Contact Info
Zoé Chambris is an Associate in Shahid Law’s International Business and Dispute Resolution department.
She primarily acts as a consultant for leading multinational companies in industries including energy, hospitality, construction and infrastructure.
Her practice encompasses international business transactions and alternative dispute resolution (ADR), with particular experience in cross-border negotiations and complex contractual arrangements.
Prior to joining Shahid Law, Zoé spent over three years at a Cairo-based consulting firm specializing in business engineering for mega infrastructure projects across Africa, where she served as Head of Legal & International Projects Conformity.
In this role, she actively worked with governmental, institutional, and corporate stakeholders to advance large-scale cross-border initiatives.
Leveraging her private-sector background, she combines strong commercial acumen with legal expertise, bridging the gap between legal strategy and business objectives.
Dispute Resolution
- Represented the Egyptian owner of a landmark hotel in Cairo in an ICC dispute under Egyptian law, seated in Paris, France, against a renowned U.S. hotel chain arising out of the early termination of a hotel management agreement. The dispute heavily addressed claims of mismanagement and breach of fiduciary duties. The ICC dispute also involved a massive counterclaim sought by the Owner in compensation for the lost return of operation.
- Represented the shareholders of a joint stock company in a shareholder dispute concerning the exercise of an alleged put option by a minority shareholder (CRCICA arbitration; Egyptian law).
- Represented a major Chinese electricity off-taker in pre-dispute negotiations concerning an amount exceeding USD 7 million. Zoé’s heavy involvement in the detailed and particular aspects of the dispute helped identify key-elements which were pivotal for the improvement of the amicable resolution process between the parties – as part of the Firm’s business oriented and efficient file management.
Advisory
- Advised a Chinese electricity off taker on its potential exposure in connection with claims by its facility operator-counterparty related to obligatory purchase liability by the Client. Zoé contributed to the Firm’s successful striking-off of this liability from the client’s books – pending a written settlement between the parties.
- Advised a French investor in a dispute with the National Authority for Tunnels relating to VAT payments and reimbursements under Egyptian tax law, including confirmation of receivables.
- Advised a major Egyptian real estate developer in concluding agreements with a renowned French hotel management chain.
- Advised a major Egyptian real estate developer in concluding agreements with a renowned German Chinese hotel management chain.
- Advising a major Egyptian real-estate developer on the negotiation of four hotel management and residential project agreements with a renowned U.S. hotel chain as part of its strategic penetration into the hospitality sector to expand its portfolio.
Zoé holds a Master’s degree in International and European Business Law, with a specialization in Public Law, from Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne University (Cairo Campus), with high honours, where she completed a master’s thesis on international bank guarantees in public procurement contracts.
She also earned a Maîtrise in Public Law from Université Paris-Saclay and pursued two years of Arabic studies at INALCO, comprising an intensive Arabic diploma completed in Paris (equivalent to undergraduate Levels 0 and 1), followed by a second year of Arabic studies in Cairo under Campus France’s merit-based « Bourse Arabisante » programme (equivalent to undergraduate Level 2).
