Lawyers / Elias J. Ghanem LL.M, MCIArb, IRMP, OR

Lawyer in Lebanon: Elias J. Ghanem - Lawyer at Ghanem Law Firm, Lecturer, Arbitrator, Member of the Peer Review Panel at CIarb-London, University of London Ambassador, Official receiver in the Ministry of Justice.

Lawyer at Ghanem Law Firm, Lecturer, Arbitrator, Member of the Peer Review Panel at CIarb-London, University of London Ambassador, Official receiver in the Ministry of Justice.

 

Elias is Ghanem law firm’s founder and chairs the firm's Management Committee which is responsible for the management of the firm and for Ghanem law firm's strategic growth and development.

He has over 25 years’ experience. His practice specializes in international arbitration, Business field, Corporate law including Banking, Telecommunication, Insurance, with a particular focus on equity trusts (protection of assets), as well as aspects of construction, property management and real estate.

 

Diplomas
  • Master of Laws LL.M, specialized in international Business Law
    University of London.
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Laws with specialization in Commercial and Corporate Law
    University of London.
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Laws with specialization in International Dispute Resolution
    University of London.
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Laws with specialization in Equity and Trusts Law
    American University of Technology.
  • Bachelor’s degree in laws at Lebanese University faculty of Law
  • High School Diploma at Sagesse High School
Certificates and continuous education
  • Successfully awarded “Integrated Risk Management Professional” (IRMP) by OCEG.
  • Certificate in “Data Ethics, AI and Responsible Innovation” from the University of Edinburgh – Scotland
  • Certificate in Oil and Gaz from University of Aberdeen - Scotland
  • Successfully completed the below courses by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
    • Compliance and Marketing Collaboration: A Winning Approach in the GDPR Era.
    • Data Ethics: Beyond Legal Compliance and Customer Centricity.
    • Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Ethics.
    • Privacy List Live.
  • Successfully completed the course on “FATCA” provided by the “Beirut Bar Association” and “Amicorp”.
  • Successfully completed the course on “The FIDIC Contracts” provided by CONERSTONE SEMINARS of London (FIDIC accredited training supplier).
  • Successfully completed the course on “Drafting Contracts” in French language “La redaction d’actes” provided by the European community project with the coordination of the Beirut Bar Association.
  • Successfully awarded the Certificate “Introduction to International Arbitration” by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators – Ciarb, London.
Work Experience
  • Appointed as Member of the Peer Review Panel at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators CIarb- London..
  • Appointed as Rapporteur for the Special Arbitration Committee tasked with crafting a proposal to enhance the current Lebanese Law on Arbitration.
  • Appointed as Honorary Member at the Cyprus Arbitration & Mediation Center (CAMC).
  • Founding President at The International Academic Center for Management and Empowerment (TIAC).
  • Appointed till present as University Lecturer at the American University of Beirut on “AI, Ethics and principles”.
  • Appointed for three years as Member of the Panels Management Group - CIarb, London
  • Admitted as Member at the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).
  • Appointed as Member at the Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation (CEPANI).
  • Appointed as Official Receiver (OR), in bankruptcy at the Ministry of Justice.
  • Co-Founder at the Lebanese International Arbitration Center of the Beirut bar Association (LIAC-BBA).
  • Member Listed on the panel of arbitrators LIAC-BBA, CEPANI, LAMC, TIAC, and has been appointed on numerous arbitration panels.
  • Appointed as a member of the Arbitration Committee of Beirut Bar Association. The committee was working on establishing an international arbitration center in the Bar of Beirut. I was advising the committee on how to structure the center and the ideal arbitration rules to be adopted accordingly.
  • Appointed till present Legal counsel and head of GRC and Data Privacy for Calvatis MEA, an Affiliate of Calvatis GMBH.
  • Appointed as a member of the Judicial Aid Committee of the Beirut Bar Association.
  • Founding Ghanem Law Firm in the city of Beirut- Lebanon.
Expertise
  • Advising on the best ways to structure a business with the use of diverse legal vehicles (such as Holding, Offshore companies, and Offshore Trusts).
  • Incorporating companies with the commercial registers and Free Zones in Lebanon, UAE and much more.
  • Registering trade names, trademarks, and other IP rights with the relevant authorities.
  • Counselling on government tenders taking place in Lebanon and the GCC countries.
  • Counselling on matters pertaining to Lebanese Laws such as: International arbitration, Corporate, Contract, Banking, Insurance, Labor, Real Estate, Tax, Intellectual Property Laws and miscellaneous.
  • Drafting, reviewing, and commenting on a variety of legal documents (In English, French and Arabic Languages), such as:
    • Contracts: JV Agreements, Memorandum and Articles of Association, Shareholder Agreements, Consortium Agreements, Stock Purchase Agreements, Franchise Agreements, Distribution Agreements, Asset Purchase Agreements, Contracting Agreements, Conveyance Agreements, Tender Agreements, Lease Agreements, Employment Agreements, Real Estate Development Agreements, Memorandum of Understandings, Non-Disclosure Agreements, Consulting Agreements, Proxies, Pledge Agreements, Settlement Agreements and miscellaneous.
    • Legal letters and notices.
    • Corporate Resolutions (GAs and BODs).
  • Advising clients on potential M&A s and conducting due diligence.
  • Updating clients on new laws and regulations for compliance and Privacy Law (GDPR).
  • Assessing the chances of winning potential legal action and advising clients whether to act or negotiate a settlement accordingly.
  • Preparing, submitting, and following up lawsuits in the courts of First Instance, Appeal and Cassation. The same responsibilities apply before arbitration tribunals (whether ad hoc or institutional) where arbitration is the chosen mode for dispute resolution. Most of those litigations involve: Corporate, Insurance, Construction, Banking, Real Estate, Telecom, Employment, Intellectual Property, Penal laws and miscellaneous.
  • Representing clients (as plaintiffs or defendants) before the courts and arbitration tribunals and advising them on the best strategies to conduct their cases.
  • Instituting injunctive proceedings before the competent judicial authorities for the protection of my client’s rights.
  • Negotiating and drafting settlement agreements.
  • Honored to serve on numerous arbitration panels, dealing with complex disputes, including significant claims and counterclaims in the commercial field and the construction industry.
  • Counselling on matters pertaining to real estate law, reviewing and commenting on legal documents, registering real properties with the Real Estate Registers.
  • Due diligence investigations to identify and assess legal risks associated with real estate transactions.
  • FIDIC agreements.
  • Managing regular review of company data privacy policies and procedures and recommending improvements.
  • Assisting Privacy Managers with data privacy incident investigations.
  • Supporting the management of inquiry requests, and incident and breach management.
  • Providing support in performing data inventories and maps.
  • Assisting Privacy Managers in conducting privacy impact and risk assessments.
  • Initiating, developing, maintaining, and revising processes for the general operations of the Data Privacy Office and its related activities.
  • Working with key executives to develop and implement a data governance strategy.
  • Identifying and applying many critical data items for the company’s transparency.
  • Developing and publishing data dictionaries accessible to all company members.
  • Integrating strategy and performance through the COSO Framework, particularly ethical principles, into all business operations and decisions, ensuring that every action aligns not only with legal standards but also with the organization’s core values and ethical guidelines.
  • Assisting in conducting risk identification, assessments, management of risk, and monitoring the effectiveness of the Integrated Risk Management Framework through ISO 31000 Risk Management.
  • Managing regular review of the company’s policies, processes, and procedures and recommending improvements.
  • Working with cross-functional teams and being responsible for due diligence and compliance checks, including reporting.
  • Providing periodic compliance reporting to various external stakeholders and reviewing compliance reports from the administrators.
  • Reviewing and updating policies related to Risk and Compliance.
  • Board meeting preparation on Risk and Compliance matters.
  • Maintenance of various registers (e.g., enterprise-wide risk registers, employee personal trading logs, etc.).
  • University Lecturer at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and speaker in many conferences on the topic of AI, Ethics, and Principles.
  • Guiding companies, developers, investors, and buyers across the entire breadth of legal and regulatory issues arising from the rapid development, commercialization, and use of generative AI platforms and applications.
  • Advising on a broad range of subject matters related to AI, including IP, data privacy, technology transactions, and regulatory compliance, covering multiple jurisdictions.
  • Legal counsel and Head of the Legal department for the Lebanese Federation of Volleyball. The role involves ensuring compliance with national and international laws, representing the Federation in legal proceedings, and handling arbitration matters.
  • Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating sports contracts for athletes, teams, and other stakeholders.
Media Appearances and Lecturing (Television, Radio, and conferences)
  • Speaker in many conferences and TV interviews at VDL on Ethics and principles of AI with Data Privacy Law (2023-2024).
  • Speaker in many International Arbitration conferences held by LIAC in Beirut (2017-2018-2019).
  • Interviews on International and Commercial Arbitration (OTV) 2016.
  • Interviews on International and Commercial Arbitration (NBN TV) 2016.
  • Interviews on Human Rights programs on Charity (TV) 2015.
  • Interviews on International and Commercial Arbitration on “Voix du Liban” (Radio) 2014.
  • Interviews on Human Rights programs on Tele Lumiere (TV) 2005-2006.
  • Interviews on diverse legal issues (Charity TV) and on “Voix du Liban” (Radio).
  • Lecturer in a prominent university, the American University of Beirut (AUB), delivering the ethics and principles of AI with Data Privacy Law (2023-2024).
Honors & awards

Received extensive recognition through awards from arbitration centers, international organizations, and universities. These awards were earned through outstanding ethical standards, legal practices and community services.

  • Qualified by Acquisition International Magazine as Leading Construction & Real Estate Law Firm of the Year 2024 – Lebanon.
  • Appointed Alumni Ambassador for the University of London (UOL) in the UK (2021).
  • Awarded a trophy as Corporate Law Firm of the Year 2019 by the “Global Legal Experts” in the UK (2019).
  • Awarded a certificate of appreciation for esteemed contribution as an executive board member at LIAC and in recognition of continuing excellence in practicing arbitration (2018).
  • Awarded a certificate of appreciation from the World Bank, Washington, DC (2018).
  • Qualified exclusively as the best corporate attorney in Lebanon, as recommended by the “Global Legal Experts” (2018).
  • Honored by AUT University for distinguished professional achievement in a special ceremony held in Lebanon (2017).
  • Awarded a trophy for Best Oral Pleading on Human Rights by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (2016).
Spoken languages and computer literacy
  • Multilingual proficiency in English, French and Arabic.
  • Skilled in various computer applications
Hobbies
  • Enthusiastic about writing and engaging in sports activities such as tennis, biking and maintaining general fitness
Best oral pleading on HUMAN RIGHTS - KUNRAD-ADENAUER-STIFTUNG

 

General Inquiries

  • +961 1 882 602

  • +961 1 882 602

  • +961 3 333 602

  • 90-914

  • elias@ghanemlawfirm.com

  • www.ghanemlawfirm.com

  • meeliasghanem

 

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