshore on financing for an offshore business park.

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	Adly Bellagha & Associates Cabinet Maitre Donia Hedda Ellouze Ferchiou & Associés
	Abdelly & Associés Caid Essebsi & Partners (CE&P) Jurismed Meziou Knani & Associés
	Bruno de Cazalet – Gide Loyrette Nouel Kallel & Associates Malouche Law Firm Mili & Associates
	Achour Law Firm Dakhlaoui Avocats – Bird & Bird
	Chafter Raouadi & Associés El Ajeri Lawyers – partnered with DS Advocats Jaziri & Associates

Allen & Overy Chadbourne & Parke Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton Clifford Chance Dentons Eversheds Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Gide Loyrette Nouel Herbert Smith Freehills Hogan Lovells Linklaters Norton Rose Shearman & Sterling Stephenson Harwood White & Case

Bruno de Cazalet is a former partner of Gide Loyrette Nouel (GLN) who now acts in partnership with the firm.In order to comply with new laws, Gide Loyrette restructured its presence in the country in 2012 and formed a partnership with its former partners, and now independent lawyers, de Cazalet, Amina Larbi and Badis Jedidi, among others.... [more]

Bruno de Cazalet is a former partner of Gide Loyrette Nouel (GLN) who now acts in partnership with the firm.

In order to comply with new laws, Gide Loyrette restructured its presence in the country in 2012 and formed a partnership with its former partners, and now independent lawyers, de Cazalet, Amina Larbi and Badis Jedidi, among others. De Cazalet acts as the partnership manager.

The partnership benefits from full support of GLN's facilities, resources and international network. Kamel Ben Sayah however has left the team.

Deals
In standout transactions, Badis Jedidi was advising Auchan Group in an acquisition of a listed Tunisian distribution company Société Magasin Général; Bruno de Cazalet assisted MIGA (World Bank) on the guarantee of a €160 million government loan to the National Company of Navigation to finance the acquisition of a passenger ferry; and Amina Larbi acted for French development agency AFD on a €180 million loan to the state of Tunisia for general economic development programmes.

Larbi was also working on other deals for Qatari Diar, in relation to a high spec tourist project in southern Tunisia, and Aéroport de Paris on the acquisition of stakes in two companies owned by Group TAV, one of which owns concessions in the Enfidha and Monastir airports.

De Cazalet was also engaged by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to assist on a review of public-private partnership (PPP) and concession laws across North Africa.

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