Office: Beirut

Areas of Concentration

Zouha has special expertise in WTO accession issues, competition law and other international trade law and dispute resolution issues. She has been a senior advisor in a USAID-funded WTO accession project for Lebanon, advised Lebanon’s Minister of Economy as part of his UNDP-funded team on international trade law issues including trade facilitation, EU partnership agreement, WTO accession for Lebanon and other regional integration agreements especially the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) and participated in drafting the first inter-Arab draft free trade areas in services. She also led Lebanon’s GAFTA services negotiations. She has also been the Senior Lawyer leading the Booz Allen Hamilton Project advising the Ministry of Economy and Trade on WTO Accession. She has represented Lebanon in numerous meetings, seminars and conferences devoted to these issues.

Zouha also practices law, representing clients in matters involving banking, insurance, regulatory, competition law, intellectual property, government contracts, commercial and corporate law, international trade and investments law and association law. She has represented these clients both as an advisor and in court and arbitration proceedings. She also acted as Secretary for Arbitral Tribunals under the ICC and BCCI Rules of Arbitration.

She also practices as a commercial mediator.

Prior to joining SAAS as a partner, Zouha was between 20003 and 2012 the Senior Lawyer leading the Booz Allen Hamilton Project advising the Lebanese Ministry of Economy and Trade on WTO Accession. Before that, she acted as senior international trade law expert with the United Nations Development Program and a senior lawyer with Price Waterhouse Coopers in charge of advising the Government of Lebanon on international trade issues.

Bar Admission

• Beirut (1991)
• DIFC Courts, Dubai, UAE, Part I Legal Practitioner (2014)

Education

• Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth , LL.B in Lebanese Law (with Distinction) (1991)
• Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, French Maitrise in Private Law (1991)
• ESCP-EAP ,Paris (MBA -2002)
• Ecole supérieure des affaires, Beirut (Master in Business Administration -2002)
• Chartered Institute of Arbitrators,London (Dip. Int. Arbitration- 2013)
• Chartered Institute of Arbitrators,London (Fellow 2013)
• Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, CPM, (Professionnal Diploma in Mediation – 2013)

Experience

• Practicing in the field of Corporate and Commercial law at Adel Kamel Law Office since 1990.
• Training at Gide, Loyrette Et Nouel Law Office (Paris, France), 1993.
• Training at Afridi, Angel & Baker Law Office (New York), 1995.
• Patent and Trademark Agent.
• Legal Advisor at the Cairo Regional Center of International Commercial Arbitration, 1998 –1999.
• Legal Advisor at DEPRA (USAID), in regards of the Mortgage Law, 1999 – 2000.

Professional Membership

• Zouha is a member of the Beirut Bar Association, the Customs and International Trade Bar Association, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the International Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Languages

English, French and Arabic (native)