Banking & Finance
The multi-jurisdictional experience of M&E members, as well as their expertise enables M&E to provide a big-picture perspective along with an understanding of local clients’ needs and practices.
M&E’s banking and finance practice is led by Ahmed Meziou.
M&E capitalizes on Ahmed’s extensive experience in working with commercial and investment banks, arrangers, underwriters, borrowers, issuers, governments, supra-national organisations and international finance organisations, financial insurers, trustees and investors on all type of banking, finance and capital markets transactions, including in the context of restructuring and insolvency.
Ahmed worked regularly on projects financed by international financial institutions such as IFC, AfDB, Proparco, ICD, FMO, DEG, AFD and EBRD, and is fully aware of their requirements.
Banking M&As
M&E team are well-positioned to advise on M&As in the banking sector at all stages, from structuring and negotiating deals to post-closing activities, as well as advising on regulatory approvals, banking secrecy and personal data protection.
Capital markets & financial instruments
M&E team advise on equity and debt securities transactions, employee share offering plans, and marketing and trading procedures.
General lending & project finance
M&E team can advise on implementing locally complex acquisition financings and new concepts in project finance. M&E team is able to provide a top-notch service on transaction structures, due diligence and financing arrangements.
Non-Performing Loan (NPL) portfolio
M&E team can support clients in dealing with the NPLs on the market through the disposal and acquisition of credit/deposit portfolios, regulatory notifications, transfer of collateral and foreign exchange restrictions.
Restructuring & distressed transactions
M&E team can play a leading role in the Tunisian market, assisting banks, sovereigns and large corporates in distress with their restructuring efforts. M&E team have expertise in debt recovery, restructuring and workouts, refinancing, court-led restructuring and intercreditor arrangements.
Financial services & regulatory
M&E advises clients on numerous matters in the field of financial services. We have vast expertise in providing regulatory advice in banking, payment services, financial leasing, investment funds, etc.
Competition
M&E team provide a complete range of competition law related services, including antitrust and competition law compliance, sector regulation, abuse of dominance, cartels and restrictive agreements, merger control and competition enforcement, as well as competition litigation.
Antitrust
M&E can work closely with corporate executives and in-house legal teams to minimize the risks and protect the client’s business reputation.
In the case of anti-trust activities, we work towards preventive measures by closely monitoring any apparent or subtle changes in the focus of competition enforcers, before combining our commercial and technology expertise to target and avoid potential risks for our client’s organization.
Merger control
M&E team have extensive insight and experience in structuring complex transactions, including joint ventures and strategic alliances.
Corporate and Commercial
We have a capable corporate and commercial team of lawyers with over 20 years of experience.
We continuously provide corporate legal services to multi-national, regional and domestic clients. We specialize in complex regional transactions with a multi-jurisdictional focus, as well as non-transactional work. We keep our clients fully abreast of the latest legislative changes and regularly organize specialized trainings for in-house legal teams across the region.
M&E integrated approach covers general commercial matters, including commercial contracts, public procurement, distribution, information technologies, promotion and advertising, as well as general regulatory, non-contractual and matters such as consumer protection, data protection and e commerce.
General corporate
The M&E corporate team is able to offer efficient and cost-effective legal solutions to meet our clients’ everyday requirements.
Mergers & Acquisitions
We have the capacity and the personnel to successfully conclude even the most complex transactions in a timely and appropriate manner. M&E team of mergers and acquisition specialists are capable to handle transactions such as joint ventures, management buyouts, leveraged buyouts, privatizations, restructurings, takeover bids, auctions and share sales.
Data Protection
The M&E data protection lawyers have expert knowledge of the laws and regulations governing data protection, information security and data management compliance in Tunisia. Due to the fast-evolving nature of cyber processes, our team pays extra attention to the latest technological developments, expanding their knowledge for the purpose of ensuring up-to-date and accurate assistance of the highest order to our clients.
Blockchain Technology
The M&E team can help design token platform by supporting token operations with the relevant legal advice and documents. The M&E lawyers can advise on the corporate structuring and full compliance of initial coin offering and securities token offering by providing an in-depth legal advice and establishing the adequate legal and regulatory framework.
Dispute Resolution
International and domestic commercial litigation
We represent clients in all stages of international and domestic litigation, in established as well as emerging markets.
Alternative dispute resolution
M&E dispute resolution lawyers are experienced in representing parties in arbitrations, mediations and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.
Bankruptcy and reorganization proceedings and related litigation
We provide comprehensive services in all aspects of restructuring and insolvency proceedings.
We offer assistance in bankruptcy-related litigation and many other special situations.
Recognition of foreign judgements and arbitral awards
We can assist clients to achieve recognition for foreign judgements and arbitral awards in the jurisdictions that we operate in.
Construction cases
M&E team are experienced in advising owners, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, designers, or consultants on how best to resolve issues that can arise on a project.
Employment
Bearing in mind the sensitive nature of employer-employee relationships, we advise on all aspects of the employment relationship, from recruitment to retirement, and including cross border human resources and immigration issues. We offer proactive, pragmatic and commercial advice to meet our client’s specific needs, in line with the rigorous legal environments in which our clients operate.
M&E team are experienced in addressing the day-to-day requirements of commercial entities, including immigration requirements, entitlements due to employees, tax efficient salary and benefit structures, leaves, disciplinary measures and individual and group terminations. We regularly provide assistance in drafting and negotiating employment agreements, developing internal HR practices and procedures and assessing guaranteed entitlements under the law.
Restructuring and reorganization
We can help our clients to maximize the benefits of their reorganizations, with detailed, tailored strategies and execution. M&E’s team of employment experts advise on issues like redundancy, employee surplus, organizational changes, as well as compensation issues and executive
Employment agreement negotiations.
We help international clients adapt to the maze of local employment laws, taking into account the varied economic circumstances and customs throughout the region. Also, we assist clients in developing the framework to operate internationally with employees in different countries – whether on temporary assignments or longer-term expatriate arrangements.
Due diligence of employment matters in mergers and acquisitions
When advising local and foreign clients on mergers and acquisitions, M&E offers legal advice on employment issues that arise in those circumstances. This includes due diligence, evaluating the legal exposure of any of the target companies’ actions and management with respect to its employees, drafting and preparing employment agreements, and consulting on structural changes and the transfer of employees between corporate entities.
Infrastructure Projects
The M&E team act on all types of infrastructure projects in Tunisia: thermal and renewable power plants, mines, gas, oil, airports, ports, roads and bridges, railways, water production, waste processing, services, hospitals, public buildings and aerospace We can advise sponsors, public institutions, international multilateral agencies, EPC contractors and lenders on the structuring and negotiation of project documentation and financing, at all stages of their projects.
M&E team are also keen to assist international firms in delivering the above.
M&E can assist in reviewing, drafting and negotiating the entire range of project and finance documents, which include:
- on all projects: Concession Agreements, Land Use Agreements, Supply and Offtake Agreements, EPC Contracts, O&M Agreements, Interface Agreements and corporate documents such as shareholders’ agreements, equity injection agreements and joint development agreements;
- for energy projects: Power Purchase Agreements (for both dispatchable and nondispatchable power plants), gas or coal supply agreements and tolling agreements; and
- all finance documents including CTAs, loan agreements, intercreditor agreements, direct agreements, sponsor support agreements, hedging agreements and security packages.
Intellectual Property
We have the necessary know-how to properly evaluate the suitability of trademark, design and patent protection and are equipped to carry out necessary searches. We can participate in due diligence procedures in order to identify and evaluate intellectual property assets and anticipate IP related risks.
M&E team is well-versed in the area of IP enforcement, including anti-counterfeiting and antipiracy initiatives. They regularly resolve IP-related disputes, whether through alternative dispute resolution techniques or formal court proceedings.
Copyright
We have expertise in dealing with a wide range of legal actions against infringers of software copyright, including infringement warnings and civil law proceedings.
Protecting intellectual property assets
Our IP team creates, develops, manages and maintains our clients’ intellectual property portfolios and provides pragmatic advice on the most effective strategies for IP rights enforcement.
IP enforcement, anti-counterfeiting & anti-piracy work Our lawyers have extensive experience in the area of intellectual property enforcement, including anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy initiatives.
Real Estate
The synergy between our real estate practice and other members of M&E provides our clients with particular expertise in each of the markets we cover. Our lawyers advise developers, mezzanine and senior lenders and contractors on everything from financing, design, construction, employment, zoning, insolvency to dispute resolution.
Our team has concrete knowledge of the particularities of the Tunisian markets, as well as the expertise and capacities to handle large-scale complex transactions.
We aid real estate developers and investors with all types of development and planning matters.
We regularly advise on matters related to commercial, residential, hotel, industrial and energy and infrastructure projects. We help our clients to properly plan structures, mitigate potential risks and increase tax efficiency and tend to have active role in project planning and project implementation.
Construction
We are experienced advising on every aspect of construction, from choosing the right type of contracts – FIDICs or tailor made, EPC, EPCM etc., and structuring multi-party relations, to working closely with procurement and technical teams in order to ensure proper project implementation. We regularly guide clients through cumbersome administrative, permit and zoning procedures and work with industry authorities.
Property management & leasing
Our team handle drafting and negotiating property management agreements, lease agreements for landlords and tenants, assists in handovers, advises on exits. We are here to make sure that all of the bases are covered from a variety of angles that constitute today’s real-estate business landscape.
Real estate finance
We assist clients in all aspects of the financing of real estate projects. This includes structuring deals, advising lenders, borrowers, investors and others on all aspects of financing and secured lending, drafting facility agreements, preparing security packages, negotiations, perfection of collaterals and various closing activities.
Real estate planning
We work closely with our clients at the pre-investment stage in identifying locations for potential real estate development and conducting legal due diligence to reveal registered titles and encumbrances to a property, urban planning and zoning status of a location, as well as expected development fees.
M&E is also capable of advising clients on all tax issues relating to real estate projects and on all of the efficient tax options that are available.