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Editors Note Law is a very important field in society it President and CEO Ziad Ali helps regulating societies and organizing lives to ensure Equality yet it doesn’t Editor and Chief necessarily reflect a justifying act. We started Mahmoud Shireen this magazine to provide a better insight into the legal world by creating the connection and Senior writer acting as Khaled Mohamed a mediator between, its targeted audiences all those interested in law or with legal background Editoril writers: students or professionals in the field alike, to Raneem Wael find guidance where there’s none can be an Islam S. Ashry impossible task, we made this issue as a Anna Leon, starting point for continuous improvement Angy El Gamil paving road into the future and for others to Bassil A. Khalil follow in our footsteps, developing the career, Rana Rayan the legal profession to become a pivotal point Reem Hossam in shaping the present and the future of Egypt . Hager El-Ansary Contact us : 00201001309412 Mostafa Abdel Aziz 0020111589 1840 Senior graphic designer [email protected] BELAL EL-MELIH Graphic designer Tariq Wingrove Staff photographer Hassan Akef, Heba AMr, Mahmoud Hany Production Ahmed Saad Publisher Laegal Job Fair Founder Ziad Ali 2014 5

WaelSaeedZahran President of the court of appeal Ismailia I graduated from the faculty of law AinShams Law is a very enjoyable, if you love law you’ll reach the university later to graduation I was appointed highest positions and for the students they’re supposed as public prosecutor, my work as a public to determine their goals in the years of their study prosecutor extended to a duration of 6 years, especially the last two years they must attend litigations then I was appointed as a judge in North Cairo and see for themselves the procedures of the court the Court for a duration of 5 years then I worked in way the judge handles court room, every judge upper Egypt and coastal Region, south Cairo develops his own way, every judge has their own Court for the duration of 5 years as a president discretionary power, and the student must training a law B later to this I was appointed as the president office and know what is it is summon or writs and how B of Ismailia Court following this I was to initiate it, they must choose the to focus on the field appointed as a chancellor at Ismailia Court they can see themselves in “ civil, criminal, personal then Mansoura’s’ court of appeal Vice status”Because when they’ll graduate and their hearts president for two years and to my current is not in the field of what they have chosen and will position as the president of the court of appeal not achieve any sense of accomplishment or success in Ismailia which I’ve been occupying for two so work hard and determine your goals and sort your yearsThe period in which the person transfers priorities One of the most important aspects that must from judge to be the president of the court is be addressed is what the student must learn beside their considered to be the best period for the judge studies that can be implemented in the practical life, and this is because the amount of energy and the universities should devise 5 percent of the annual tremendous work load, learning Laws and work grades for applied practice, the professor must see what in every field available “Civil, Personal Status, is the student achieving nest to academics, as an Labor, Taxations” during this time there’s no example read in law and apply what they learn in the specialization which makes the learning a must text books in the field and provide them with the I see the magazine as a very good step as it will learning methodology and studying skills to assist in help students to know what they’re capable of asserting their goals and aims so when a student and help reposition their aims, realize graduates will have a sense of direction and figure out themselves before graduating as well help them their next step. secure internships in a law firm that he or she needs also for their studies when graduating to j get a better sight into the future There’s a big gap between academic life and practical life a lot of students graduate without determining his choice to come into discovering that they made the wrong choice, the student must choose their major because they love it not WaelSaeedZahran President of the court of appeal Ismailia 6

Pitmans Richard Devall Partner with Pitman Law firm Pitman is a full service law firm set up 130 years ago and now 49 partners based in four offices in the UK, alot of our clients come from technology, pharmaceuticals, banking and finance were a corporate commercial firm with lots of experience in media and investment Pitman law firm is interest in investment in this regard what do you think of the Egyptian market? Egypt is an untapped source, an extraordinary market, when you look at the level of construction here you think how does it actually work is it based on something is it a bubble that’s going to collapse and it seems to be based on sound principals so there .is certainly an angle which to add value to our plans her Why association with levari in Egypt At first it started with personal relationship then lavriprovided with what they want to do and the reasons for it, align themselves with the English law and the UK system because the English legal system is respected as a rule of law and the certainty of advices and it was a perfect fit How do you deal with the difference between legal systems? I was looking into an “ASPA” it’s something to English law the principles of a commercial contract are exactly the same the regulations might be different but what aims them is similar and we’d like to get in tie with Islamic finance and there is a shortage .of qualified Islamic lawyers, our relationship is working well we work as a team. Ethics are an absolute pivotal to the whole thing What made you change your mind about the Arab market? Actually I’m not sure If I changed my mind I think my eyes have been opened since partnering with levari, its been a phenomenally open market if you have an idea you can pursue it and having a relationship with a firm on the ground gives you .the opportunity to see the difference The experience you accumulate as a lawyer from the UK please describe your career In England I started out by two years in-house training and a 6 month seat with a lawyer, I did a labor law seat and a commercial law seat but I enjoyed labor law more so I qualified into labor law and the thing about labor law is you get to deal with people, fundamentally people are fascinating to me every enquiry you get is different, people get themselves into ridiculous positions and as a lawyer you have to sort them out the key element is applying common sense, most legal problems can be solve if you apply common sense, I trained at Pitman’s and qualified there then left to work for Andersons an accounts firm then Enron crisis happened Andersons been taken over and left and started counter terrorism legal work mainly civil actions then I came back to ,Pitman 7 years ago In UK perspective what do you expect from fresh graduates Common sense and you got to have personality, the law can be taught but the natural skills are pivotal, the academics are sort of irrelevant, personality is much more important 7

AM Law Firm has steadily emerged out of the Egyptian market and into the global arena of legal services, thanks to its clear-cut vision and its people’s motivation to outperform their tasks and duties. AM Law Firm is another breathtaking success story of experienced legal advisors. AM Law Firm commits to provide legal services and solutions to meet the most stringent needs of customers through dedication and .innovation As AM Law Firm looks to the future, it makes use of cutting edge legal and business technologies and methodologies, to ensure it continues to deliver the highest quality legal services to our clients for reasonable fees. AM’s success story is manifested in the growing number of its clients. The Firm has client satisfaction as their main goal, and no better thing can reflect this notion as much as their own slogan “Reading between the lines,” insisting that achieving a clear understanding of the clients’ needs and .interpretation of such needs is a major path towards success Since Day one, the founders of AM Law Firm set a time frame to achieve a remarkable status in the markets of the Middle East and North Africa. The mission towards reaching that goal mirrors the founders’ belief in specialization; providing services customized to each of the different fields of the law. Through this mission, AM Law Firm plans to be among the top 10 Law Firms that provide legal services in the .region AM Law Firm not only commits to their clients, but also to their role to the society. AM believes in their own responsibility towards society, thus joined the UN Global Compact; the world’s largest corporate responsibility initiative, with over 8,000 business and non-business participants in 135 countries. As per ,the initiative, AM Law Firm commits to offer services to promote human rights, labor laws responsibility to the environment and anti-corruption practices, among others. The Firm has incorporated .the program’s 10 principles into its own regulations The careful management of the clients’ needs as well as the sense of responsibility towards the society reflects the vision of AM Law Firm’s partners. Ayman Abdallah, AM Managing Partner’s over 15-year ’experience in legal counseling, along with his energetic thoughts steer – with the help of the partners expertise – the firm into attracting more clients by utilizing all the talents in the company and encouraging highly-motivated teamwork, “Our hard-earned success that made us one of the reputable law firms in Egypt in a very short period of time gives us a push forward to keep our position at the peak. We realize that maintaining success is the difficult part, but we are up to it, and will make it our motivation to ”,become one of the largest and most reliable law firms in the region 8

Professor Doaa Abotaleb , Ain Shams University Law magazine is a new trend in the law schools to start a new phase of cooperation between the academia and the operating bodies in the law market. The legal magazine is an innovative tool to properly present the products of the academia, which is the graduates and senior students, to the law market. The magazine will provide the law market with all required information, data and statistics about the graduates and students of the law school at Ain Shams University. It will also present the different qualifications of the graduates and the students which acquired within the university level. The magazine, as a student activity, reflects one side of the different aspects of students’ activities in the law school at Ain Shams University and reflects its impact on their qualifications and experience According to what I had seen from the innovative and full of energy team of the Legal Job Fair, my expectations of the magazine is that, it will achieve its target and reach directly to the intended bodies in the law market. For the operating law bodies, I expect this magazine will provide great help in your recruitment process In your opinion please do you think there’s a gap between the academic undergrad life and the Practical field? No doubt that there is a gap between the academic life and practical life, there is a gap between what is studied in the university classes for four years and what is practiced in lawyering.But before trying to minimize such gap, it is important to consider that this gap caused by more than one reason, the most important is because of .relying on theoretical methods of legal thinking rather than practical methods Using the theoretical methods seems to be rational in sometimes.That is because the students in the university level need to have knowledge about the theories of the legal thoughts and to learn how to think logically in the legal context. But, in order to achieve the required balance,such theoretical methods must be combined with practical courses. These practical courses must be designed and structured to satisfy the practical needs .of the different forms of practical legal work How to minimize? Just by treating the reasons of the gab on the institutional levels. It is also required to create a cooperation channels between the universities and the playing bodies in the law market. Also, the playing bodies need to take part in designing the practical courses in order to satisfy the practical needs of the law market. On the other hand, student activities are one of the techniques which may minimize the gap between practical and theoretical methods of study the law. Such activities include; legal clinics and moot courts Please state a current issue that must be addressed All in all if there’s something to be developed what would it be? )provide examples when questioning such as education country( In my point of view, extra-curricular activities need to be expanded and institutionally supported in the Egyptian universities. Moot court, as an example of extra-curricular activities, need to be dealt with in different prospective In fact, not all law schools in Egypt adopt the Mooting activities at all; only four to five universities whichadopt it like an extra-curricular activity. Even these law schools didn’t support mooting activities as a course or with methodological base. It just supports mooing activities when participating in Moot Court Competitions held in Egypt or abroad whether in Arabic, English or French languages On the other side, most of the law schools around the world adopt mooting as a module to be added to the credits of the student. In fact, they deal with mooting as a curricular or a module not just a competition.This mean that, students in mooting classes learn how to deal with case, how to search for the sources of law and how to recourse to the legal .precedents 9

AlZayat AlZayatStarted in 2004. We started our firm to be the first international law firm in Egypt because lawyers start their work with a Law office. The difference between a Law firm and a Law office is that in a Law firm, you have the chance to be a partner, you have the chance to be a part of a big organization not only to help you but to make you a better partner. This organization is made by the lawyers themselves. Speaking about The Lawyers we’re looking for to be our partners to be colleagues from here, Egypt, not only because the education but also the legal atmosphere is helpful for the students to find their place here. Most of the graduates nowadays are looking for golden opportunities to be a prosecutor or a judge but the ?How would you help the society as a law firm- reputation of the lawyers in Egypt got affected by movies I will give opportunities to others to be lawyers. Law- is a Logical field and the Law info is available everywhere maybe but being a lawyer is not only about being in good and for everyone. In the end, the lawyer’s job is to spread position and not about getting some money. Being a lawyer is about helping people to get their rights back. The point is why justice among people in the society would they do that? You can work individually or in a group. What do you think the field needs in the current situation? There’s a lot of opportunities waiting for anybody would apply We need people to apply justice suitably from law school. I’m not talking about the education, I’m What criteria are you looking for to employ talking about giving opportunities for people who are not ready a partner?-Looking for someone who is ready to do .yet for being lawyers everything to achieve our goal in applying justice not only in our country but everywhere. If he believes in what we’re doing, he will be more welcomed among us How do firms differ from each other? How was The Law firm accomplished has come to be? What Are The All I know is that some lawyers who start law offices are Accomplishments Of The Firm? working in individual organizations. As I said we are proud to Let’s say that we want to be one of the be the first international law firm in Egypt. We have the idea people who wants to help others. We met of gaining partners; we have the idea of giving opportunities some people, we made some money and we to people to be lawyers. As far as I know this legal field didn’t had the chance to deal with everybody. We exist before in Egypt. In our office, the idea is who is good deal with different people like at the beginning of the day we can talk to the enough to join our firm Minister and at the end of the day we may be talking to a soldier in very far villages. The What does your firm name focus on in the Law -field? point is we deal with different people. Let’s It focuses on our service which includes each part in the say that we proudly helped someone or drew a smile on their faces. We are not that kind of law fields lawyers to show off. We believe that what we do must stay between us Where do you see the firm in 10 years? What is criteria will you use in administrating someone? We are looking forward to be the biggest international firm and I must know what he is willing to do as he will work too .starting the firm outside Egypt as well hard and he must be respectable to his family and society. We are looking for having a respected career. I’m looking for ,If you have a legal opinion about the current events people who are focused and they must have the energy to achieve our goal what would it be ? The current situations needs to be better. We actually have two legal problems in Egypt. The First is Recommendations. You must be capable of handling your position. The second is Extremism legislation and applying judgments like delaying cases. There will be a difficulty in applying justice as long as the system is issued. In the end, the lawyers have different perspectives than the judges 10

Maher MiladIskander& Co. is a law firm that was established in 1985 in the most prestigious areas of Cairo, Egypt .Our Firm specializes in commercial matters in general, as well as a number of relating criminal .issues Throughout our history,we have provided legal advice for local & foreign companies concerning ,commercial matters in Egypt and comprehensive legal consultancy in merger & acquisition transactions shareholder’s agreements, change of legal form, due diligence, agreements of finance, loan & security, sale and .purchase, transport, employment & management and charter-party We have successfully achieved numerous lawsuits filed before courts concerning anti-monopoly, breach of contracts, commercial deceit, infringement of patents and intellectual property rights, illegitimate competition, counterfeit of trademarks, environmental crimes, fraud allegation crimes, money laundry, corporate crimes such as: bribery, corruption and embezzlement, internet-related computer crimes and judicial claims arising from Accidents of, aviation, rail, construction, medication errors, surgical errors, medical malpractice and professional mistakes MMI has been ranked by Corporate INTL. as the Egyptian Merger & Acquisition Law Firm of the Year 2015 If you have a legal opinion on the current events what would it be? How was the law firm accomplished or come to be? We believe that one of the most significant issues being discussed in the legal MMI has become a prominent name in the legal field for a number of reasons field at the moment is the new Unified Investment Law which has been created but we believe that the most important one is our ability to create long lasting with the goal of facilitating investment in the country. Aside from the many tax and mutually beneficial relationships. No one succeeds alone, and it is reductions and incentives that the law provides for, the passing of this law is important to remember that without support from other people in the momentous as it will create the “one stop shop” investment window which will industry, and a strong bond between you and your clients your expertise unify the process of obtaining licenses,therefore saving a significant amount of alone will be useless. It is on this basis that we have focused on time for investors who currently need to deal with multiple government establishingpartnerships with legal networks such as SCG Legal, Terralex agencies.The law further simplifies the licensing procedure for various and EuroJuris International, in addition to being listed in international commercial activities as all licenses will now be issued in no more than 15 days. directories such Legal 500, Martindale, HG.org and International Bar If more than 15 days do pass the executive president of The General Authority Association. These combined relationships have enabled us to provide top for Foreign Investment (GAFI) shall inform the committee of this within 7 days, quality legal advice to our clients both within Egypt and abroad and the committee will respond accordingly within 15 days. Another advantage to this law is that it will oversee the creation of a committee which will be How “firm name” differs from others? responsible for dealing with any complaint received from the stakeholders concerning administration decisions issued by the General Authority for Aside from providing specialized legal advice in a wide variety of fields we Investment. This will promote transparency in the industry which is much focus on bringing investments into the country through various publications needed (discussed below) which we have released, and through networking events abroad. We connect with an array of people, from small business owners to In what ways “firm name” contributes to the community (give the corporate moguls in Egypt and abroad, to discuss with them the many benefits of investing in Egypt. This means that a significant amount of our ).interviewee leading examples such as training courses Etc work is legal research (to allow us to stay up to date with the legal We have been periodically releasing investment reports on the top 13 areas of developments in the country) and marketing (to allow our information to be investment in Egypt namely: renewable energy, tourism, agriculture, education, reached by as many people as possible). We believe that this approach real estate, textiles, health care, retail, ICT, petrochemicals, financial services differentiates MMI from other law firms in Egypt and transport and logistics. These brochures provide a general overview of the investment opportunities within these fields, the relevant laws, advantages of What “firm name” focuses on in the field? investing in the field and national and international success stories within them. We advise and defend Egyptian and foreign listed and unlisted The brochures are then sent out tovarious law firms, ministries and corporations companies operating in a wide range of sectors, including, but not limited for their reference. We also post links for the booklets on our Facebook and to, automobiles manufacturing, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, food, LinkedIn pages so that anyone may access them. Following the same theme as housing, ceramic, building materials, tourism, aviation, yarn & textile, banks the brochures, we have also created an investment book which combines all of .and financial institutions and energy the smaller booklets and expands on the information by discussing the Economic Where do you see the firm in 10 years? Development Conference, the Suez Canal Expansion Project and provides more We hope to expand our areas of expertise and to continue providing detailed information about taxation in Egypt and our legal system. The book is employment opportunities for people from varied backgrounds. In 10 years available upon request and download links are also available on our LinkedIn we also hope to have a number of branches of MMI in Egypt and other page. Both the brochures and the book are free of charge and were fully funded countries with similar jurisdictions. We hope to continue assisting with by the firm. We launched these projects with the desire to give something back to business ventures of all sizes, especially those which will make a difference the community that will hopefully encourage investments in the country, which within the country. We would also like to offer a more solidified trainee can in turn create hundreds of jobs for the nation. To specifically assist students, position, with the possibility of taking on multiple trainees simultaneously we are keen to attend job fairs where we provide realistic information about the legal industry from our younger associates. We also provide trainee opportunities where students can shadow lawyers to get an understanding of the different tasks .that are carried out on a day to day basis What do you think the field needs to improve its current state? What criteria is used in employing associates? We do not have particular boxes of criteria for our associates We believe that there needs to be more readily available information for because we believe that there are many advantages to having a investment opportunities within the country, particularly for those wishing to diverse work force. Generally we look for people who are invest from abroad. We are often contacted by people who want some basic passionate about becoming lawyers, who have great information about the legalities of a particular sector, or basic information communication skills and who have a keen eye for detail. Since on requirements for foreigners to invest in a particular field but they struggle a lot of our work involves writing legal documents, it is also to find this information online. In other countries this information is readily important to have a strong command of the Arabic language. available for anyone who is interested in it, and this needs to be the case in Good English is also essential since a large amount of our work 11Egypt as well is carried out with people overseas and many of our clients cannot speak

Business ready: your start is here Starting a business can be a strenuous effort Time to Associated Complete Costs even the idea itself is arduous but no worries help is here day1 EGP 25 The knowledge needed to start a business couldn’t be more at hands reach in this article day1 EGP 300-600 you’re going to find the steps for each stage of the procedures and duration, types of companies Day1 see .and common mistakes comment Procedure 1-Obtain a Certificate of Non-Confusion from the Commercial Registry. to reserve the company name Agency: General Authority for Free Zones and Investment (GAFI( Entrepreneurs must reserve a company name at the General Authority for Free Zones and Investment (GAFI) one-stop shop. The Incorporation .Department will first check the legality of the proposed company name If the name is deemed to be legally admissible, the entrepreneur will then go upstairs to the Commercial Registry office in the GAFI one-stop shop to pay the required fees and obtain the certificate of non-confusion .)shahadatadam al-iltibas) bearing the official government stamp(khetm el nesr( 2-Obtain a Bank Certificate from an authorized bank. Agency: Any authorized Bank The Bank of Alexandria branch at the General Authority for Free Zones .and Investment (GAFI) issues and delivers the certificate in 1–2 days The cost to open a bank account and obtain a bank certificate is between EGP 300 to EGP 500, depending on the bank. This certificate can also .be obtained from other authorized banks 3-Submit documents to the Department of Companies and obtain invoice. )Agency: General Authority for Free Zones and Investment (GAFI The founder submits the company documents at the reception desk of GAFI, where they are reviewed immediately by a lawyer. These :documents include 1-Original certificate of non-confusion . 2-Original Bank Certificate of opening an account with an authorized bank . 3-A copy of the powers of attorney from the founders to their representative 4-A copy of the founders’ I.D. cards or passports 5-Original certificate indicating that the company’s auditor is listed at the Registry of accountants and auditors 6-The application provided by GAFI 7-Stamped articles of association A registry employee reviews the documents, and issues a .detailed invoice for all fees associated with the company’s establishment Fees for company establishment 12

Business ready: your start is Notary public fee: 0.25% of capital • day1 included in ) minimum of EGP 10 and a maximum of EGP 1,000 ( procedure Establishment fees: 0.1% of capital • day1 minimum of EGP 100 and maximum of EGP 1,000 according( no charge )to Article 17 (d) of the Companies Law Commercial Syndicate fee: EGP 125 (for capital less than or equal • )to EGP 500,000) or EGP 250 (for capital more than EGP 500,000 )Publication fee: EGP 150 (for a limited liability company in Arabic • )or EGP 300 (for a limited liability company in Arabic and English Chamber of Commerce fees: 0.2% of capital • )minimum of EGP 24 and maximum of EGP 2,000( Commercial registration: EGP 56 • Issuance of operation certificate: EGP 29 • 4-Notarize company’s contract Agency: Investment Notarization Office at the General Authority for Free Zones and Investment )GAFI( The articles of association must be registered and certain documents deposited at the Investment Notarization Office on the first floor .of the GAFI one-stop shop No stamp duty is levied, according to the amendments published on July 1, 2006) to the Stamp Duty Law( No. 111 of 1980). Required are the original copies( of the articles of association and the powers of attorney 5-Obtain the certificate of incorporation )Agency: General Authority for Free Zones and Investment (GAFI When the articles of association are submitted, the competent authority must ratify them and issue a certificate of .incorporation approving the establishment of the company This certificate is issued within 24 hours. Upon receipt of the Certificate of Incorporation, the applicant shall obtain the operation certificate from the Chamber of Commerce Office at the OSS. Thereafter, the applicant shall submit a registration application to the Commercial Register Office in order to have the Company registered in the Commercial Register. Within the 15 days if the competent authority has no objection, the Department of Companies is thereafter responsible for publishing the notice of incorporation in the Investment Gazette at the company’s expense 13

Business ready: your start is here 6-Register for taxes day1 no charge Agency: Investment Tax Office at the General Authority for Free Zones and Investment Day 2 14 )GAFI( Upon incorporation, the company can complete tax registration and .obtain the tax card at the one-stop shop’s tax counter on the first floor The tax cards are sent via courier to a central location in .Cairo (located near the one-stop shop) for printing ,If the request for a tax card is submitted before noon .the tax card will be printed out and issued on the same day .Requests submitted after noon will be processed on the following day Upon obtaining the card, the company may choose to register for sales tax, provided that they have started production. Companies are obliged to register for sales tax only once they reach at least EGP 54,000 in sales for industrial activities and EGP 150,000 in sales for commercial activities. The required documents include the articles of association and the powers of attorney, the bank signature authentication (to be issued to the appropriate person by the ,)manager having the power to sign on behalf of the company ,the tax card, an original extract from the company’s commercial register .and the original copy of the company’s lease agreement for its premises 7-Open a company files and Register employees with the National Authority of Social Insurance Agency: National Authority of Social Insurance Social insurance provides compensation for disability, retirement ,pension), unemployment, and work-related injuries. By law( .employers are required to subscribe to the social insurance system .Otherwise, they may be subject to sanctions :The following documents must be submitted to the competent authority’s office .Company’s commercial register .Company’s tax card • .Company’s articles of incorporation • .Deed or lease agreement for company premises • .Employer to fill in Form No. 2 • .Employer’s bank signature certificate • .Employer’s graduation certificate • .Employees’ to fill in Form No. 1 • .Employees’ copy of identification card • .Employee’s graduation certificate • ;Employees’ birth certificate (copy) if they do not have a social insurance number • .or Form No. 6 for clearance/termination from employees’ previous jobs - The company premises are then subject to inspection by relevant authorities such as the National Authority for Social Insurance and GAFI. Inspection takes place in practice only if there is any complaint filed against the company, or suspicion that the company is an image organization that does not actually conduct business .as claimed in its submitted documents .Companies registering for sales tax will undergo inspection

Business ready: your start is ,Following those procedures it cannot be neglected the types of companies :The types of business forms that are available to a startup business are as follows Sole Proprietorships. Generally speaking, a sole proprietorship requires no legal documentation, fees, or filings other than state and local business permits. On the other hand, there are disadvantages to operating in the form of a sole proprietorship: (1) it only has one owner and if additional capital is required from another investor, the form is not available and a partnership or other entity form is required and (2) a sole proprietorship provides no protection for the founder against creditors of the business (in other words, creditors can directly sue the founder), in contrast to corporations and LLCs where, generally speaking, the creditors of the business cannot successfully sue the founders and other investors. We don’t recommend .sole proprietorships General Partnerships. If there is more than one founder, a general partnership is often chosen as the legal form of business entity. Preferably, the founders will agree on a partnership agreement to “set the rules” among the founders; however, if the founders do not agree on a partnership agreement, most (if not all) state laws will supply the rules in the absence of an agreement. The income of a partnership is taxed directly to the partners generally on a pro rata basis. Finally, each partner of a partnership is generally liable for the debts of the business and thus exposes the personal assets of each partner to the business’ .creditors. We don’t recommend forming a general partnership C corporations. These are formed under state law (usually of the state where the business will be first operated or in a state such as Delaware that is known for its well developed corporate law). Most venture capital backed companies are C corporations. S corporations. These are formed under state law like C corporations but have favorable tax treatment for closely held (not more than 100 shareholders) corporations under federal and state tax laws. LLCs. These are formed under state law .and are a hybrid form of corporation and limited partnership and have certain tax advantages over C corporations Limited partnerships. These are formed under state law and are often formed to hold investment real estate and also are often the “investment vehicle of choice” for private equity firms and hedge funds.Corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships are formed by filing documents with appropriate state authorities. The costs for forming and operating these entities are often greater than for partnerships and sole proprietorships due to legal, tax, and accounting issues. However, all of the entities generally offer significant advantages for founders (and subsequent investors) including, significant liability protection from business creditors, tax savings through deductions and other treatment only available to corporations and LLCs, and ease in raising capital in contrast to sole proprietorships and partnerships.Sole proprietorships and partnerships can .later convert to a C or S corporation, LLC, or other legal entity but keep in mind that the conversion costs can be significant And now that you covered the knowledge needed to start a company there are mistakes that upcoming entrepreneur must avoid 1-Not clearing the terms of the deal with co-founders, which can lead to differences and cause enormous problems this materialize in not defining company percentage of ownership, responsibilities, salaries, decision making 2-Not starting a business as a corporation or LLC and the reason for that is with the other forms of companies taxations are quite high and the liability is risky 3-Not standardizing contract forms towards company favor 4-Not complying with securities laws when issuing stock to angels/family/friends 5-Lack of employment documentation 6-Not carefully considering intellectual property protection 7-Not taking into account important tax issues 8-Coming up with a name for the company that has trademark issues, domain name problems, or other issues 9-Not having a good Terms of Use Agreement and Privacy Policy for your website 10-Not having the right legal counsel In conclusion knowing the steps isn’t enough for a business to survive, knowing the risk and venturing into the market to create your own share and have what it takes to run a business By Ziad Ali 15

Law & Sustainable Development Egypt the future EEDC On the 13-15th March President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi hosted the Economic Development Conference (EEDC) in Sharm El-Sheikh The conference is a key milestone of the government’s medium term economic development plan, which is designed to bring prosperity First mover advantage: Participants can “get in on the ground floor” in a .and improved social services to the people of Egypt country that is making sweeping changes to its economic structure. There are The conference Attracted leading global figures from business and massive investment opportunities stemming from Egypt’s sheer size, popula- politics, the EEDC highlighted the extensive reforms the government .tion growth, natural resources and unique location has already implemented and showcase future reforms designed to Support Egypt for the benefit of all: Last, but not least, it is important to restore fiscal stability, drive growth and attract investment with the support Egypt at this critical juncture and as it takes strides to advance its .overarching aim of improving the welfare of the Egyptian people ,economy. Egypt wants to regain its long standing position as a political The conference presented investment opportunities to domestic and economic and cultural center of stability the region. Benefiting not just Egypt’s international investors across key sectors. The EEDC plan is to ‘ reposition Egypt on the global investment map and affirm its own economy and society, but that of the whole region.The conference introduced range of economic and environmental project that aimed at sustainable development and highlighted a few areas of development they were potential as a source of political and economic stability in the region Agriculture .and a trusted partner on the international stage ICT The conference highlighted 3 main objectives Oil, Gas &Mining INSPIRE Present a clear and ambitious vision for a prosperous future Power Egypt and its people Firmly position Egypt as an attractive destination on the Retail global investment map Tourism Transportation& Logistics ,Housing &Utilities Industry & Manufacturing INFORM Information & Communication Technologies Detail the government’s economic vision and midterm re� And in this regard the EEDC presented a 5 year strategy plan that introduced form program :the following Layout the strategies for invigorating the key economic 1-Egypt’s Medium-Term Strategy and Outlook sectors ACTIVATE Checklist of Implemented, Pending and Planned Reforms Working with partners, develop the infrastructure to enable the economic growth program Promising Signs that Egypt is on the Right Track 2-Restoring Macroeconomic Sustainability and Supporting Growth 10 Present attractive opportunities to local, regional and glob� Fiscal Consolidation Goals al investors Tax Policy and Revenue Reforms The conference planners devised reasons to attract investors Public Spending Priorities and Reform Measures Landmark event: The level of representation, both from within Public Debt Management and Financing Strategy Egypt and around the globe, from business and politics will be Monetary Policy unprecedented in the recent history of Egypt. So is the speed of External Sector changes that the government is making. Networking opportunities: Policies for Structural Reforms: Strengthening the Investment The conference has been deliberately structured to allow delegates Environment 3-Egypt’s Social Policy Framework: Programs to Foster Social to mingle freely and discuss substantive matters in a discreet setting; Justice Targeting Mechanisms Government Interventions/ Programs a significant networking opportunity. There will be special times set 4-Sectoral Growth Prospects and Projects .aside for one-to-one meetings with the President and his Ministers 5-Public Private Partnerships Be the first to know: The conference is a unique opportunity to hear first-hand of the economic vision and sector plans that the government has prepared to drive investment and growth, all with strong private sector participation. The overall objective is to enhance the prosperity of the people of Egypt 16

Law & Sustainable Development And to present such plan the EEDC speakers sought out to pledge themselves and on behalf of their nations with investment planes and financial aid for Egypt as Egypt represents a big opportunity in the region with its location and untapped resources all in all such cooperation will give the Egyptian people an opportunity to reek the benefits they deserve It was announce that the new capital city is going to be a ‘Smart City’ that will adopt sustainability” by taking vadvantage of “the sustainable technologies of today as well as being adaptable to future technology, further enhancing its resource efficiency. Part of this Smart City will include 91 kilometers squared of energy farms employing renewable energy sources. Moreover, 100 kilometers squared will be preserved parks and will include a park known as the ‘Capital Park’. According to the website, the new capital will act as a After a 3 days agenda the conference came with a major bridge between Egypt’s rich past and its vibrant future. The website lists Capital City Partners, a private real positive success and outcome that mani fested in investments estate investment fund by global investors focused on pledges and projects to benefit Egyptian people and in sequence he president announce the plans to build the new capital. investment and development and led by Emirati The new capital city is to hold a population of five million and Mr. Mohamed Alabbar. provide 1.1 million residential units in a location that is All in all the EEDC resulted with total 26 of investment situated along the corridor between Cairo and the Red Sea deals reaching a balance of 117 billion. The new capital’s central business district will be sized 5.6 kilometers squared and the capital will include 663 healthcare By Mahmoud Shireen facilities, 40,000 hotel rooms and 1,800,000 meters squared of large retail malls. The capital will also provide 1.75 million permanent jobs, 1,250 religious buildings, 700 kindergartens, 21 residential districts, a theme park and more. 17

sustainable Development At Hand The history of sustainable development agreeing to hold the conference Rio+20, the term as a concept is as old as “sustainable development” has become an the dismal of science itself, internationally recognized concept. It was during this but in the modern world it conference that the renowned Sustainable can be traced back to Development Goals were established, stated formally as the development of “action-oriented, concise and the United Nations’ Conference on easy to communicate sustainable development goals the Human Environment held in 1972; a means of (SDGs” to assist in implementing sustainable bringing industrialized and developing nations alike development. together to discuss and establish the concept of human Despite organizations both within and out of the rights pertaining to the environment: essentially, that all United Nations working steadfastly in various human beings have the right to live in a healthy, countries to implement a methodology of sustainable productive, and sustainable environment with access to development within society, economy and environment such basic necessities as clean water, adequate lodgings, alike; it is generally recognized that the difficulty of emphasizing progress and preservation of the and access to family-planning resources such as maternity environment in comparison to that of reforming and clinics and well-staffed hospitals. improving societal and economic needs is considerable. This conference was the first to internationally recognize As mentioned earlier, juggling the priority of societal, the need to commence focusing on rejuvenate economic, environmental (i.e. sustainable humanity’s increasingly neglected relationship with development) needs is a monumental task for the Nature as a whole; and from this realization numerous majority of governments; particularly those of developing or under-developed nations. Of principal institutions were founded within the United Nations’ vast importance to any nation is advancing itself both system of subsidiaries to focus on this concern. domestically and on the international stage for the sake of its government and citizens alike. By June of 1992, the very first United Nations With this fact in mind; governments must regulate Conference on Environment and Development was held priorities for each and every aspect of the nation-state: in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This conference – referred to as political system, economy, societal needs such as education and employment opportunities, availability “the Rio Declaration” – resulted in the adoption of a of basic human necessitates such as clean water and comprehensive agenda for environmental development safe housing, international relations, adherence to for the 21st century. The Rio Declaration recognized each international law, and sustainability of the environment. and every nation’s right to pursue and develop socially and economically; and assigned to the States the task of It is feasible to assume that the principal priority for developing and adopting a model of sustainable many nations – most especially those that are qualified as developing or under-developed – is the advancement development. All participants agreed upon and urged a of the economy. In nations suffering from armed drastic change of production and consumption patterns; conflict, civil war, or other strife as well as a typically founded upon integrated values of environmental, social, damaged or fallible political structure, such as Rwanda, Angola, and Burundi; the advancement of and economic pillars. any of the aforementioned issues – most especially From 2009 onwards following the adoption of Resolution those pertaining to societal needs and the environment A/RES/64/236 by the United Nations - are either neglected or outright dismissed. This is simply out of necessity by both by the governing body and on the international stage due to the imperative concern of halting blatant human rights’ violations and focusing on the safety of non-warring bystander citizens who often 18

sustainable Development At Hand suffer through the loss of their homes, schools, jobs, and overall Organizations, though few, do exist that link the two decline in the quality of life. concepts – one such organization is the Centre for Although the cause of sustainable development has made International Sustainable Development Law significant advancements in developed countries; a significant (C.I.S.D.L). CISDL aims to encourage sustainable portion of developing countries – especially large, heavily development within societies through promoting industrialized countries (India and China, to name two that understanding and concrete implementation if exemplify the aforementioned criteria) that are emerging rapidly international sustainable development laws; which for in the world market as a presence to contend with by previously the most part exist in concept only. Staffed by a high-ranking super-powers such as the United States – are selection of legal professionals working in the fields of simply too focused on the rapid development of their economies environmental law (Bio-safety Law & Hazards, and reputation on the international stage to concern with other Human Rights, Natural Resource Law), CISDL works such important fundamental issues as the environment and in a consultative capacity with the United Nations society. Over-population forces a decline in the quality of life Economic and Social Council. and the quality of the environment – tightly packed cities threaded with roads blocked by a seemingly never-ending stream of traffic; industrial companies belching out clouds of smog that The importance of organizations such as Canadian render the air on the streets toxic and the rain hazardous; new buildings and construction projects consuming all viable land not-for-profit CISDL, managed by a Board of swiftly and surely; an ever-expanding population consuming Governors, may be illustrated by a straightforward and producing at express rates – the essential causes of all these mandate: if international sustainable development law factors are motivated by those of overall state development; but is understood and considered by nation governments are obviously highly detrimental to the cause of sustainable and societies alike in its full capacity, it may then be development. It could be argued that, in a sense, the implemented. Without a fundamental understanding of development of the economy and population in certain the laws that govern and pertain to implementing countries relates directly to an inadvertent decline in the sustainable development as a real part of societies (both progress of sustainable development – this is most keenly felt in in cultural and actual execution forms), the concept of the South American region with the mass, ongoing destruction sustainable development shall remain just of the Amazon Rain Forest by logging and processing that – a concept. Albeit the fact that sustainable companies to meet world demands. development has been the topic of countless treaties and conferences since the original 1972 United It has been noted numerous times throughout the United Nations’ conference mentioning the idea of Nations’ conferences focusing exclusively on environmental environmental preservation for the betterment of socie- preservation and development (and by association societal ties and nations as a whole; it is very rarely implement- development, the desire to increase quality of life, etc) that the ed in concrete laws due to the difficulty of interpreting three pillars supporting this concept are that of social, economic, a general, objective requisite specified by a treaty and and of course environmental needs. However, as discussed earli- transforming it into an actual law that must be er, nation states encounter innumerable difficulties in balancing followed, either by government and/or citizens. and uniting the three issues into viable strategic plans that can be Sustainable development must be made subjective implemented within societies. Although numerous – and the sole manner of accomplishing such a task organizations, many of them subsidiaries of the United Nations, would be for each country to adapt sustainable work to encourage a greener lifestyle both through development laws taking into account the limitations government-initiated projects and projects encouraging citizens and advancements of government, society, and to get involved within their communities by creating or economy alike. preserving green areas, reducing the consumption of environmentally-damaging resources, and other such activities, Should law and sustainable development become a field that is rarely mentioned in relation to sustainable development is that of law. linked-concept – each supporting each other to promote development in both fields – it is a reasonable assumption to make that existing sustainable development laws that remain in the shadows as optional notions shall emerge as compulsory regulations to be adhered to and upheld in the same manner as obligatory education for children up to a certain age or governmental taxes. Should more organizations emerge specializing in the field of uniting law and sustainable 19

sustainable development development; progress can be made working with level of conservation with no unnecessary restraint on countries world-wide to transform “general” present development or well-being of the people . international laws into specific national laws allowing It should be the hope of every citizen – Egyptian or for the specifics of each country and culture. Rather than otherwise – that sustainable development laws will dealing with three pillars of which one, sustainable become as regular and as elemental to the development development, is in dire need of support; each country of a healthy, positive society enjoying a high quality of life can develop concrete rules and regulations in and environment as the advancement of educational and accordance with the existing system of governance to justice systems. implement laws that must be followed through all facets of society and economy alike; from the restriction of industrialized construction to the preservation of existing agricultural or “green” areas. Tracking the advancement of sustainable development In September of this year, 2015, the world will agree upon cases through the justice system – disputes that have a new global development framework. The Sustainable been resolved regarding preservation of land, the Development Goals (or SDGs) will succeed the construction of harmfully-polluting organizations close Millennium Development Goals, forged in the year 2000. to residential areas, and other such similar clashes – As agreed by the Open Working Group on the SDGs, demonstrates that the creation of laws (specific to the the sustainable development goals will provide a holistic country) enable sustainable development and related framework, applicable to all countries. Taken together, the laws to be a stronger presence and consideration for goals will aim to eradicate poverty and deprivation, but governments and citizens alike. also to grow our economies, to protect our environment and promote peace and good governance. Currently In a country such as Egypt, where following a lengthy the Egyptian government is working on developing its period of uncertainty caused by an unstable first sustainable development strategy; the strategy is governmental and political system Egypt has only just expected to be finalized by June. I hope that this strategy now begun to stabilize itself; the opportunity will be a milestone towards enhancing the coming national commencing a tangible implementation of certain parliament towards including the sustainable development sustainability laws has presented itself. With a wealth philosophy and spirit in Egypt’s future legislations. of legal professionals throughout Egypt – from students and legal professors to certified lawyers – committed DR. EhabShalaby action may be taken through seizing this opportunity to President of Reliable Integrated Solutions work at strategically implementing sustainable Company development laws with the aim of incorporating and Member of the Expert advisory group “Egypt manifesting an attitude of positivity and acceptance of Sustainable Development Strategy, (2030)” such laws; as well as a desire to better Egyptian society as a whole through improving environmental and Reference societal conditions. In conjunction with the Egyptian HasnatDewan (2006), Sustainability Index: An Economics government; a dedicated team of sustainable Perspective. Thompson Rivers University, P.2. Can be found development legal professionals could feasibly @ http://economics.ca/2006/papers/0409.pdf commence taking the small steps towards developing sustainable development policy that will eventually 20 evolve into big strides in manifesting real sustainable development in society. It must be noted that the implementation of sustainable development is not an easy one. This is a challenging task not only for academicians but also for policy makers, which are required for every policy, including energy policy. To achieve the optimum level of development without risking future development potentials, or to find, in each and every policy the optimum

Economic reform: Investment Law Law No. 8 of 1997 on Investment CHAPTER TWO: ALLOCATION OF Guarantees and Incentives Law NATIONAL LAND otherwise known as the Investment Law offer incentives and While the law contemplates the authority of land allocation regulations for Egyptians and but it provides that such determination is left to the foreigners for investment in certain competent authority and its discretion fields of activities, the Law outlines 3 main chapters consisting of 70 CHAPTER THREE: FREE ZONES articles and they are: PART ONE: GENERAL PROVISIONS The Law of the Economic Zones of Special Nature (the The first part of the legislation serves as a main guide to “Economic Zones Law”) was promulgated by Law No. 83 the Law and its use and it encompasses of 2002. The economic zones areas and the authorities that • Fields that fall under the power of this law manage them are established by a Presidential Decree. The and limitations for applicability Art 1-3 aim of each Authority is to encourage investments –in the • Establishment of personal companies and economic zone under its responsibility- for the notarization in conjunction with law no.159 establishment of cultivation, industrial and services projects • Division of land by authority that are able to compete with comparable ones abroad. Each • Criminal charges economic zone has a special customs and taxes • Investment disputes and resolving administration system that is established by the board of directors of the economic zone with the approval of the PART TWO: INVESTMENT GUARANTEES Minister of Finance. The Economic Zones Law provides It was important for the law to stipulate Guarantees for for the possibility of terminating the employment contracts national and foreign investors “Guarantees against of the employees in the economic zones, according to terms nationalisation and government intervention “ to easier than those prevailing under the Egyptian Labor Law, provide a safe feeling for foregin investors and act as as well as for the possibility of establishment of a special beacon attracting them While the guarantees are system for the social insurance of those employees. The presented the law provides for Limitations and rules income tax in the economic zones is 10% of the net income applied to joint stock and companies limited by shares except for the income derived from the salaries of those and distributions of equity portions and in cases of working in them, which is 5%. The profits derived from national emergency bonds and from loans to establishments in the economic PART THREE :INVESTMENT INCENTIVES zones are exempt from taxes, and no sales taxes or duties or The first chapter of before listing the cases where taxes other direct or indirect taxes may be imposed in them. The are exempted describes the limits to this clause by machines, raw materials, spare parts, components …etc that differentiating between the business location or where are necessary for the authorized activities in the economic its established, then describing the exemptions that are zones may be imported without permits, and are exempt available for companies such as a tax exemptions on form the customs taxes, the sales taxes and from all other loans and administrative fees taxes and duties. The products of those establishments may be exported without permits, and are subject to the customs taxes, the sales taxes and other taxes and duties only on the imported components of those parts when they enter the local Egyptian market. Furthermore, the establishments operating in economic zones may not be subject to nationalization, nor may they be subject to sequestration, freeze of assets or to confiscation except by a judicial judgment, and those establishments are entitled to decide on the prices of their products and services without governmental interference. IMPORT AND EXPORT Only Egyptian nationals and fully Egyptian owned and managed companies may engage in importation into Egypt for trade on condition of registration in the Register of Importers. 21

Economic reform: Investment Law Nevertheless, the Investment Law provides that The uniform investment law will include several laws, all companies and establishments subject to this including Law 8 relating to incentives and investment Law may import by themselves or via third parties guarantees, including an economic zones law. The law what they need for their establishment, expansion will also include Law 159 which pertains to joint stock or operation, of production necessities, materials, machines, equipment, spare parts, and means of companies, all of which together will unify the system of transport which are suitable to the nature of their direct investment, as well as free, economic and activities, without need for recording in the investment zones. The law focuses on identifying one Register of Importers. Registration in the Register authority to be responsible for investment in Egypt, of Exporters is needed for engagement in export from Egypt. There are no restrictions imposed on which is expected to be GAFI. foreigners or local entities wholly or partly owned the new law will protect investments from by foreigners with regard to export of products nationalization as well as entry and exit using the dollar. from Egypt. The law will identify a unified mechanism to settle Companies and establishments subject to the investment disputes and prohibit any regulatory body Investment Law have the right to export their from investment. products by themselves or through middlemen The new law will also grant tax exemptions estimated at without a license and without need for their EGP 15,000 to investors for each job opportunity created. registration in the Register of Exporters. The exemptions will not take the form of cash, instead CHAPTER FOUR: FACILITATION OF IN- comprising a deduction from government transactions VESTMENT PROCEDURES including water, electricity or gas bills or other This part describes Currency exchange regulations government services, according to government sources. and permissions required will protect investors from nationalization and protect •Authority submission by the government investors of entering and leaving with the dollar. •Database and information submission in respect Tawfiq added that the laws also outline a unified of investors •Application submission to relevant authority mechanism for settling investment dispute in addition to •Rules regarding project establishment and the tax exemption for every job opportunity created. He licensing added that implementing the one stop shop will reduce •Fee payment arrangements bureaucracy and will speed the licensing procedures. •Extra incentives in facilities or facilitation process that bureaucracy is the main obstacle toward investment •Duties requested from the investor in Egypt. The tax exemptions the new law provides to •Disputes settlement •Presence of an administrative board to monitor encourage the speedy resolution of disputes without a development unifying the process of issuing licensing and granting In details the investment law covers a wide range land is pointless. of activities Economic reform is a step towards a better future a better Prior to the economic development came the announcement of promulgation of a unified step into a unified Egypt prosperous and economically investment law which in concurrence the stable. following resulted: GAFI becomes an agent for those agencies and pay the value of the land to the owners to save time and By Mahmoud Shireen effort for the investor. the law facilitate procedures for entry into and exit from the market, in addition to expediting litigation and dispute resolutions that guarantee the right of the state and do not adversely affect the investors. 22

The Egyptian Business Laws When it comes to the Commercial Agency Law, it is important to Economic Reform Business Law There is a common misconception that the Business law is mention that a commercial agent is defined under the Commercial wholly different from other laws such as Investments Law Agency Law No. 120 of 1982 (and the Ministry of Economy’s and Tax Law. However, it is high time that people do not get Decision No. 342 of 1982) as a natural person or legal entity carrying out confused between the previous alluded Laws! the business of submitting tenders or concluding purchase, sale or lease The Egyptian Business Law includes all of the laws that are contracts on behalf of and for the account of producers, manufacturers or vitally important to dictate how to form and run a distributors. Such a person or entity must be recorded on the register for business such as Investment Law, Corporate Law no.159 of commercial agents maintained at the Ministry of Economy and Foreign the year 1981, Commercial Agency Law, Tax laws, Labor Trade. A commercial agent must be either an Egyptian national or an laws, Intellectual Property Rights law, Environmental law, Egyptian juristic entity whose name has been registered with the Commercial Register law, Special Economic Zones law and Commercial Agents and Intermediaries Register at the Ministry of finally the Land and Real Estate Ownership law. For a more Economy and Foreign Trade (MEFT). Furthermore, the person/entity details, keep reading… must meet specific requirements, which are set forth in Article 2 of the As regards the Investment law No 8 - which is one of the most crucial law of the Business laws in Egypt right Commercial Agency Law. Also, there is the Tax Law No. 91 of 2005 that drastically amended now since Egypt is seeking all possible Investments all over its huge invaluable area- it is main goal is to unify the the previous income tax rules in Egypt. Law 91 introduced a 50 per cent process of obtaining licences and work through a ‘one-stop reduction in personal and corporate taxes, to a maximum rate of 20 per shop’ investment window. This is to occur without cent, and abolished all the income tax exemptions stipulated in weighing investors down by having to interact with more Investment Law No. 8 of 1997 in relation to establishments that are than 60 government agencies. The law also set out a incorporated after the law’s entry into force (i.e. unified tax exemptions mechanism for settling disputes quickly and successfully. The Investment Law No. 8 of 1997 (which cancelled Law and legislation). 230 of 1989) is a combination of incentives, customs Added, the Egyptian Labor Law is also important as the Egyptian labor exemptions and many new investor protections and guarantees. Investment Law No. 8 of 1997 and Companies market is regulated by the new unified Labor Law No. 12 of 2003. The Law No. 159 of 1981 and their amendments are two key new law comprises 257 articles that address all the legal aspects of the laws that regulate the investment environment in Egypt Egyptian labor market. The new law aims at increasing private sector in- volvement and at the same time achieving a balance between employees’ Another branch of Business law is the Law no.159 of the and employers’ rights. [1] [1] A detailed review of the different aspects of year 1981, Investors operating in sectors not covered by the Labor Law is provided in section 6.2. Labor Legislation. the Investment Law are covered by Companies Law No. 159 of 1981. Unlike the Investment Law, the Companies On the other hand, the new Intellectual Property Reights law No. 82 in Law is not focused on incentives, privileges and guarantees; May 2002 is intended to bring Egypt’s legal IPR regime into line with its its provisions are therefore less favorable than the ones contained in the Investment Law. The investor can establish obligations under the WTO Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual his project either under the Investment Law or under the Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement. This new IPR law is intended to Companies Law; in both cases GAFI will be the create an environment that will encourage creativity and boost governmental body responsible for project approval and much-needed foreign direct investment. The new IPR law, comprised of licensing. 205 articles, unifies and supersedes existing intellectual property rights laws. It has four sections: trademarks, copyrights, patents and new plant Moreover, there are some amendments to the Investment varieties. law and Corporate law have been introduced by Law No. 94 of 2005 that aims to unify the legal rules of companies and In addition, the Environment Law No. 4 of 1994 plays an influential establish a link between the Company Law and the Investment Law, setting simple procedures for company role in the community as the concern for the environment has been foundation as well as land and real estate ownership. growing in recent years, both in the government and among the Egyptian Companies founded under the Companies Law will have public, thanks to a new awareness of the importance of natural resources access to privileges granted by the Investment Law. The as well as a desire to protect the welfare of the Egyptian people. amendment is meant to balance these two laws on one hand Environmental Law reflects this growing trend. The law grants with the provisions of the new tax law on the other, incentives to those who implement environmental protection activities or especially as they relate to tax exemptions. projects and enforces penalties against those who violate its provisions. To be noted that the process of registration, whether for agents or 23 companies, is governed by the Commercial Register Law No. 34 of 1976 and its amendments (No. 98 of 1996). The basic rule is that anyone engaged in commercial activity must register in the Commercial

The Egyptian Business Laws The Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Law No. 83 of 2002, which provided for the establishment of special zones for industrial, agricultural or service activities designed specifically with the export market in mind. The law allows firms operating in these zones to import capital equipment, raw materials and intermediate goods duty-free. Companies established in the new zones will also be subject to lower corporate taxes and exempt from sales and indirect taxes. They will also operate under more flexible labor regulations and enjoy other incentives. The law’s executive regulations were issued in September 2002. Currently, one special economic zone is operational in the North West Gulf of Suez; it is managed by the General Authority .for the Special Economic Zone North West Gulf of Suez As regards the Land And Real Estate Ownership Laws it is to be mentioned thatthe ownership of land by foreigners is governed by three laws: Law No. 15 of 1963, Law No. 143 of 1981, and Law No. 230 of 1996. 2 Hopefully, this article made it crystal clear now that the business law is not a separate law from the .aforementioned laws and each law has its own application and needs Written by: Bassel A. Khalil 24

Tax Law in New Egypt What is Tax? in 2013, some amendments has been made regarding the scope of application of this law and the settlement of disputes. in 2014, amendments were made regarding temporary tax, exemption from tax and the payment methods. in 12 March 2015 the law was amended seeking a The word Tax refers to a charge paid by the individual to brighter future for the Egyptian economy, Article 27 the government or state in order to fund the state’s was replaced with the following: expenditures. The first nation to impose taxes and “the taxpayer may request the deduction of 30% of construct a system of taxation was Ancient Egypt followed the cost of the machinery and equipment used in by the Persianempire and Islamic rulers and others all over production, whether they are new or used, at the the world. Taxes are considered the main source for the state’s vbeginning of each tax period during which such as- revenue and for that reason leniency in collecting such sets are used. charges was not acceptable and had to be regulated firmly, The depreciation base stipulated in Article (25) and like any other state-related matters imposing Laws is thereof, shall be calculated for that period after the the solution to regulate such matter. deduction of the said 30% amount. in case of failure to present the mentioned request for Tax Law in Egypt deduction, the rates of depreciation mentioned in going through various phases and amendments, the articles (25, 26) of this law are to be applied taxation process and policy was altered in 2005 by the For the provisions of the two preceding promulgation of law no. 91 of the same year “Egyptian paragraphs to apply, the taxpayer must maintain Income Tax Law”. proper books and accounts. “ the law is characterized by: 1.the concept of unified tax imposed on the taxpayer over also changes were made related to the revaluation of the net taxable income whatever the source of such the assets. income. the same concept is applicable when it comes to apparently, authority in Egypt tends to attract tax amnesty (Art. 7) 2.broadening the tax base by offering tax amnesty for all investors by drafting and amending the law to fit the the unregistered individuals in the tax department before market needs, and it seems that these changes were the enforcement of this law, in addition the tax department perfectly drafted and aims at the prosperity of Egypt. allowed the settlement of disputes before courts (from de- lay in payment and fines) if the disputed amount of money does not exceed 10,000 EGP By Khaled Mohamed 3.easier procedures, by allowing the taxpayers to present their own tax return and leniency in dealing with numerical mistakes in the return and other procedural mattersthis policy was introduced to re-build the relation- ship between the taxpayer and the tax department and to broad the tax base Tax Law in New Egyptin the last few years Egypt’s political situation was not stable, that af- fected the economy a big deal. However, in order boost the economy a few changes had to be made, and when it comes to tax law, the following amendments has been made 25

GATT Treaty: how and why Earlier this year the Egypt customs announced the initiation of the GATT Treaty starting with the cumulative decrease of automobiles customs to reach a 0% by the end of 2019, how did we get there, what is that treaty? It is a treaty created following the conclusion of World War II. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was put out into practice to further regulate world trade to help in the economic recovery following the war. GATT’s main goal was to reduce the boundaries of international trade through the reduction of tariffs, quotas and financial aid. In 1993, the GATT was updated (GATT 1994) to include new obligations upon its signatories. One of the most important changes was the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The 75 existing GATT members and the European Communities became the authorizing members of the WTO on 1 January 1995. The European Communities (sometimes referred to as EC) were three international organisations that were administered by the same set of institutions. These were the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC), and the European Economic Community (EEC); the latest of which was renamed the European Community (EC) in the 1993 Maastrict Treaty, which formed the European Union. The other 52 GATT members re-joined the WTO in the following two years (the last being Congo in 1997). Since the founding of the WTO, 21 new non-GATT members have joined and 29 are currently negotiating participation. There are a total of 159 member countries in the WTO, with Laos and Tajikistan being new members as of 2013. Of the original GATT members, Syria and the SFR Yugoslavia haven’t re-joined the WTO. Since FR Yugoslavia, (renamed as Serbia and Montenegro and with membership negotiations later divided in two), is not noticed as a direct SFRY successor state; therefore, its application is considered a new (non-GATT) one. The General Council of WTO, on 4 May 2010, agreed to authorize a working party to analyse the request of Syria for WTO membership. The contracting parties who founded the WTO ended official agreement of the “GATT 1947” terms on 31 December 1995. Montenegro became a member in 2012, while Serbia is in the decision stage of the negotiations and is expected to become one of the recent members of the WTO in 2014 or in coming future. While GATT was a set of rules agreed upon by nations, the WTO is an institutional body. The WTO expanded its capacity from traded goods to include trade within the service district and ideal property rights. Although it was designed to supply versatile agreements, during several rounds of GATT negotiations (particularly the Tokyo Round) multilateral agreements created discriminating trading and caused fragmentation among members. WTO arrangements are generally a versatile agreement settlement mechanism of GATT. Well, this treaty is so useful for the economic recovery hoping it would develop trade and decrease the boundaries as well as developing the financial state. By Anna Leon 26

Economic reform: Labor Law What? Twenty four million workers in Egypt, According to a late statistic carried out by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics in 2011, and of course such a number needs to be regulated by a set of rules that organizes the inter-relations between employees and employers, the mechanism of employment, also the existence of such law, is a guarantee for the employees’ rights as it sets the limit of working hours, the minimum socially acceptable conditions under which employees are allowed to work. When and why? The labor law emerged at the very same time of the industrial revolution, relationship between employee and employer altered from humble production studios to large-scale factories, which consequently pushed workers to seek to join labor unions and syndicates in order to enjoy a better, more lenient and flexible working conditions. The Egyptian labor law. The Egyptian labor law is mainly subdivided into six parts, each focus on a scope and they are: • General provisions • Individual labor relationships • Vocational guidance and training • Collective labor relationships • Vocational safety and ensuring labor environment security • Inspection on work and judicial police authority By ReemHossam 27

The Russia-Ukraine Conflict The Historical Roots: The first one is concerning whether Russia has violated international The fall of the soviet uniion in 1991 brought the ukrain law with respect to the political independence and territorial integrity issues into prespective and began a chain of events which of Ukraine. The second question refers to the legality of the lead to the current sitiuation and conflisct between russia referendum in Crimea such that under its basis it was chosen that and ukrain,with ukraines population rising and deposing Crimea becomes part of Russia. the president and get their vocices heard. Primarily, it was Whereas to the first question, referring to the UN,the UN charter Adolf Hitter’s idea to construct a bridge over Kerch Strait imposes via article 2(3) obligation upon nations to settle international dispute by peaceful means. Also Article 2(4) prohibits members from such that it would have served as a spearhead for the German invasion of the North Caucasus. However, the using force or the threat of force against another state’s territorial project wasn’t complete because of the advance of the integrity and political independence. Knowingly, that the use of force is more likely to be used in the case of maintaining international peace Soviet army. In 1943, the Soviet authorities completed constructing the and restoring international security, such a case is authorized by the UN Security Council and recognized in Article 51. bridge, but the flowing ice lead to its Moreover, the Russian violations list continues to extend, for it’s been destruction six months later. argued that Russia may be in violation of the provision of the 1975 Nevertheless,the situation now is totally altered in consequence to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. “Final act of the Conference on Security Cooperation” in Europe, Which confirmed an obligation on its signatories to respect other Thereof, there might be obstacles facing the idea of nations’ territorial integrity and borders as inviolable, and refrain from reaching implementation. the use of any kinds of threats of force. If we look at it economic-wise, we might notice economic crises represented in the rapid fall of oil prices In addition to that, The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, which is a political agreement, signed in Budapest, which makes it harder for Russia to take the whole Hungary on 5th December 1994, providing security assurances by financials step in such massive projects. Correspondingly, The EU and the US imposed a scope of itssignatories, relating to Ukraine’s accession to the “Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons”. The memorandum included sanctions related to Crimea; consequently, this brings Russia back to taking a risky step security assurances against threats or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine as that of Belarus and related to the construction of the project. To enumerate, The Crimea project may not be just facing Kazakhstan. Russia was one of the three nuclear powers to sign that economic crises and imposed sanctions, but may also be memorandum, so basically Russia is supposed to commit to what the memorandum concludes.Also,the “1997 Treaty of Friendship,Cooper considered as a violation of international law. ation&Partnership” between the Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Chronological sequence of Russian violations (timeline): Russia was pointed out by Ukraine to be also violating the “Black Sea Fleet Agreements” and the 1999 agreement between the Cabinet of In February 2014, Russia began to send troops and Ministers on the Use of Airspace of Ukraine and over the Black sea. military equipment into Ukraine. Strategic positions and subtractions of Ukrainian territory of Crimea were taken Vis-a-vis the Budapest Memorandum,Russia has accused the West of under control by soldiers of ambiguous affiliations,The violating Ukraine’s sovereignty by encouraging the coup that led to troop’s interference was denied at first by Putin, But then President Yanukovych off from presidency. in April 2014 he admitted that Russian troops had been active in Crimea. Additionally, he said that this had laid Turning up to the second question which is the Legality of the Crimean the ground for the Crimean status referendum. Referendum, Backed up by the United States, Ukraine stated that the After the annexation of Crimea,In August 2014,Russian Russian annexation of Crimea is violating the international law as the military vehicles were to cross Ukranian border. The referendum was unconstitutional; therefore, it violated the domestic invasion by the Russian military forces was seen as responsible for the defeat of Ukranian forces in early laws of Ukraine September. In November 2014,theUkranian military reported diligent However, theUkrainian president has the power to suspend legal acts passed by the Crimean government based on their incompatibility with movement of Russian troops into the separatist controlled Ukrainianlaws, and this shall be done by asking the Ukrainian parts of Eastern Ukraine.. constitutional court to rule on the law’s constitutionality. Since December, Russia has been transferring range of On the other hand, after Crimea’s secession was declared military equipment to Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, includingtanks, armored vehicles, unconstitutional, another ground appears in the image, which is the rocketsystems, heavyartilleryman other equipment. validity of the decision concerning the judiciary and that it might have Legal Perspective: been coerced and restrained by force in order to adopt this course of action, spotlighting the idea of the independence of the Ukrainian Russia’s continuous interventions in Ukraine may be judiciary and whether if it has been intimidated to take some actions into course or that this is just a further thought than to what reality is. tackled by some serious legal questioning that may clarify some issues at stake, especially after the annexation of Crimea in 21 marches 2014. 28

The Russia-Ukraine Conflict International Law as a solid ground: The European Union:- Needless to say that the international organizations concerned with the matter and Euro-Parliament resolution on the situation in Ukraine with the competence of imposing resolutions (2014/2965(RSP)) and sanctions over either Russia or Ukraine 1- Condemns any terroristic act and criminal behavior of separatists have been discussing the Russia-Ukraine and other irregular forces in eastern Ukraine. And expresses its full conflict and establishing resolutions in order to solidarity with Ukraine and its people. promote peace between the two parties. 2-Strongly condemns Russia’s aggressive and expansionist policy, -The United Nations: which constitutes a threat to the unity of Ukraine and poses a The first Security Council meeting on the potential threat to the EU itself. Situation in Ukraine was held on 28 February 3-Believes that sanctions should be part of a broader EU approach 2014. The meeting was called for by the towards Russia and of the efforts of the HR/VC to strengthen the Permanent Representative of Ukraine by a dialogue. letter dated 28 February. 4-Supports the policy of not recognizing the illegal annexation of On 27 March 2014, the General Assembly Crimea by Russia, andtakes positive note of the recently adopted adopted a resolution on the Territorial integrity additional sanctions on investment and services regarding Crimea of Ukraine - (A/RES/68/262). The General and Sevastopol. Assembly affirmed its commitment to Ukraine’s 5-Emphasizes that the OSCE has a crucial role to play in resolving sovereignty, politicalindependence, unity and the Ukrainian crisis owing to its experience in dealing with armed territorial integrity within its internationally conflict and crises and to the fact that both the Russian federation recognized borders, underscoring the and Ukraine are members of the organization. invalidity of the 16 march referendum held in autonomous Crimea. Also by the text, the NATO: General Assembly called on the states to desist and refrain from actions aimed at disrupting During the Wales Summit declaration, the NATO stated that Russia Ukraine’s national unity and territorial has breached its commitment and violated international law, integrity, including by modifying its borders consequently, that breaks the trust at the core of their mutual though the threat or use of force. It urged all cooperation (NATO-Russia council) parties immediately to pursue a peaceful Adding, the partnership between the NATO and Russia is based on resolution of the situation through direct the respect of international law, But the NATO declares their political dialogue. continuity to aspire to more cooperative strategic value. The Security Council met on 13 April, 2 May, The Alliance declares its full support to Ukraine’s sovereignty, 5 August, and 19 September 2014, as well independence and territorial integrity within its internationally as 17 February 2015, in response to a letter recognized borders,recognizing the right of Ukraine to restore (S/2014/264) from the permanent peace and defeat its people and territory. representative of the Russian Federation requesting “convening of urgent consultations A Million-dollar Question: in relation to the situation in Ukraine.” On 17 February 2015, the Security Council Why does Russia insist on intervening in Ukraine? adopted (S/RES/2202) resolution endorsing the Needless to say that the historical background shows that “Package of measures for the Russia and Ukraine were both part of the Soviet Union and that implementation of the Minsk Agreements” to was in return a plus to both of them, since they both belonged to the end violence in Eastern regions of Ukraine. same entity by heart. Economically, culturally and politically, The “Package of measures for implementation Russia and Ukraine have been connected. In addition to that, it’d be of the Minsk Agreements” is included in Annex a plus to Russia to have Ukraine to follow up, since it’s I of this resolution. agriculturally enormous and economically stable, and Russia had contributed in that back before the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia contributed in Ukraine’s build-up, a jets factory was built in Ukraine and it’s still going on with profit over just Ukraine now. But the answer remains incomplete, and it never will unless Russia confesses its true intentions towards Ukraine. The intervention of Russian troops in Ukraine remains vague, or may be interpreted as a threat to the U.S. and other countries, or might be just a camouflage to other hidden plans, the mystery remains unsolved. By Rana Rayan 29

Bankruptcy how and why . And this system has two major objectives:- Firstly, it aims to protect the creditors from their bankrupted debtor whose property is not sufficient to meet the amount of their debts. Secondly, bankruptcy system aims to protect creditors themselves from each other. In fact, the bankruptcy situation could create a struggle among the creditors as every one of them will try to collect separately and rapidly his debts trying to get the greatest possible interests from the debtor, regardless the right and the interest of the other creditors. In every legal system, trade is based on the principles To avoid such a prejudice of such a conflict the trust and credit, and the debtor’s inability to timely fulfill bankruptcy system is used in order to create a fair his debts in time jeopardizes these principles and distribution of the debtor funs according to a collective demolishes their foundation; for that reason, it was quite procedure in which all creditors are included. logical for the different legal systems to set out a framework for the merchant who faces hardships and As every system, bankruptcy has conditions and effects, unexpected events – due to either bad faith or lack of we will discuss it as following:- experience and negligence - in order to avoid any damage that he might cause to the credit system as a whole and to the trust which is the foundation of all commercial transactions. For all these reasons, the bankruptcy system was established to confront the behavior of those merchants. Based on the above, the Egyptian legislator allocated one third of the commercial law to the provisions of bankruptcy, and like every legislator introduced articles and stipulations that take into account the peculiar economic, political, and religious fundamental Conditions of bankruptcy foundations in the society being organized. Many scholars, I. Acquiring the status of a merchant however, nowadays, do call for overcoming the According to Art. 10 of the code of commerce declare: it differences in the social backgrounds and contexts of the national legal frameworks of bankruptcy, and ultimately is considered a merchant. for standardizing the articles found in them, especially that I. whoever performs by a way of profession, in his the domain of these rules is often transnational and name and for his own account, a commercial act. impacts more than one legal system. This would provide II. Any company which assumes one of the forms a solution for the problems resulting from conflict of law. prescribed by company law, whatever the purpose for which the company is formed. What is bankruptcy? The plain meaning of the term bankruptcy could be incapacity or weakness. However, from a legal perspective It is clear from the above that the status of merchant it has a different meaning, which means a system applied could be acquired by natural person or a juristic person. only to traders and which aims to establish a collective The required conditions are not the same in these two execution on the funds of the debtor who stopped paying his commercial debts. This system includes a series of cases. While it is necessary for a natural person, in order procedures and rules designed to such procedures. to be considered a merchant, to perform a commercial act by a way of profession, a company is considered a The legislator states that the bankruptcy decisions will merchant, once it assumes one of the forms established consequently prevent the debtor from managing his funds by the company law without consideration to its object. and in the time will entrust the distribution of his funds to the creditors conduct to an agent called trustee. 30

Bankruptcy how and why These forms are: Partnership, Limited partnership, joint-stock 2-The proof of the discontinue of payment company, company with limited liability and limited partnership by shares. Burden of proof is upon the plaintiff, so he should proof the discontinue of payment by all means of evidence. In addition, a natural person needs to have a commercial capacity, as defined in Art.11, 12, 13 and 14 of the code of The proof should cover the existence of a debt and that such commerce in order to acquire the statues of merchant. non-payment will lead to a legal discontinue of payment due reflecting a real financial turbulence. It should be noted that the II. Discontinue payment of debts discontinue of payment should continue until the date of the declaration of the bankruptcy judgment. 1-Meaning of discontinue payment There are two views of meaning of discontinue payment. It should be noted that the plaintiff should proof that his debtor First view: The merchant should stop paying the debts of his enjoyed the status of merchant when he stopped paying his debts. creditors regardless the reason behind the discontinue of payment. A person who is dead or quite exercising commerce could be Second view: The discontinue of payment of the creditors declared bankrupted under two conditions: should be due to a real financial turbulence which the debtor is A- he should die or quite at a moment where he was in situation of passing and a real crisis facing him. discontinue of payment his debts So we have two elements of discontinue payment and we will B - the bankruptcy claim should be filed within one year from the discuss it as following: date of death or abolishment of the merchant name from the First one: The Actual stop of payment which means that the commercial registry. debtor should stop paying his debts. It should be noted that 3-Conditions of the unpaid debts (Four conditions) a merchant can not be declared bankrupted if he resorted to fraudulent means in order to hide his financial situation, like First: The debt should be an amount of money complement bill of exchange or contracting loans with high interest. The unpaid debt should not be an obligation to do or an obligation not to do. This could be justified by the fact the The court take in consideration the actual date of bankruptcy is a system which tends to the liquidation of the debtor discontinue of payment and not the real date (date of the assets and fairly distributed among his creditors. This is also collapse of the debtor financial statues) following the objective of protecting the credit and trust between Second one: The Financial turbulence of the debtor status merchants. which means the discontinue of payment of the creditors should be due to a real financial turbulence which the debtor Second: The debt should be immediately due is passing and a real crisis facing him. Financial turbulence should lead to the lost of confidence between the debtor and his The unpaid debt should be immediately due and not postponed. creditors as well as weakling the credit. The debt should be conditioned. Temporary financial turbulence won’t lead to declaration of To know whether the debt is due or not, we should look to the bankruptcy and it is not related to asset/debt equation. date of filing the bankruptcy action. It is not necessary that the discontinue of payment cover According to article 554/2, a creditor with a postponed debt could the whole debts. In other terms, Itcould be partial. A merchant exceptionally request the bankruptcy of his debtor if: his debtor could be declared bankrupted if he stops the payment of only run away or didn’t have a known domicile in Egypt or committed one creditor as long as the non-payment reflects a serious an act with the intention to prejudice his creditors. financial turbulence. The detriment factor is the amount of the Third:The debt should be cleared from claims unpaid debts and how it reflects the collapse of the financial A debtor can be declared bankrupted if his debts was doubtful and status of the debtor which could threaten the rights of his not certain. If there is a claim or a dispute related to the debt, the creditors. bankruptcy action should be refused. However, the claim should be serious. This is appreciated by the court discretionary power. The power of court in this regard is to examine the seriousness of the debt without dealing with the substantial defenses or merits. Consequently, the court can not transfer the action to investigate or examine a claim of falsification Fourth: The debt should be commercial A merchant can not be declared bankrupted if he stops paying his civil debts. A merchant can not be also declared bankrupted if he stops paying taxes or criminal fines or social insurance. The appreciation of the commercial character of the debt is at the moment of discontinue of payment and not when the debt has been created. According to article 554 : a civil creditor could request the bankruptcy if he proofs that his debtor stopped paying his commercial debts. 31

Bankruptcy how and why III. The bankruptcy judgment 1-Persons entitled to initiate the bankruptcy procedures A) The debtor The debtor is most people knowing his financial status. Presenting a bankruptcy declaration protects the debtor from exposing himself to the criminal sanction of stated in the case of bankruptcy by negligence. The court can confine the debtor if he presents a request of bankruptcy within 15 days of his discontinue of payment. Regarding companies, the legal representative is the one who is entitled to present such a request. If the court refuses the debtor request, it can order how to be a fine for superficially creating a bankruptcy status. B) One of the creditors This is the most common way to request bankruptcy. This is allowed to all kind of debtors even those with a civil debt. A partner in a company could present a bankruptcy request if he is a creditor of the company. The debtor could be declared bankrupted although he has only one creditor. Rules of bankruptcy are related to public order and can not be contracted in any agreement. Any agreement to avail a debtor from declaring his bankruptcy is considered void. C) The competent court Before 2008, the subject matter jurisdiction of the bankruptcy request was in the competence of the primary court regardless the amount of the dispute. After the promulgation of the law no 120 for the year 2008, the competence is now transferred to the economic courts. Regarding the local jurisdiction, the competent court should be the court of the commercial domicile of the debtor or his regular place of residence. Regarding companies, the action must be filed in the company head-office or the company local-office if the head –office is abroad. 2-Characteristics of the bankruptcy judgment The res judicata of the bankruptcy judgment is absolute and not relative as ordinary judgments: A- Regarding the persons: the debtor is considered bankrupted in his relationship with the all of his creditors not only the one who filed the bankruptcy claim. B- Regarding the assets: the judgment is not only related to the debt subjected to the claim but all the debtor money even though those unrelated to commercial activities. Effects of Bankruptcy Bankruptcy, according to the Commercial Code, is a collective regime to liquidate the assets of the debtor who fails to pay his commercial debts as they become due. Bankruptcy does not create its legal effect upon filing; the court must render a bankruptjudgment if the debt or debts in default indicates a deep ongoing business trouble or desperate financial situation. In other words, if the default resulted from impermanent reasons or was legally justified, a bankruptcy judgment will not be declared. In the senses a default is mere presumptive evidence that indicates a debtor’s inability to satisfy his debts but it does not indicate per se, that he is in deep business trouble or desperate financial position. Courts can issue a bankruptcy decision upon the request of a debtor or creditor or the prosecution office or on its own motion. To reach a bankruptcy judgment, the facts must furnish that the debtor is a trader and his failure to pay a matured undisputed commercial debt(s) indicates that he is suffering ongoing business trouble. Under article 561 of the Commercial Code a bankruptcy judgment would typically include the following Information: A)A fixed date of failure to pay. B) The appointment of a bankruptcy trustee to manage the bankrupt estate. C)The selection of a member of the court circuit to assume the function of bankruptcy Judge. D)An order sealing the trader’s commercial establishment. Data on bankruptcy in Egypt I will mention hereinafter several data on bankruptcy cases in Egypt in the last period according to Information and decisions support center in the Egypt. The number of bankruptcy cases of companies and individuals settled by the divisions of first instance in the economic courts during November 2013 increased by 24% as compared to November 2012. The increase on the appeal level was by 20% during the same period of time. 32By Eslam S. Ashry

Bankruptcy how and why An overview on the Egyptian legal agreements Egypt has gone through lots and lots of legal changes throughout the history Egypt was obligated to make some legal agreements with various countries to assure the legal stability and to maintain its legal personality among other countries. From those agreements AGADIR agreement which was signed by the 4 Arab Mediterranean countries and it was effective from the 6th of March 2007, the purpose of the agreement is to establish a trade zone among the 4 Arab countries Another example: which includes the European countries and the name of the agreement is “ the Egyptian European partnership, it was effective from 1’st of January 2004 and it involved 15 European countries and on the 1’st of May 2004 there was another participation from 10 other countries so now the total is 27 countries in the partnership. It aims for the Egyptian exports of industrial goods, the agreement allows Egypt to enjoy industrial exports to the EU countries exemption from customs duties and any other fees of similar effect as soon as the agreement enters into force.So now we can see that the Egyptian government is making agreements with both Arab and European countries to ensure it’s legal stability among different counties of the world. By Hager Al Ansary 33

ComfortVS.Durability what you’re about to read is one of the things that people Markus by IKEA really take for granted. It is important, however people El Helow Leather Office Chair (ZM-936A) underestimate it represents the perfect mix between modern can your choice of chair affect your performance?.well, of course and classic designs, featuring an adjustable it can, that’s why we are reviewing the best office chairs in the back and height and a great leather finishing market for you. this chair perfectly fits the executive offices. however it is important to mention that the on the top of the list is Aeron Chair by Herman Miller, this chair leather requires intensive care. the chair is literally adapts to your needs, it’s very adjustable and customiz- available at EL Helow for 2,500 EGP able. the chair is extremely comfortable with the mesh finishing the allows air to go through. it has the best design among competitors for modern offices and meeting rooms. but the downside of this chair is the price. theaeron chair is around 6,000 EGP which is really a high price even for such a beautiful chair. the chair is available at Style Desig Aeron by Herman Miller El Helow Mesh chair (707) Markus by IKEA, this chair is remarkably comfortable because as a conclusion, if money is no problem then the of the padding, and as for the backrest, the mesh materials lets the air through for long periods sitting on the chair just like the Aeron Chair is your best choice, the chair’s Aeron chair. the design of the chair fits for executive offices and meeting rooms. and what really makes this chair stand out is the design perfectly fits everywhere and just adjusts price as it’s available at IKEA stores for 2,395 EGP Also you will be getting 10 years Warranty for that chair. for your needs. as for durability, having a great Leather Office Chair (ZM-936A) by El Helow chair with both mesh and leather and 10 years as for small offices and cubicles El Helow Mesh chair (707) warranty Markus chair by IKEA is the one for is considered one of the best chairs, again, featuring the mesh finishing that allows the air through. the design is compact for you with great price for booth meeting rooms and small spaces and offers Adjustable height/tilt. and with amazing price it is the best in the market for small chairs. it is available at executive office. the Leather chair by el Helow El Helow for 600 EGP Stands out when it comes to design, although it requires special treatment, this chair is perfect for you office. for cubicles and small offices El Helow Mesh chair is our pick, featuring mesh finished backrest and a compact design with a great price. so take a seat and get back to work. By Khaled Mohamed 34

Your legal workspace in the cloud ! Tired of Coffee shops, you want a place more vim than library! A professional collaborativework rooms are provided now! You can enjoy many special facilities for your work which are presented in the Workspaces As, it’s a temporary office that boosts your success offering co-working space for students, young entrepreneurs and training seminars in business. Many Students don’t really know what the workspace is useful for ?it’s easy to say that, what is a workspace? If you are puzzled, you can have a new and different space, Labs in order that you present your business with a good coordination and in a perfect way. The Workspace offers individual larger meeting rooms, lounges, a library and Lecture halls. Whereas, They also presents training seminars in business plan development, legal and financial counseling, cloud computing and technical support, Even you can find kitchen, a terrace. wherever, the workspace is you can find many services as Broadband internet connection, Photocopy machine,printers,hot beverages, library and LCDs and display systems. You Can present your workshop there, if you like drawing and you are excited to learn more, any student activities can arrange their meetings there and you as a student can find there all you want to have a quiet environment for studying and learning. However, these places have more approach to your education as they have become a ground for education .Even we can consider it as a place for skills improvement. You can find all you need in workspaces! So work on yourself, joinworkshops, student activities, have more social relations with different people in your society. Have courses and improve your skills. See how to get the benefit from everything you have, get the Best of the Workspaces! By RaneemWael 35

Resources and literacy, is there a relation? Ever asked yourself why you should read? Or why you mistakes because of the ignorance of the law. Doctor Khaled Seryy Seyam the author of the should especially read legal books? If you didn’t then book “Criminology” have mentioned before that you are in a deadlock. But don’t worry … there’s always the more educated a community is, the less crime a second chance In life or a lifeline on the whole. Don’t it experiences and this is an evidence that reading waste your time waiting for the lifeline.. rush for it, and legal books can be useful for the people in any remember you have only one other chance either to use society even if they don’t study the major itself. it well or to sink in a traffic ocean with the piranha, and According to Doctor Khaled Seyam’s book in WE do not recommend to try that. What we really should Criminology, the states that have focused on believe in is that There is No nation or country accept education in general tend to have lower rates of in existing crime under any circumstance, but there is violate crimes and incarceration, researches also some nations that pay much dollars in order to maintain suggested that increased investment in quality ed- the mentality of its people in order to address any crime ucation in general can have positive public safety whatever what was the type (Kind) of the crime. benefit. In 12/10/1501 Issued a decree to burn all the books “The relation between education and crime” in Andalusia burned the thousands of books in “Ramla So where exactly can you find the legal resource? Square” largest square in “Granada” and then they kept *The bar association offers books at a reason- on burning books until they burned about million book able price for the normal attorney, Giza Council and this was the most popular of the Church and the resolution to support purchases of lawyers from Spanish State in this century in Andalusia. If burning the exhibition by 20% up to a maximum of 100 books was a crime, then non-reading would be what ? let pounds per lawyer, not to mention the discount of- me guess … a disaster ? fered by other publishers, which amounts to 70%. Dr. Abdel Razek Barakat Dean of Arts Faculty opened The union announced that, in order to encourage the annual Book Fair Building Youth Care at Ain Shams lawyers they give a gift of 11 printed publications University and was one of the reasons Signup Request each lawyer buys books and publications valued from the establishment of this exhibition is development at 200 pounds, not to mention the discount of culture and awareness of young people and the show offered by the publishers or the union, is lasted until April 7 and was offering books to students scheduled to show a period by the turnout symbolic, and the included books in the fields of economics, history, arts and literature. So where we are WE encourage the Middle East to spend some going to find our legal resources ?. we suggest to have our own legal library in our facualty in order to returen money in education to maintain the mentality of back to it in the times of need. the current technology. *The proportion of reading in the Arab world Statistics of reading in the Arab countries does not * In the end of this topic we would like to advice exceed the rate of 21.8%, while in South Korea up to 91%, Australia 72%, and 58% of Israel. If we stay at the the people who read to never stop reading and same percentage in this form the piranha will only feed on our nation. *Studying or reading about the law maintains the idea of the edification itself, it seems like a shield that protects the person himself from committing those who don’t to start as soon as possible for the reasons we have mentioned before. By Angy El Gamil 36

Women Symbolizing Justice Have you ever thought why does a woman represent justice?, And who is that woman? Actually I never asked myself that question until I saw some staues of ladies holding balance scales in many places like Hong Kong, Switzerland, Frankfurt, Old Bailey in London and Queensland in Australia. I wondered why, and from here my research started, Justitia was the roman goddess of justice. She is known nowadays as Lady Justice. Justitia has become a symbol of Justice in western culture. She is usually characterized by holding a set of scales suspended from her right hand so she can measure the support of the case and its position and in her left hand you will find a double-edged sword representing the power of Reason and Justice. Since the 15th century, Woman Symbolizing Justice Lady Justice has often been seen with a blindfold, meant to represent objectivity, that justice should be used objectively, without the fear of favour, regardless of money, wealth, power or identity.Though the blindfold is referred to Fortuna, the goddess of luck, in Roman mythology. Justitia is the equivalent of the Greek goddess Dike, though she also borrows features from Dike’s mother, Themis. Lady Justice is a symbol associated with the legal system. She is often seen at law schools, courts, law libraries and other institutions concerning the Law. The personification of justice balancing the scales dates back to the Goddess Maat.Maat was the ancient Egyptian concept of truth, balance, order, law, morality, and justice. Maat was also embodied as a goddess organizing the stars, seasons, and the actions of both mortals and the Gods, who set the order of the universe from chaos the moment it was created. Her ideological identical part was Isfet and later Isis, of ancient Egypt. The Greek Gods, Themis and Dike were later goddesses of justice. Themis was the representation of di- vine order, law, and custom, in her attitude as the personification of the divine rightness of law. it’s really interesting how the Greek Myths turn to be something enormously remarkable nowadays after all these years, sort of impressive and breath-taking, what is your point of view? By Anna Leone 37

Smart watches and must have productivity applications Smart watches and must have productivity applications So we’re all hearing about the new smart watches that’s coming out from Samsung and Apple but mostly about the Apple watch which functions in collaboration with your IPhone. These watches really take a step towards evolution in the rotation so that you could read the long notifications , you technology world and help a lot , like in driving instead of could scroll through music , it only needs to be recharged once keeping your phone out exposed to the sunlight while it navigates every 2 days so that’s better than the Apple watch in the you could just look at your watch . battery issue and in the price issue as well , however due to the screen problem you’ll be reaching for your phone more often The new Apple watch : , if you misplaced your phone somewhere it have the find my It’s Apple’s first wearable gadget it adds the simplified apps to our device application. wrists eliminating all the too common needs to taking out our de- Applications that will make smart watches a must vice and looking at it , Apple has confirmed that the watch will be have watches : water resistant and not water proof so you could wear it on while 1-Alarm clock that vibrates in order not to wake your partner when you’re trying to wake up early. washing your hands or in the rain and could withstand 30 minutes (This is just a new idea for an application, but it doesn’t in a metre depth of water but submerging it is not hurt to wish) recommended , however It have lots of drawbacks for instance it doesn’t have too much apps and they don’t run entirely 2-Hangouts so that you could independently so it needs connection with your IPhone and it know where to go and when to go and needs to be recharged every 18 hours , so yes it could complete get the best reviews about t a day use with you and recharge it at night , that’s good but what he places that are nearby. was expected was more especially for how much the buyer is being charged for itwhich starts from 349$ and ends at 17,000$ 3-Navigational system with Google in the 6 different styles that Apple announced about , it’s expected maps, so that you could drive with a guide and never get lost, or just in case t that most people will go for the sport wear because it’s the hat you just moved to a new place. cheapest , even though you could double the price by changing the wrist band millionaires shouldn’t even care about how much 4-bey2ollak that’s just in case you’re in they pay , however not everybody owned an IPhone or an IPad Egypt it lets you know the blocked roads, when it first came out , this the traffic in every road so it’s really important for a person who values time. 5-Google translate in case you’re in a class of a foreign language or travelling it’ll help you a lot. The Samsung galaxy Gear fit : Will these watches make us more productive ? It’s main idea is for running and the workout stuff , so it These watches are made to save time so that we could measures your heartbeats , counts the steps you walked and do more in our lives however , laptops , computers and measures the distance you walked or ran , however it’s the smart phones were made for the same reason and readings aren’t really that accurate especially when you have yet most of the people use them to waste their time sweat between the watch and your skin or when it’s not strapped instead of doing something more productive with their on tightly , it can show you the notifications you received on your time , some people just sit around all day playing on phone but due to the screen size you’ll have problems with the their smartphones they became introverts and too lazy touch screen however it could be set for automatic to do anything like going out with friends or socializing , their only friend became the technology which they can afford , so in many ways it’s bad for the people however , when somebody uses technology for the right purpose it saves him a lot of time , so we could say that this is huge step towards a new era in technology. By Mostafa Abd El Aziz 38

L aw Before Society Law is determined to be the social science of this era, the idea of law began before it was written I text, it manifested in customs and everyday dealing between men, man found a need to organize his surrounding a need to outline his bearings, it was nature born from inside to develop the social rules to guide and protocol himself, it even manifested with lawless such as :pirates and the rural west before law was the upper hand bellow you’ll see an example for its code The Pirates Code Conduct 1 - Equal Voting Rights Conduct 2 - Fair share of the loot and pirates punishments for those who cheated Conduct 3 - Gambling was banned Conduct 4 - No lights at night - a pirates sleep should not be disturbed Conduct 5 - Each pirate was responsible for the upkeep of their weapons Conduct 6 - No Boys or women allowed on board Conduct 7 - Penalty for Desertion Conduct 8 - No fighting between pirates on board the ship Conduct 9 - A Pension according to the severity of wounds Conduct 10 - Shares of the loot or booty .Conduct 11 - Musicians available to play when required The Code of the West Do not practice ingratitude The Code of the West, no “written” code ever actually existed. However, the hardy A cowboy is pleasant even when out of sorts. Complaing pioneers who lived in the west were bound by these unwritten rules that centered is what quitters do, and cowboys hate quitters Always be courageous. Cowards aren’t tolerated in any .on hospitality, fair play, loyalty, and respect for the land Back in the days when the cowman with his herds made a new frontier, there“ outfit worth its salt was no law on the range. Lack of written law made it necessary for him to frame some of his own, thus developing a rule of behavior which became known as the A cowboy always helps someone in need, even a stranger or an enemy Always be courageous. Cowards aren’t tolerated in any outfit worth “Code of the West.” These homespun laws, being merely a gentleman’s agreement its salt to certain rules of conduct for survival, were never written into statutes, but were Never try on another man’s hat ..respected everywhere on the range Be hospitable to strangers.Anyone who wanders in Though the cowman might break every law of the territory, state and federal gov- including an enemy, is welcome at the dinner table ernment, he took pride in upholding his own unwritten code. His failure to abide The same was true for riders who joined cowboys on the range Give your enemy a fighting chance by it did not bring formal punishment, but the man who broke it became, more or Never wake another man by shaking or touching him, as less, a social outcast. His friends ‘hazed him into the cutbacks’ and he was subject he might wake suddenly and shoot you .to the punishment of the very code he had broken Real cowboys are modest. A braggart who is “all gurgle Though the Code of the West was always unwritten, here is a “loose” list of some and no guts” is not tolerated :of the guidelines Drinking on duty is grounds for instant dismissal and blacklisting Don’t inquire into a person’s past. Take the measure of a man for what A cowboy is loyal to his “brand,” to his friends, and those .he is today he rides with Never steal another man’s horse. A horse thief pays with his life .Defend yourself whenever necessary Never shoot an unarmed or unwarned enemy. This was .Look out for your own .Remove your guns before sitting at the dining table also known as “the rattlesnake code”: always warn before you .Never order anything weaker than whiskey• strike. However, if a man was being stalked, this could be ignored. .Don’t make a threat without expecting dire consequences Never shoot a woman no matter what Consideration for others is central to the code, such as: Don’t stir up dust around the chuck ,wagon don’t wake up the wrong man for herd duty, etc .”Never pass anyone on the trail without saying “Howdy Respect the land and the environment by not smoking in When approaching someone from behind, give a loud greeting before .hazardous fire areas, disfiguring rocks, trees, or other natural areas .you get within shooting range Honesty is absolute - your word is your bond, a hand� Don’t wave at a man on a horse, as it might spook the horse. A nod is the .proper greeting shake is more binding than a contract Live by the Golden Rule After you pass someone on the trail, don’t look back at him. It implies love to Law is predominant idea that manifests in the mind of man .you don’t trust him as making his without the presence of an organized society, law rules Riding another man’s horse without his permission is nearly as bad above all .wife .Never even bother another man’s horse .Always fill your whiskey glass to the brim By Ziad ALi .A cowboy doesn’t talk much; he saves his breath for breathing ,No matter how weary and hungry you are after a long day in the saddle always tend to your horse’s needs before your own, and get your horse some feed before .you eat .Curse all you want, but only around men, horses and cows Complain about the cooking and you become the cook.. 39 Always drink your whiskey with your gun hand, to show your friendly

Your Guide to post Graduate life Most of us graduate without any knowledge of what to come WhyLLM ? after, we spend four years pushing through academic lectures Upgrade your Alma mater and sections to find ourselves at the last year of university al- improving your resume educational most graduating into the field of practice and applying what you background can be an important factor if you learned in the lecture halls in courts but is that four year law graduated from a university with a less of a course on its own enough? renowned reputation ,But getting that elite The answer depends on the path you choose when entering the school on your resume won’t be cheap. Pretty practical field hence it is preferable to be armed with a post much anywhere you do an LL.M., tuition and graduate degree because most employers value the masters of living costs will probably reach well into the law “L.L.M” whether governmental or private. five-digit range. For full-time programs, there So what is an LLM? are also the “opportunity costs” to LL.M. is an abbreviation of the Latin Legum Magister, which consider – that is, all the money you aren’t means Master of Laws. The LL.M. (Master of Laws) is an earning during the academic year. internationally recognized postgraduate law degree. It is So, while there may be scholarships available, usually acquired by completing a one year full-time program. getting an LL.M. will be a significant Law students and professionals frequently pursue the LL.M. to investment. Think about whether that extra gain expertise in a specialized field of law, for example in the name will deliver on your expectations, and area of tax law or international law. Many law firms prefer job whether your expectations are realistic. candidates with an LL.M. degree because it indicates that a Sit the Bar exam lawyer has acquired advanced, specialized legal training, and is recently the bar is considering a change of qualified to work in a multinational legal environment. membership policies and its been suggested a In most countries, lawyers are not required to hold an LL.M. requirement of extra 2 years of research degree, and many do not choose to obtain one. An LL.M. academics after graduating degree by itself generally does not qualify graduates to practice Develop a specialization law. In most cases, LL.M. students must first obtain a Law schools sometimes do not offer the professional degree in law, e.g. the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) choice of specialization for students so an in the United Kingdom or the Juris Doctor (J.D.) in the United LLM would be a way to specialize oneself in States, and pass a bar exam or the equivalent exam in other a specific field rather than wasting time in countries, While the general curriculum of the LL.B. and J.D. is indecisiveness . designed to give students the basic skills and knowledge to Improve your English become lawyers, law students wishing to specialize in a To improve foreign language skills, particular area can continue their studies with an LL.M. program. obviously there’s nothing like spending a year Some universities also consider students for their LL.M. in a country where that language is spoken. program who hold degrees in other related areas, or have Hiring law firms know this. International expertise in a specific area of law. firms like to see that you’ve gotten through Graduation requirements for an LL.M. program vary depending a year of law school in an English-speaking on the respective university guidelines. Some programs are country (or at least an English-speaking research-oriented and require students to write a thesis, while program). It means you’ll be more confident others only offer a number of classes that students must take to with “Legal English,” as well as the everyday complete the course of study. Many LL.M. programs combine “soft” English you will need just to survive both coursework and research. Part-time programs are also and develop friendships. available for professionals wishing to complete their LL.M. while working full-time. 40

Your Guide to post Graduate life Get a job The value of an LL.M. seems to rest largely on a law- Sadly, some hiring law firms still don’t care much about yer’s background and where they want to work, Law the LL.M. But others have begun to see the degree as an firms are interested in candidates that acquired their asset for new hires. It’s just another way for job-seeking LLM’s from an English-speaking country, even though lawyers to stand out, particularly in a competitive job partner promotions are decided by performance and in market. any case with a specialized focus LLM if the lawyer But doing an LL.M. can also open doors to new job sought a new field would find himself hindered by the prospects in other waysre possible avenues for fact he/she already specialized or that the university contact with potential employers, and they are only open awarded their previous degree doesn’t offer another to LL.M. students. The same goes with internships that focus but For lawyers trained outside of the US or UK are a key component of some LL.M. programs. such as here, specialization is just one of a handful of Get some international experience reasons to pursue an LL.M.; the others include proving It almost seems like a truism now, but international English skills, qualifying for the bar, adding experience is more valuable for lawyers than ever, another - perhaps better - law school to their resume. particularly those working in international firms or organizations. With an LL.M., you can choose one must be careful when choosing an LLM because Washington DC to get a taste of the policymaking action. Whether someone has specialized or not, that’s also an You can go for New York, London, or Singapore to be in indication of whether a particular individual is an international business hub. Or you can pick Leiden or somebody who can work in a competitive environment Amsterdam for their proximity to The Hague. We could like a law firm That’s where most LL.M. students make go on and on, but you get the idea. a mistake by choosing a popular topic, they will all “One of the effects of globalization has been that for many take it, without realizing that they will not have a com- legal jobs, they require an understanding of legal petitive edge. During the financial crisis, for example, relationships an international level,” says Lawrence banking and finance were very popular but jobs aren’t McNamara, head of postgraduate research at Reading very abundant in this field for lawyers to work abroad University School of Law. “It’s increasingly valuable in law firms require Having an LL.M. does not only show the overall private sector, commercial sector, government good academic position, but also some other personal sector, and NGO sector.” and professional characteristics that every law firm is Research and publish always looking for,” he says. “These are perseverance, Several LL.M. programs are research-oriented, which tenacity, maturity, and a desire to grow. All of those gives students a chance to dive deep into topics, aspects will certainly help the law firm to grow and and – with faculty guidance – come out with a publishable generate more clients. piece of research. Of course, publishing articles is good having an LLM can be an important factor when for a lawyer’s resume. A research-focused LL.M. is also a applying for a law firm but it’s up to you to whether gateway into Ph.D. work, which can open up career doors venture and pursue postgraduate degree in law. whether you want to teach or not. What are the available options ? LLM is an expensive program the cost includes the By Mahmoud Shireen university fees, accommodation, living costs etc. there are other ways to become an LLM candidate with a much less 41 cost well by securing a scholarship, scholarships can be very competitive especially in the field of law due to their lack of abundance, to secure a scholarship usually academic excellence alone is not enough, an active resume’ is an excellent asset when applying. In order to be eligible for a scholarship it is required that you get accepted in the desired LLM program beforehand then applying for the scholarship or grant Do Law Firms Value the LL.M.? it’s widely accepted that an LL.M. alone cannot make or break a legal career. But to say that it’s a non-factor might sound a little extreme.

Your Resume’ at hand Recruiters want to see bags of motivation for career in law. Taking part in vac schemes, open days and insight days at law firms, attending open court sessions at your local court and taking part in mini-pupillages at barristers’ chambers are all great opportunities to work out if a legal career is right for you – and which branch of the profession or type of organization would suit you best that you: ‘Demonstrate that you’ve done your research and know what makes a career at the firm right for you. Describe what you’ve done in the past and pull ’.out how it’s shaped you now Whether you are interested in applying Use your part-time job to demonstrate your skills for training contracts, vacation schemes, insight Some applicants are tempted to use the legal work days or open days, it’s likely you’ll need a law experience section on their CV to demonstrate transferable skills. ‘My advice is to avoid statements CV – even if you’re just uploading it to your such as “I developed my team working skills by online application form. Use these top ten tips going to networking drinks. I encourage candidates to .from graduate recruiters in law to help you talk about the skills they developed in, say, their regular Choose headings carefully – and be consistent part-time job rather than on a two-week vacation Separating your experience into different placement or open day – where, realistically, you have categories – such as legal, commercial and ’.less time or opportunity to develop your soft skills .voluntary – makes your CV easier to read All successful lawyers need a good dose of common sense – clients will want to receive advice that works Elizabeth Cope, do not describe any work in practice, not just on an academic level. When have experience as ‘relevant work experience’ – that you had to apply common sense during your part-time suggests to the reader that you think the rest of job? Or used good interpersonal skills to diffuse a tricky customer complaint in your retail job? Employers are your experience is irrelevant. A CV should keen to see candidates with strong commercial entice the recruiter to want to know more about experience that can transfer to a legal setting: students the applicant, Avoid a prose-heavy structure in who can demonstrate exposure to clients and an order to make your CV more pleasing on the eye appreciation of working in a high-pressure – and be consistent with grammar and environment. ‘Applicants don’t necessarily have to punctuation, encourages you to ‘use sub-heads secure a vacation scheme place to stand out and bullet points – anything that makes it easier for the reader.’Although you should aim to keep your CV to two sides of A4, put your own stamp on it: ‘There’s no one right way of doing a CV, ’.You’re the best judge of how to structure it Use your legal work experience to show motivation for a career in law…a 42

Write about the impact you made Active involvement in voluntary work, pro bono or part time work can also demonstrate your ability to handle substantial responsibility alongside your studies, in addition to helping you to develop important ,teamwork and leadership skills illustrating each experience with two or three bullet points and be clear about the personal impact you’ve had on each situation. Use strong, active verbs to briefly describe any improvements you’ve made to, say, and the filling system at a law advice center or the rankings of the university sports team you ,captain. Many careers advisers recommend using the STAR approach encouraging you to describe the Situation, the Task, the Action you took and the Result that .followed Treat each application as if it is the only one you are doing Applications are time consuming, there’s no need to apply to 40 firms; make 4 or 5 targeted applications instead. Invest a significant amount of time on each application and consider it another module of your degree. Don’t submit applications at 3.00 am or on holidays – it doesn’t create a good impression. Re- .search firms thoroughly. Treat each application as if it is the only one you are doing Let your CV stand out for the right reasons Most student lawyers have a very similar background. Try to get some alternative experiences that make .you stand out from the crowd on your CV Strike a professional tone Remember your reader: professionalism is essential to the legal sector and you can show just how clearly you understand this through your language and your approach to applications. Some recruitment sectors value creativity as part of their application process and may reward candidates who send CVs printed on a wine bottle, but such an approach will not impress legal recruiters. ‘Aim for a professional tone and avoid .using humor in your CV Concentrate on what you have to offer a law firm Concentrate on what you have to offer, not on what your CV/background/education lacks. It often comes down to confidence. ‘Don’t be put off if the most polished, well connected or intelligent student on your university course has failed to get a vacation scheme or training contract place There’s an assumption that candidates need to be captain of the university netball team or have a first class degree to get a training contract with a magic circle firm, but I see plenty of people with a good 2.1 and ,bags of motivation for a career in law get offers from us. Motivation is key Convince recruiters of your attention to detail Once you’ve put your CV and covering letter together, don’t be tempted to rush it off. Around 80% of candidates don’t get past the paper application stage so you need to make sure you don’t fall at the first hurdle unnecessarily due to grammatical or spelling errors – remember that solicitors need excellent written communication skills and attention to detail. Ask either a friend, family member or university careers adviser to check over your CV and covering letter before sending it off – an extra pair of eyes is invaluable.v By Ziad Ali 43

interview soon we got you covered Well it’s either you’ve been there, or you most probably will, Typical Interview Questions: and by there i specifically mean “The job’s interview”. The in- 1-What are your Strengths/Weaknesses? terview is considered as the most crucial phase of getting a job 2-why are you applying for that position? you’ve aspired. Thus, one has to be so focused considering some 3-Why should we hire you? What are you really critical points in order to capture the attention of the inter- offering us? viewer, Leaving a good impression that they totally fit the job- 4-Why did you choose (Company’s name)? criteria. 5-Where do you see yourself in 5 years? After applying for the job and getting the expected call with a set 6-Tell us about your Past experiences. date for an interview, some of you may be qualified but not totally 7-What are the accomplishments that you’ve aware of what’s going to happen at your first job interview, your made so far in life? thoughts might be a bit scattered and obscured, and that’s without 8-How would you react towards an argument a doubt because of the lack of information related to meetings’ with your boss? protocol, and how one should behave in such situations. So, here 9-Will you be able to travel/relocate? 10-What is your dream job? are some helpful tips. 11-Tell us about a huge mistake you’ve made. 12-How did you hear about the vacancy? Investigation’s Phase: 13-Discuss your resume. 14-What’s your educational background? Well, assuming that you’ve got “the call” and you’re now scheduled for a 15-What hobbies or sports you’re into? meeting, which consequently means that your CV captured their 16-Which one do you prefer (fellowship) or attention and there’s a deal of hope that you might be chosen to fill in the (leadership)? job vacancy. Because, let’s get this straight: Corporations and Companies 17-Tell us about a hard situation you were put are not wasting their time interviewing just anyone applying, there are into and how you reacted. based criteria upon which applicants are accepted. 18-would you work on holidays? Now, what you’ve got to do is look up the place’s website, check it’s 19-Who are our competitors? vision and estimate it’s future targets, as your aim is to be part of this and 20-What motivates you? it’s development in whichever field it serves, you aim for a difference 21-What are your career goals? you’ll be adding to this entity by filling in your position wholly and 22-How would you react when you’re put under working hard forward towards some certain goals, you aim to be pressure? beneficial as ever can be doing what you do, you check the website’s 23-Tell us about your idol. financial reports, you surf blogs and news pages and read some reviews 24-What’s your favorite Book/Website/Movie? published about that corporation and its challenge. Why? Discuss it. Adding, know the address by heart as you want arrive on time, know who 25-What makes you uncomfortable? to call in case an emergency happened and you got tackled on your way 26-What salary are you expecting? there, you don’t want to be blacklisted in case you couldn’t arrive at all so 27-What’s your biggest failure? you’ve got to be cautious. Also, know the directions and the 28-How would you deal with an angry person? transportations to reach and plan it all. 29-Tell us about your Leadership experiences. 30-What questions haven’t i asked you? Do you Before-the-interview Phase: have Questions for me? Needless to say that one has got to practice on what they’re going to say, 44 the interviewer’s job is to get to figure out if you fit the job-criteria or you’re less qualified, questions may not be just about the job or the career field, but may also include some tricky questions, some IQ ones, and without a doubt personal questions. The interviewer may want to get to know you as a person, what your attitude is when it comes to team working, and what you’re mentality is like, whether you’re a typical person of traditional ideas or a man of a remarkable vision and an outside-the-box thinker. Thus, Practice makes perfect. Practice what introduction you’ll be mentioning about yourself, how beneficial are you going to be being part of this corporation and what differences you’re capable of doing. Needless to say that one should be enthusiastic about the interview and less with the worries, Believe in yourself because if you don’t; No one else will. Be positive about the steps you’re taking, wisely, not recklessly. Thus, Practice makes perfect. Practice what introduction you’ll be mentioning about yourself, how beneficial are you going to be being part of this corporation and what differences you’re capable of doing. Needless to say that one should be enthusiastic about the interview and less with the worries, Believe in yourself because if you don’t; No one else will. Be positive about the steps you’re taking, wisely, not recklessly.

The Interview: • Dress-to-impress Phase: Needless to say, that this is the most important part of getting the job, Ordinarily, it’s common that we get confused about what it’s the moment when you’ve got to let go of anything that would hold to wear in a job interview; i doubt that anyone wouldn’t you back from proving yourself in front of the interviewer and that be put in a dilemma concerning what to wear in order to you’re worthy enough to get the job. Anxiety and worry must be shaken leave a good impression, since the first impression that’s off so you can talk freely without mumbling or forgetting to hit the taken about anyone is how they’re dressed. That’s the point of the question you’re being asked. first judgment an interviewer is going to make, based on -Thereof, try to be friendly to anyone you meet in the office even the how you look. receptionist, it’s all being delivered in details to the employer and you As a general rule of thumb, the dress code for a job want to leave a good impression. interview is Formal. There’s no room for casualties in the -Silence your mobile phone keep it out of sight before you enter the first meeting. Since, formal looks show a bit of meeting hall. commitment and responsibility, one has to look -Be steady when they call your name to meet the interviewer, try not to professional. If you walk into an interviewees’ waiting be shaken and taken back on your way there. A handshake when you hall you might notice that everybody is in suits, either see the interviewer is a must, with a simple smile on the face showing men or women. that you’re eager to have this interview going. As for Women, it’s either trousers or skirts. if you go for -Now, listen to the questions carefully, you already know that the the skirt, it has to be knees-length, long enough so you interviewer is trying to get something from each word you’ll be saying can sit comfortably. You may want to go for the black, so take care answering wisely on every question. Don’t give too much Navy or brown when it comes to skirts and trousers, details and try to go straight forward to the point and remember; “Less after all black is the new black, it never gets old and it’s talking, Less mistakes”, you’re answers must be reformed according to never out of fashion. A plain coordinated shirt or blouse what the question is targeting attentively, so you should be focused and may give the decent look since overrated patterns are not try to estimate what should be said and what’s not, using your common preferable, but you can still spice up the look by a sense here at this point is very critical. splash-colored scarf. The shoes, also known as women’s’ -Emphasize your strength points without being way too showy, and passion, so my advice is to not go way too far when it present your skills in a positive manner, let’s face it, you’re trying to sell comes to shoes, don’t get too adventurous picking ones yourself and market it so you must be showing what’s really impressive with long heels that keeps clicking on your way in and about it and how it matches the job criteria. out. Hence, you may want to go with heels of sensible -Don’t be over-confident while answering, sitting, gesturing, this might height to keep the decency, conservancy and elegance at actually blow you away from getting the job and that’s common a time. Preferably, limit the accessories, no dangling between companies, nobody wants to hire an overly confident person earring and bling bling necklaces; after all you don’t that’s not there to be as helpful as possible and of good use by paying want the interviewer more focused on your bright attention to how the work goes and acquiring every information accessories than what you’re saying. Finally, don’t pleasantly to achieve. use too much perfume. -Focus on your language and are neither too formal nor way too casual, Men on the other hand, they have no option but wearing moderate is always the best. Focus on the spelling, if you have a lisp suits. Mostly recommended that they go for the dark, try not to talk too fast. Moderate your voice tone so that the interviewer sober colors for the suit. So, if you went for black, grey doesn’t get annoyed by voice if it’s way too loud or way too quiet to or blue suit, perhaps black shoes are the perfect match. be heard. Brown shoes if you’re going for the brown or blue suit. -Don’t be nagging about the salary or the bonuses unless the Avoid overly patterned ties since it might distract the interviewer brings that up. interviewer, a single-colored tie is the perfect match, on a -It’s okay to write down notes if the interviewer is discussing some plain non-patterned white shirt. Lastly, a decent briefcase really important points considering the job, but don’t keep on writing and not overrated aftershave/cologne scent. down every single word, just useful notes. What you need to take with you for an interview: -It’s acceptable to ask when you’d expect a call from them 1-A photo ID (passport, driver’s license...etc.). considering the job. And also okay to ask whether if you could contact 2-interview agenda of names and numbers of them if haven’t heard from them by a certain date they indicated. interviewers and recruiters. -In the end, you’re allowed to ask about the contractual methods and 3-A copy of the job description. how you’d be contracted if you got accepted for the job. 4-Three copies of your Resume and cover letter you sent After the interview, if you’ve promised to send any information or to the employer. provide anything during the interview, you should be following through 5-Pen and a notebook. and do it as soon as possible. Make sure you contact them if there’s 6-Name and number of the person to ask for upon arrival. been a set date for that. 7-Food(small snack),breath mint, lipstick, comb, tissue, Cheer, don’t give up, have faith in yourself.... Nail it. whatever’s going to make you feel confident and secure. By Rana Rayan 45

The Advocate: Pathway into There a difference between a good advocate and a perfect one, the process doesn’t start after graduating, it is accumulated in law school, and the trend will be illustrated :below :Great students *Law Students’ Top Ten Pieces of Advice for 1Ls 1-Keep up with the reading/don’t fall behind 2-Go to class 3-Network/make friends 4-Maintain balance/have a life outside of law school 5-Get involved with things that interest you/student organizations 6-Don’t become obsessed with grades/become competitive 7-Relax/try not to stress 8-Maintain a healthy lifestyle (exercise and diet( 9-Go to your professors’ office hours and ask questions Law Student Survey:TopTen 10-Don’t Facebook/surf the internet during class This Top Ten List has been compiled from a questionnaire Essential Traits for Doing Well given to more than 500 students after their first year of law in Law School school 1-Hard work/Commitment/Discipline Top Ten Pieces of Advice for Doing Well in Your Legal Writing Class 2-Focus 1-Start assignments early – they will take longer than you think 3-Having/Maintaining a positive 2-Plug into the format your professor gives you (IRAC/CRAC, etc .and don’t try to be creative mental outlook .3-Go to your writing professor’s office hours and ask questions 4-Time management 4-Be prepared to write in a style completely different than whatyou 5-Critical thinking are used to 5-Be detail-oriented 6-Ability to maintain balance 6-Be concise 7-Perseverance 7-Double and triple check your citation and proofreading 8-Patience 8-Take it seriously (even if it is worth fewer credits) because it’s 9-Learn how law school works probably the most important class you will take 9-how to research well as quickly as you can/attend research training 10-Having thick skin classes 10-Put in your best effort on ungraded assignments too Law Student Advice What is the best piece of advice you could give someone for doing well on final exams? Every exam is different. You are learning the teacher’s teaching style just as much as you are learning the material. The best way to prepare for this is to be able to apply the material well in any situation, which means answering as many practice questions as you can 46

Methodical studying, flashcards, and creating your own outlines Focus on what your professor presented in class because this is the best clue about what will be on the final Take the time to make your own study guides Eat a good meal before and try not to stress or get too excited before. One exam I was so excited to take it that I couldn’t eat, but I crashed midway through because I had no fuel in my tank If possible, take every single one of the professor’s past final exams, and do it under similar timconstraints Don’t rely on someone else’s outlines. A large part of the learning process is putting together your own materials, figuring out where everything fits and how it works together. While you might be able to memorize someone else’s information, you will not be able to apply it effectively if you haven’t put in the work to synthesize the material yourself Go with your gut about what works best for you, and don’t adopt any specific approach to studying just because people around you are doing it Get to the point and get to know what your professor expects Be very careful who you study with and avoid large study groups (they are inefficient( If you can, review professors’ old exams – they use the same questions over and over again Practice with lots of hypos Study in a way that works for you. Don’t give up the strategies that have been working up until law school just because others are doing something different Review old exams from the same professor Get former students’ outlines to supplement your own outlines What is the biggest myth/misconception about law school? Creativity: A great lawyer is creative and able to think of reasonable That it teaches you the law. Law school’s intent is not to teach .solutions when problems and unique situations arise you the law. We can look that up. Instead, law school teaches Research Skills: Preparing a legal strategy generally requires an extensive you how to teach amount of research. Anyone involved in the legal profession should have .yourself – one of the most valuable tools we will ever have excellent research skills to be able to find and comprehend pertinent Law school is not just an extension of undergrad—it is actually the first step of your professional career. Thus, it is helpful to act .information .accordingly Interpersonal Skills: Great lawyers and paralegals have excellent Law school is not full of squares. People are people. Some will interpersonal skills and can develop trusting relationships with everyone suck. Some will be badass. Stress and a heavy workload do not .they work with .make everyone lame Logical Thinking Ability: A great lawyer is able to think logically and That you are locked into becoming a lawyer once you decide to make reasonable judgments and assumptions based on information .presented go to law school. Law school provides a massive base of .knowledge that can be applied to many different endeavors Perseverance: Those working in the legal profession must have .That it prepares you to be a lawyer perseverance. Often, cases require many hours of work with heavy research !That all lawyers make loads of money and lots of writing. A good lawyer or legal assistant must be willing to put in That all professors are rigid, hard-nosed people who never smile .the time it takes to get the job done .or laugh Public Speaking Skills: A great lawyer has excellent public speaking .That you have to have good grades to get a good job skills and is comfortable addressing a courtroom. They can also easily Everyone seems to think that it teaches you how to be a lawyer, .handle speaking in front of other groups but unless you focus your curriculum on practical courses, it really doesn’t prepare you to be a lawyer at all. It teaches you Pursues Continuing Education: Great lawyers stay on top of how to think about problems analytically, which is something developments in the legal field and also pursue continuing training. In fact, .that I don’t think a lot of people realize .That it’s a miserable experience .48 states require lawyers to earn continuing education credits annually That there’s a great, high paying job waiting for you after Reading Comprehension Skills: Lawyers, paralegals, and other legal professionals should have strong reading comprehension skills to easily .graduation‘ understand the complex information encountered in legal research and And to be a good lawyer can be achieved here’s the traits they have in common .documents Writing Skills: A great lawyer or legal assistant has excellent writing Great lawyers: skills which are used in preparing compelling arguments, briefs, motions, Lawyers have existed since ancient times, developing rules in .and other legal documents an attempt to maintain peace and order in communities. Today, Use tact and grace when dealing with clients. Their unfortunate position may lawyers can be found all over the world. What does it take to mean that they get agitated, but try to understand from their point of view. be successful in this demanding field? Some of the qualities top .Don’t let them verbally or physically abuse you, though Listen to your client. Never make judgments according to guilt unless you lawyers have include Analytical Skills: A great lawyer has excellent analytical skills .know the whole story. Remember, a client is innocent until proven guilty Keep up attorney-client confidentiality. A client’s case is nobody’s and is able to readily make sense of a large volume of business other than yours, the Judge and prosecutor’s. If the trial is information .publicized do not volunteer information about the client to paparazzi :Qualities Know your information. Keep yourself up to date on your area of law, When interrogating a witness, ask appropriate questions relevant .and memorize them as they apply in your jurisdiction to the trial. Don’t ridicule the witness if they get emotional on the stand but Join a bar association. When you are with other lawyers you will be maintain professional distance. Keep in mind that special care should be .able to trade expertise as well as gaining influence .applied to witnesses who are minors or victims of a violent crime Work at a reputable firm. It need not be famous, as long as you have lawyers uphold professionalism and righteousness. You are bound a good success rate. Keep on top of your job so that you’ll climb the .by law to tell the truth and be a good example to all .corporate ladder Speak respectfully to judges and people in higher offices of court. To be good at something is alright but to be perfect this Listen to them without interrupting. Your professionalism depends on could be a recipe for greatness .how you present yourself By Ziad Ali 47

what the law firm wants by Shalakany Law Office With over 100 years of experience since its establishment in 1912 Shalakany Law Office has achieved a record of success and growth that today makes it the longest established firm .and one of the leading firms in Egypt and the Middle East The Firm provides first-rate quality legal services to a broad base of multinational, regional and premium local clients .through its offices in Cairo and Alexandria Our Summer Training Program for law Students The Program offers each trainee Two-weeks training experience The program is aimed at helping law students .bridge the gap between theory and practice The trainees will join legal teams across a broad ,spectrum of legal specializations including Corporate, Employment, M&A, Projects .Taxes, Banking, International Arbitration, Litigation, to name only few Shalakany Law Office’s summer training program provides the trainees :with the following MEANINGFUL ASSIGNMENTS EFFECTIVE SUPERVISION CONSTRUCTIVE EVALUATION UNDERSTANDING OF THE CULTURE OF A LAW FIRM A TRUE LEARNING EXPEREINCE WHO WE LOOK FOR Bright and able students Outstanding academic records Individuals with polished social and interpersonal skills Enthusiastic persons Participants should be in the 2nd or 3rd academic year and they must pass the screening process HOW TO APPLY? :Please send your CV at the earliest possible convenience to [email protected] Amira Human Resources Shalakany Law 48

Alzayat Law Firm Address: 9 b Al Selhdar ,heliopolis, Cairo government ,Egypt.‬11757 Phone:02 24536259 Maher MiladIskander&Co.Directions Address: Masr Al Jadidah, Al Matar, Qism El-Nozha, Cairo Governorate Phone:02 24189028 AM LAW FIRM Address: Nasr City،1 MakramEbeid Street،City ,Light Tower, A3, Third Floor, Office No.303 Phone:02 23520702 Sharkawy&Sarhan Law Firm Address: 2 Mohamed Metwaly El Sharawy, Cairo Governorate 11361 Phone:02 22690881 49

We’ve interviewed a few students from various years in the university to assess their views and expectations, these were the best interviews chosen for your eyes Provide a small Introduction about Yourself? My Name Is Eslam Mohamed Saeed,I’m in Faculty of Law English Section , Second Year, Ainshams University, I’m 20 years old Why did You choose Law? Because it’s the field I like it is Law I want to work after graduation in foreign affairs What DoYou Expect After Graduation? Foreign Affairs What Do You Think You need? Now I need experience, I need to learn everything about law Who can Help You and How? My Uncle, He is Lawyer he helps me & my doctors in collage How can he help You? Tell me Information about law , general information , Some doctors help me without knowing me What are the obstacles You have faced during university? First Year I didn’t know many things about collage , I had no friends What Field Are You Aiming at? Foreign Affairs or Prosecuting If There’s a place for Improving Your Skills what would it be? Law firms , university EslamMohamed .English Section,second Year Provide A small Introduction About Yourself? My Name Is Salma Mamdouh Ahmed,I’m 19 years old, I study in Faculty of Law English section, First Year Why did you choose Law? I love this field from about two years ago, I want to study Law to help people What DoYou Expect After Graduation? After graduation I want to open an office to take cases for free from poor people and to help them to get their rights Actually, I intend in these for years to work on my social life, social studies and to make more relations after making these relations with people I expect I will have good career after getting high grades What Do You Think You need? I need to take courses in Law firm, to know how to solve cases,to know the best way to study law Who can Help You and How? I think my doctors and graduates from this faculty to know how they reached their targets in the legal field What are the obstacles You have faced during university? I think it’s just my transportation,I live far from the university about two hours, But I don’t consider it as an obstacle because I attend all my lectures everyday. Actionally, I Use this time in reading books, may be also the English level is hard but I’m working on this What Field Are You Aiming at? Being A member in The Un , HR, or may be the criminal field If There’s a place for Improving Your Skills what would it be? Getting Courses in Auc, I’ve got my TOFFEL last Year and I intend to Get ILETS from The British Council next year , these places are very good to help people Salma Mamdouh ,EnglishSection,First Year Provide A small Introduction About Yourself? My name is Toaa Mohamed, I’m 18 Years old, I’m in Faculty of Law English Section, I like swimming and basketball, I love going out a lot Why did you choose Law? It’s because my grade, I wanted to be in faculty of Engineering What DoYou Expect After Graduation? I want to be Doctor in my university What Do You Think You need? By Studying Hard Who can Help You and How? My mother What are the obstacles You have faced during university? At First it was my study, I thought it is very hard and I couldn’t study as I was in scientific section ‘math’ so I can’t memorize any subject What Field Are You Aiming at? I will apply for another Faculty, work and then travel abroad If there’s a place for Improving Your Skills what would it be? I can improve my skills by myself only I don’t think there is a place for improvement ToaaMohamed , English Section , First year Provide A small Introduction About Yourself? My Name Is Yasmeen Mohamed El Morsy,I’m in First Class of Law English Section Ain shams University, I’m A social Person, I love to go out Why did You choose Law? Because it describes me, I can introduce myself and other people What Do you Expect After Graduation? .I don’t know yet What Do You Think You need? .I think I need discussion because our faculty involves everything in life Who can Help You and How? Doctors and people above my, by discussion How can he help You? I Don’t Know What are the obstacles You have faced during university? .I haven’t faced any obstacles What Field Are You Aiming at? May be A judge If There’s a place for Improving Your Skills what would it be? Outside Egypt,May Be Harvard YasminMohamed,English Section , First Year 50