2nd Arab Regional Forum Conference

Amal Bouchenaki

Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills

Amal Bouchenaki is a partner in the international arbitration group of Herbert Smith Freehills, based in the New York office. She advises companies and states in complex international treaty- and contract-based arbitrations conducted under various major arbitration rules, including in the Middle East and North Africa. Amal also litigates international arbitration matters before national courts and manages complex multi-jurisdictional disputes. She is qualified as a French avocat and California attorney and is a French and Algerian national.

Amani Cherry Mohsen Khalifa

Amani Khalifa is an arbitration specialist and a bilingual, dual British/Egyptian national with combined knowledge of English and Egyptian law. As counsel, she specializes in construction cases and frequently sits as an arbitrator throughout the MENA region. Amani is also an arbitrator on the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal and a CEDR-accredited mediator. She is an officer of the International Bar Association’s Arab Regional Forum and read law at Downing College, Cambridge. Amani is qualified to practice in Egypt, England and Wales, and New York State.

Arif Ali

Co-Chair at Dechert’s Global International Arbitration Practice

Arif H. Ali is the co-Chair of Dechert’s global International Arbitration Practice and is considered one of the world’s most experienced international arbitration trial counsel. He has served as lead attorney in international commercial and investor-state arbitrations under the procedural rules of all major arbitral institutions, including ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, LCIA, and the ICDR, across a broad range of industry sectors. Arif is particularly acclaimed for his advocacy and strategic advice in disputes under bilateral and multilateral investment treaties, investment agreements, and foreign investment laws.

Jalal El Ahdab

Partner at Bird & Bird

Jalal El Ahdab is a partner in the Dispute Resolution Group for Bird & Bird in Paris, head of the Arbitration Department in France, and a member of the firm's Dispute Resolution practice in Dubai and Casablanca. He specializes in international business law, focusing on international disputes and foreign investments, notably in Europe, Africa, and the MENA region. Jalal has acted as counsel, arbitrator, and expert in over 150 cases, managing complex disputes across various sectors, including sports, media, and fashion. He is qualified to practice in Beirut, Paris, and New York, and is fluent in Arabic, English, and French.

Kamal Sefrioui

Kamal Sefrioui specializes in international commercial arbitration, focusing on disputes related to government contracts and large, complex infrastructure projects. He consistently represents states or their state-owned entities in international arbitrations and litigations involving both their sovereign and commercial activities, including defense, education, healthcare, energy, and aviation. Kamal has also handled key litigations resulting in landmark decisions in the field of sovereign immunities in France.

Kilian Bälz

Partner at Amereller

Dr. Kilian Bälz is a partner at Amereller, an international law firm focusing on the MENA Region. He specializes in finance and projects, particularly in the energy and telecom sectors, and represents clients in arbitration proceedings. Kilian has been involved in high-profile disputes involving Libyan parties and issues such as liability for damage caused by militia, the legal status of public authorities in fragile states, denial of justice, and dual government structures. He has published widely on Middle Eastern business law and was a fellow at Harvard Law School in 2008.

Lamia R Matta

Partner at Miller & Chevalier

Lamia Matta is a partner at the law firm of Miller & Chevalier in Washington, DC, where she practices in litigation and global compliance. She counsels on corporate compliance and white-collar defense, primarily involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Lamia has conducted internal investigations in multiple countries on behalf of multinational corporations and has worked on numerous FCPA due diligence reviews in the lead-up to major acquisitions and mergers. She has recognized experience in the Middle East and North Africa and has represented both U.S. and non-U.S. clients in international trade, commercial, and criminal defense matters.

Laurence Shore

Team Leader, International Arbitration Focus Team at BonelliErede Milan

Laurence Shore moved to BonelliErede-Milan from New York in September 2017 and is the team leader of the firm’s International Arbitration Focus Team. He has been the lead advocate in many international arbitration cases involving a wide range of industry sectors, such as energy, construction, telecommunications, mining, healthcare, intellectual property, and finance. Laurence also sits as an arbitrator under various arbitration rules, including ICC, LCIA, ICSID, and UNCITRAL. He is a co-author of 'International Investment Arbitration: Substantive Principles' and is a member of the LCIA’s North American Users’ Council and the Institute for Transnational Arbitration’s Executive Committee.

Mahmoud Elkhrashy

Legal Adviser at Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Counselor Mahmoud Elkhrashy is the Legal Adviser of the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the former Head of the International Law Division at the Egyptian State Lawsuits Authority (ESLA). He served as Egypt's counsel in forty-five international arbitrations filed against it between August 2010 and June 2018, thirty-five of which were investment treaty cases before ICSID, PCA, and the Arab Investment Court.

Mohamed Ghannam

Head of Banking & Finance and Energy, Mining & Infrastructure Practice Groups at Baker McKenzie Cairo

Mohamed Ghannam heads the Banking & Finance and Energy, Mining & Infrastructure practice groups at Baker McKenzie's Cairo office. He is consistently ranked in the top tier for banking and finance by Chambers Global, IFLR1000, and Legal 500 EMEA for his project finance and cross-border finance practice. Mohamed focuses on project finance, major projects, mergers and acquisitions, oil and gas, capital markets, and transactional work. He has acted as counsel to many leading multinational companies and financial institutions in various industries, assisting them in high-value, precedent-setting transactions in Egypt.