Egypt, and in particular the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA), has clearly cemented its status as a preferred seat for arbitration cases in both the Middle East–North Africa (MENA) region and the African continent. To assist parties with a need or desire to arbitrate disputes arising in these regions – whether commercial or investment – this incomparable book, the first in-depth treatment in any language of arbitration practice under Egyptian law, provides a comprehensive overview of the arbitration process and all matters pertaining to it in Egypt, starting with the arbitration agreement and ending with the recognition and enforcement of the arbitral award. Citing more than 2,500 cases – both awards and arbitral-related court judgments – the book’s various chapters examine in detail how Egypt’s arbitration law, based on the UNCITRAL model law, encompasses such internationally accepted arbitral provisions and aspects as the following: application of the New York Convention; concept of arbitrability; choice of applicable law; formation of the arbitral tribunal; selection, rights, duties, liability, and challenge of arbitrators; arbitral procedures; evidence and experts and burden of proof; form and content of arbitral awards; annulment and enforcement procedures; interaction between Sharia law and arbitration; role of Egypt’s Technical Office for Arbitration (TOA); and judicial fees. Special issues such as third-party funding and public policy as well as particular areas of dispute such as construction, sports, real estate, labor and employment, tax, competition, intellectual property, and technology transfer are all covered. The author offers practical guidelines tailored to arbitration in these specific areas of law. An added feature is the many figures and other visuals that accompany the text. For whoever is planning to or is currently practicing arbitration in the Middle East, this matchless book gives arbitrators, in-house counsel and arbitration practitioners everything that is needed to answer any question likely to arise. This book should be on the shelf of every practitioner and academic wishing to comprehend arbitration in Egypt as construed by the Egyptian Courts. Review/Testimonial: “The book is an excellent contribution to understand and assess Egyptian international arbitration law and practice and invaluable guide for lawyers, arbitrators and academics working on arbitration cases connected to Egypt for three main reasons: First, a case law perspective that adds considerable value to the book. The author examines not only the text of laws but also the case law. On every issue, Mr Shehata quotes the positions of Egyptian courts, especially those of the Egyptian Cassation Court. With more than 2,500 cases cited, the book is a precious source to discover the Egyptian decisions originally only in Arabic. Through an analysis and commentary of a great number of decisions rendered by various levels of Egyptian courts, the book offers the most reliable source with regard to the interpretation and the application of the Law No. 27 of 1994 and the international conventions by Egyptian courts. Second, a complete and far-reaching analysis. The book covers all aspects of the arbitration process from the arbitration agreement to the enforcement of arbitral awards. It includes the specific arbitration sectors such as sport arbitration, construction arbitration and investment arbitration. This coverage makes the book one of the reference work on the whole regime of arbitration in Egypt. Third, an up-to-date study, which takes into account rule changes and up-to-date developments on new trends, such as third-party funding, optional clauses, virtual hearings, the use of tribunal secretaries and issues of ethics in arbitration.” Source / Reviewer: Professor Walid Ben Hamida, University of Paris-Saclay, France. ICC DISPUTE RESOLUTION BULLETIN 2021 | ISSUE 3 |

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this convenient volume provides comprehensive analysis of the legislation and rules that determine civil procedure and practice in Egypt. Lawyers who handle transnational matters will appreciate the book’s clear explanation of distinct terminology and application of rules. The structure follows the classical chapters of a handbook on civil procedure: beginning with the judicial organization of the courts, jurisdiction issues, a discussion of the various actions and claims, and then moving to a review of the proceedings as such. These general chapters are followed by a discussion of the incidents during proceedings, the legal aid and legal costs, and the regulation of evidence. There are chapters on seizure for security and enforcement of judgments, and a final section on alternative dispute resolution. Facts are presented in such a way that readers who are unfamiliar with specific terms and concepts in varying contexts will fully grasp their meaning and significance. Succinct, scholarly, and practical, this book will prove a valuable time-saving tool for business and legal professionals alike. Lawyers representing parties with interests in Egypt will welcome this very useful guide, and academics and researchers will appreciate its comparative value as a contribution to the study of civil procedure in the international context.

This book addresses the issue of privacy and confidentiality in the broader context of the Egyptian legal system. The volume opens with an overview of the major approaches to confidentiality adopted in various jurisdictions. It goes on to examine the duties of confidentiality and privacy in arbitration law and practice on the basis of interviews with 30 law professors and practitioners who often act as arbitrators or counsel for parties in arbitral disputes together with the relevant Egyptian arbitration law provisions. The book takes into account the relevant provisions in the arbitration laws of Syria, Saudia Arabia and Yemen. It moves on to explore the relation between arbitration and the judicial system, and the extent to which the former should borrow its rules from the latter with regard to publicity and the rule of public trial. Finally, this book looks at the right to privacy as (a) a constitutional right, as a potential basis for a legal duty of confidentiality in arbitration, and the duties stemming from this constitutional right in the various laws of Egypt, as well as (b) the constraints imposed on the right to privacy, in particular those stemming from the constitutional principles of freedom of speech and freedom of the press. The main conclusion is that confidentiality does indeed exist in arbitration. However, its legal basis is not the law on arbitration or the arbitration agreement. It is in fact a corollary of the fundamental right to privacy granted in the Egyptian legal system to both natural and legal persons.

In this second edition of Samir Saleh's major work on commercial arbitration in the Arab Middle East, the basic format has been maintained, while the author, drawing upon his intimate knowledge of the region and considerable practical experience as an arbitrator, has completely revised and updated the book so that it offers a fully modern account of domestic commercial arbitration practice, with an international dimension, under the sharia and in Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. The first part of the book, dealing with sharia, continues to draw on the four major sources of sharia, with illustrations taken from the four main Sunni schools that have influenced its development. This part underpins all the remaining chapters which deal in turn with different national systems, building on the discussion by reference to local statutes, judicial precedents and commentaries. Detailed analysis of law and practice is supported by extensive footnoting, guidance on further reading, and insights into the prevailing business practices within each country. For practising lawyers and arbitrators a feature which will be particularly welcome is the inclusion of up-to-date discussion of practice and procedure for the execution and enforcement of domestic and foreign awards, and the legal pitfalls awaiting the unwary. The new edition has also been considerably amplified to include international aspects of arbitration as reflected in judicial decisions and academic commentary in each territory.

The Practitioner's Guide to Arbitration in the Middle East and North Africa is the culmination of the real experience and expertise from those experts and authorities directly involved with arbitration in their respective countries. The book is the first of its kind to target the Mena region specifically and is essential for anyone working in the area of arbitration both in the Middle East and world-wide. The practice of arbitration of private disputes is not new to MENA countries. Arbitration has long been recognized as a legitimate and culturally accepted practice of dispute resolution, dating back to dispute resolution practices of the early Islamic period, and even the pre-Islamic era. International commercial arbitration, and its cultural and juridical acceptance, is a more recent and complex phenomenon nonetheless on the rise in MENA countries. It is now standard for arbitration clauses to be included in contracts governing international transactions and there is a growing consensus among MENA merchants engaged in international trade, along with their commercial counterparts in the rest of the world, that international arbitration is preferable to litigation in domestic courts for purposes of resolving private commercial disputes. While subject to some qualifications and restrictions in some instances, in many, if not most, MENA countries, arbitration clauses can be included in contracts with government entities engaging in commercial transactions. Additionally, conferences, seminars, and training programs in international arbitration are on the rise, and various international arbitration centres have been established. The advantages from the perspective of private parties are tremendous: Parties can elect which law will apply to disputes arising from their transactions, and they can remove themselves from the constraints and biases of parochial attitudes in national courts. There is also an increasing acceptance by national courts of international arbitration standards, such as the principle of Kompetenz-Kompetenz, recognising the right of arbitrators to decide their own jurisdiction and the separability of the arbitration clause. More frequently, courts are granting assistance and support to international arbitrations and are more receptive to enforcing foreign awards. This book is a comprehensive guide to arbitration in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, and Yemen. Written in question/answer format by leading practicioners and firms from the region, it elicits the most salient features of the legal framework for arbitration and international arbitration in each of the respective countries.

The cases are edited and translated by the prominent legal scholar, arbitrator and lawyer Dr. Mohie Eldin I. Alam-Eldin. His in-depth commentary on the thirty-four cases included in this volume encompasses discussion of emerging new arbitral trends and principles, such as the alter ego and contra preferentum doctrines, and new approaches to arbitration engendered by the ever-growing and changing practises and patterns of internatuional trade. He also analyses many of the new issues raised by the decisions of the court of appeal in cases where arbitral awards proved unsatisfactory. Many of these court of appeal decisions are included in the text, as are relevant decisions of the Supreme Court of Egypt. This second series of cases brought before the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration covers the period 1997-2002, years which witnessed a major growth in confidence in the Centre and a corresponding expansion in scope, procedure, and legal principles. Perhaps most notable among these important developments is the evolution of hybrid procedures that permit the harmonization of legal cultures among parties. In this book will be found a number of cases which successfully blend common law, civil law, and Sharia principles while rigorously adhering to the agreements between the parties, all applicable law, and guarantees of defence. The subject matter of the international disputes arbitrated includes the following: - Supply - Hotel management - Software contracts - Oil contracts - Distributorship contracts - Insurance contracts - Credit risk management contracts - Construction - Commercial agency The significance of the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration, as a forward-looking and innovative institution directly influencing business activity in some of the most important areas of global commerce, can hardly be overstated. This book validates and reinforces the Centre pivotal role, and will be of inestimable value to the international commercial arbitration community.