Yasser Hashem

Practice Areas

Corporate, M&A, Capital Markets, Telecoms

Career

Yasser Hashem is the Managing Partner of ZH. The legal skills he has extended to mega mergers and acquisitions and capital market transactions in Egypt and to the inception of the private provisions of telecom services - and the promulgation of its laws - has placed him as a valued veteran of the legal practice in Egypt. Combining a wide range of extensive legal knowledge with honed networking and interpersonal skills, Yasser protects and furthers the interest of over 100 local and international clients.

With a special focus on the practice of Corporate Law, Yasser has supported the privatization programme of public sector entities in Egypt through hundreds of restructurings, incorporations of foreign and domestic companies and through advising foreign and local investors on the most efficient vehicles and structures for implementing their investments in Egypt.

He reliably represented acquirers in the most important tender offers and M&A transactions in Egypt and led the largest four multibillion US dollars M&A transactions that took place post the political and economic changes in Egypt in 2011. Additionally, he oversaw the largest number of initial public offerings during the last decade for clients such as eFinance, Raya Contact Center, M.M. Group for Industry and International Trade (MTI), Orascom Construction Limited, Juhayna, Palm Hills Development, Maridive & Oil Services, GB Auto, Arafa Group, Talaat Mostafa Group.

In the telecommunication sector, he advised on the most significant telecommunications licenses and M&A transactions in Egypt. The legal services he extended to this sector include supporting the acquisition and mandatory tender offers of telecommunication companies and guiding bidding consortia through the majority of mobile and fixed wireless license bids. His legal skills were also extended to the drafting and negotiation of all major telecom licenses including public payphones, mobile cellular networks, private data networks, satellite and marine fiber optic cabling, etc. Furthermore, he led the team advising Orange in its successful ca. US$ 3 billion 100% acquisition of Mobinil - the largest acquisition transaction in the telecommunication sector post the political and economic changes in Egypt in 2011. Yasser’s expertise in the sector has led to his appointment by Ministerial Decree as Member of the New Telecommunications Act Drafting Committee.

Chambers and Partners ranked Yasser as “Eminent Practitioner” in Capital Markets and Corporate/M&A (2022 and 2023); as “Eminent Practitioner” in Banking & Finance and Corporate/M&A (2021 and 2020) and “Eminent Practitioner” in Capital Markets (2021); and as “Eminent Practitioner” in Banking & Finance and “Band 1” Lawyer in the Corporate / M&A practice (2019). He had been ranked as “Band 1” Lawyer in Corporate / M&A (2017 and 2018) and as “Band 1” Lawyer in Banking & Finance (2018). His initial ranking by Chambers and Partners dates back to the year 2000. IFLR1000 ranked him as “Market Leader” in the Capital Markets, Banking and M&A practices for the years 2021, 2022, and 2023. He had ranked “Highly Regarded Leading Lawyer” in 2018, 2019, and 2020; and as “Leading Lawyer” in the Financial and Corporate Practice for the years 2016 and 2017. The LEGAL 500 also ranked Yasser in its “Hall of Fame” for the 12th consecutive year (the most recent being in 2023). The LEGAL 500 ranked him as Leading Individual in the Commercial, Corporate, and M&A practice and in Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Previous LEGAL 500’s rankings include: “Leading Individual” in: 1) Banking & Finance; 2) Commercial, Corporate and M&A; and 3) TMT (2019 and 2020); “Leading Individual” in Banking & Finance and Commercial, Corporate and M&A (2018); and “Leading Individual” in Banking & Finance; Commercial, Corporate and M&A; and Telecoms (2016 and 2017).

Yasser received the LL.B. from Cairo University in 1989 and was admitted before the Egyptian Court of Cassation in 2007. He is a member of the Egyptian Society of International Law and the Licensing Executive Society. He is fluent in Arabic, English, and German.