Litigation

Shahid Law Firm’s litigation practice builds on the firm’s requisite insight into the sources of disputes, which has granted us a unique edge in reaching commercially viable judgements or settlements that are favorable to our clients.

The firm’s lawyers possess the training and expertise that allows them to litigate matters before courts of all degrees and instances as well as administrative authorities throughout the country; and are able to handle all types of corporate and commercial litigations ranging from routine matters to large and complex matters.

We also assist individual and corporate clients with out-of-court negotiations and remedies. Range of matters we handle includes, but is not limited to:

• Tax and insolvency;
• Insurance claims;
• Construction and real estate;
• Employment and labor;
• White collar and corporate crime;
• IP matters;
• Shareholders’ and share transfer disputes; and
• Agency and distribution.

Our litigation practice successfully represents major clients in various industries including energy, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, construction, insurance, hotel ownership and management, automotive and real estate development.

With every file handled, we ensure that the team serving a client includes the “gray haired” experienced counsels, as well as those efficient and energetic “next generation” associates.

Shahid Law Firm has significant experience in enforcing foreign judgments in Egypt, with an acknowledged ability to pursue enforcement through using all available tools.

Shahid Law Firm’s involvement spans all forms of Litigation, including:

Tax Litigation

• Assisting two major pharmaceutical companies in lifting an attachment imposed on their accounts in multiple banks, based on a claimed real estate taxes dues amounting to millions of EGP. Shahid Law Firm was capable of the lifting of the attachments, which was successfully accomplished in a particularly speedy manner within a few days’ time;
• Counselling Shifa Pharmaceutical Industries – a subsidiary of a UK-based investment holding – in the annulment of a tax attachment imposed on the company valued at over than EGP 200 million. The client resorted to the firm’s tax litigation team after the tax authorities imposed an attachment on the company’s bank accounts on the basis of claiming due taxes from the company. Shahid Law Firm’s tax litigation team challenged the decision on doctrinal as well as procedural basis, and managed to annul the attachment;
• Representing GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in a lawsuit filed against the Minister of Finance in a case involving the Tax Authority’s demand that GSK pay millions of Egyptian pounds in stamp duties;
• Representing a global insurance provider in a dispute against the Egyptian Tax Authority, where we successfully obtained a final judgment in favor of our client confirming that the Tax Authority is not entitled to levy a stamp duty on capitalization contracts. The judgment has since become an established tax principle that is applicable industry-wide;
• Representing a 5-star hotel operator in relation to a tax dispute, whereby our Firm succeeded in resolving the dispute with the Tax Authority before the matter reached courts;

Constitutional

• Representing IEOC, a subsidiary of ENI, in filing challenges before the Supreme Constitutional Court in a case filed by its employees on the grounds of laws and regulations applicable to employees’ profit-sharing schemes in general and in the oil and gas field in particular;
• Representing Coca Cola in challenging clauses in the intellectual property legislation before the Supreme Constitutional Court;
• Representing various pharmaceutical companies and their affiliates led by GSK in filing constitutional challenges to the real estate tax legislation;

Agency and Distributorship

• Representing Abbott in a claim to pay EGP 50 million to a small Egyptian distribution company on the background of an alleged breach of contract;
• Representing Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO) in its main dispute regarding a storing and distribution agreement with a cross-over between civil and criminal aspects;

Media and Entertainment

• Successfully blocking a number of attempts of staying the airing of one of the most widely-viewed television shows during the month of Ramadan 2016. Just days after airing, various cases with requests of an immediate stay of airing were filed against one of the most renowned Middle Eastern broadcasting companies; however, following Shahid Law’s intervention, all interim measures failed and the show continues to be aired;
• Representing Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC) in a number of court cases in defense against allegations of steeling music and television produced work;
• Representing Platinum Records – a music production – in court cases concerning the breach of several agreements with artists and entertainers;
• Representing a TV anchor in a court case on the background of a famous TV competition show, where a contender alleged that our client intended to steer him to lose the competition;
• Representing Alam El-Phan – a major Egyptian records company – against the heirs of a late Egyptian singer in more than 20 court cases concerning the rightful ownership and rights of use of the late singer’s works;
• Representing Reuters in the context of criminal proceedings against its Egypt bureau chief;

Insurance

• Advising XL London Market Ltd, a subsidiary of XL Catalin (formerly XL Group plc) on the legal intricacies of claims arising under a number of retrocessional policy subscribed to by the London Market, in relation to the Flash Airlines aircraft crash (Flash Airlines Flight 604) in the area of Sharm El-Sheikh;
• Stirring settlement between an insurance broker and other parties on the background of a financial dispute Shahid Law Firm drafted and reviewed an amicable settlement, termination and release agreement as part of the mandate;
• Counseling an insurance company and representing it in negotiations with regard to a
  multi-million-dollar claim by a major Middle East investment group resulting from members of the group’s management being investigated for alleged violations committed during the conclusion of a share purchase deal;
• Upon instructions of the insurers, representing a major five-star hotel chain during oral proceedings with respect to an accident of a child drowning in the hotel’s swimming pool;
• Advising an insurance company during the course of proceedings brought against an international hotel (the Insured) claiming compensation for an injury caused to a guest;

Class Actions and Mass Disaster Litigation

• Representing RINA with respect to a complex cluster of five separate quasi-class action law suits with respect to the validity and enforceability of settlements received by the victims’ families as remedy for financial and moral damages/losses suffered by the victims in the sinking of a vessel. Shahid Law Firm also provides legal opinion on aspects of Egyptian law for Italian lawyers with regard to portions of the matter being handled before the Italian courts; and
• Successfully representing the heirs of a victim of a Swissair aircraft accident (Swissair Flight 111), securing compensation by way of out-of-court settlement (Civil Action No. 99-5744, 99-6089).