Our team of commercial and litigation lawyers provides both principals and agents with specialist advice in every aspect of commercial agency law, from drafting the appropriate agreement to obtaining compensation for the agent on termination.

For legal updates and news, please contact BACHIR & Associates

Competition law governs a wide range of business practices from interaction with competitors, suppliers and customers, through participation in trade associations, to the structuring and implementation of corporate mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures.

Understanding how competition law impacts on a business has never been more important given the risks of non-compliance, but also because, used strategically, competition law can be a very important tool in keeping one’s trading partners honest through litigation.

Regulatory authorities around the world are working ever more closely to co-ordinate their competition law enforcement powers. Companies need legal advisers who can provide a global perspective and advise on international best practice.

Our lawyers use their broad experience and knowledge of the competition law landscape to get the deal done, solve business challenges or resolve disputes. We can assist you on the full range of competition law matters, including:

- transactional support and merger control advice;
- devising and implementing commercial agreements that are compliant with all applicable competition and consumer law rules;
- defending companies under investigation by the competition law authorities, including in relation to “dawn raids” and on-site inspections;
- drafting and filing complaints to the authorities to seek appropriate redress for those affected by anti-competitive behaviour;
- competition law litigation – advising companies how to protect their interests through the national and international courts and tribunals;
- devising and instituting compliance programmes;
- advising on consumer protection, marketing and advertising matters related to competition.

For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates
 

Contractual accuracy and rigour underpin every aspect of business. Our commercial lawyers handle all aspects of contractual work, from drafting to negotiation, supporting our clients’ day-to-day operations and tackling specific projects.

We advise on a wide variety of contracts, including:

- Terms and conditions for goods and services (supply and purchase)
- Manufacturing agreements
- Agency, distribution and franchise arrangements
- IP and content licences
- Collaboration and joint venture agreements
- Outsourcing
- Advertising and sponsorship agreements
- Consultancy agreements
- e-commerce agreements and terms
- Hotel management agreements
- Confidentiality agreements

We regularly draw up standard terms for clients as well as bespoke agreements for more complex transactions and advise on the key aspects of such contracts, including warranties, indemnities, limitations of liability and liquidated damages.

BACHIR & Associates’s public sector experience enables us to help clients with purchasing arrangements in the context of the public procurement rules, including advising on and drafting framework agreements.

In the context of B2C, we help our clients to achieve compliance with consumer rights regulations, including cancellation processes for online sales.
Competition law is a key part of our contracts work. We advise on the many forms of agreements where some sort of exclusivity is included in the terms and on other forms of horizontal and vertical restrictive practices. We are experienced in assessing the issues and ensuring that our clients understand the risks involved, as well as preparing legal documentation to address these issues.

For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates
 

Data protection is an issue that no business can afford to ignore. The growth of e-commerce and digital communications means that businesses now hold, and are therefore responsible for, far more information about their customers, targets and employees than ever before.

This proliferation of data has been accompanied by new and more stringent rules governing its use and protection, particularly with respect to marketing activities, and increased penalties for those who fail to comply. At the same time, there is now much closer scrutiny over compliance from public bodies, the courts, and the media. The consequences of failing to observe data protection laws are significant – from both a financial and a reputational perspective.

At BACHIR & Associates, we have extensive experience in helping clients to minimise the legal risks associated with data protection while minimising interference to business processes. We have advised in high profile data protection cases in the MENA COUNTRIES and assisted public sector clients in negotiating the rules relating to freedom of information, privacy and human rights. Our work also covers data issues arising from commercial or corporate transactions.

Our experience includes:

- Internal data protection compliance, such as HR
- External data protection compliance, such as marketing lists
- Policies, processes and guidelines for data protection compliance
- Legal issues surrounding data sharing
- Data protection issues when commercial arrangements between two organisations (such as outsourcing) are being considered, including data export
- Data security
- Direct marketing and email marketing

We advise public and private sector clients on freedom of information, including:

- Making requests (for private sector)
- Policies and request processes (for public sector)
- Commercial agreements between the public and private sector

For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates
 

The growth of the internet and digital economy has thrown up a host of new challenges for organisations as well as putting a new slant on familiar issues such as data protection.

We advise organisations on a wide range of internet law issues relating to launching, developing or migrating to online platforms in both the B2B and B2C sectors.

The range of e-business matters on which we advise includes:

- Online transactions
- Website design, development, maintenance and hosting
- Value-added services such as credit card processing
- Linking, framing and revenue sharing
- Intellectual property rights and their exploitation, including digital content licensing
- Legality of content and take-down procedures
- Disclaimers and website terms and conditions
- Contract formation and sales terms and conditions
- Record keeping and evidence
- Privacy, privacy policies and data protection
- Cookie policies
- Consumer protection, such as distance selling
- Jurisdictional issues
- Sector regulation and self-regulation

For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates
 

Globalisation and the growth of the digital economy have brought the significance of intellectual property (IP) into the spotlight like never before.

We help our clients to protect, preserve and enforce their IP rights and advise them on exploiting their assets for the benefit of their businesses. From litigation against patent trolls to software copyright analysis and licensing, our IP lawyers help our clients to maximise the value of their IP, both in the MENA COUNTRIES and internationally.

We advise clients from a range of sectors, including publishers, technology houses and manufacturing, as well as local authorities, consultants and a number of sports personalities.

Our experience in IP law and procedure includes:

- Copyright – advising on licensing, protection options, effective exercise/exploitation of copyright and provision of content. Our work has included media copyright, such as entertainment material and technical copyright, such as computer software

- Confidential information/secrets – advising clients on including appropriate contract terms to protect confidentiality, stand-alone non-disclosure agreements for individual projects and the practicalities of know-how protection

- Designs and patents – advising clients on protecting innovation and options for registration of their rights with the necessary authorities

- Trade marks and brands – advising clients on brand protection and managing client trade mark registrations and portfolios, as well as enforcement of branding rights, including comparative advertising and domain name issues

- Image rights

- Corporate transactions – working closely with our corporate teams on transactions where IP rights are affected, including appropriate due diligence investigations
For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates
 

The practices of outsourcing and offshoring offer businesses opportunities for cost and operational efficiencies.

However, maximising the value created by such restructuring requires careful management and preparation and an expert appreciation of how outsourcing can impact the business, from employment arrangements to service continuity and reputational risk.

At BACHIR & Associates, we help clients, including major corporations and public sector bodies, with every stage of the outsourcing process, from drafting the legal and contractual elements of tender documentation and evaluating supplier responses to service level agreements and scheduling. We advise on first and second generation transactions and manage the process of transferring associated assets, including novating third party agreements, and the protection of employment implications at both ends of the transaction.

Drawing on the expertise of specialists within our corporate, tax, employment, IP, technology, data protection and real estate teams, our outsourcing team provides a comprehensive package of services and advice to clients considering or working with outsourced operations.

Our experience includes advising on agreements relating to:

- Applications, desktop and data centres
- Managed communication (mobile, wide area network for voice and data)
- Application service provision
- Website and data hosting
- Business processes (such as payroll and accounts)
- Offshore transactions
- Facilities management
- Property outsourcing
- Shared services

For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates
 

Our technology team covers the full range of advisory and transactional work, from day-to-day commercial advice, such as software licensing and channel arrangements, through to negotiating major systems procurement, systems integration and outsourcing transactions.

We act for technology suppliers and technology users, ranging from entrepreneurs to multinationals and public sector organisations. Our technology lawyers advise on every aspect of the contracting process as well as providing specialist advice on technology-specific fields such as data protection, freedom of information and e-business. We also provide support on corporate transactions and projects.

Our experience includes drafting, reviewing and negotiating agreements relating to:

- IT services and consultancy
- Software development, licensing and application service provision
- Procurement of hardware and network communications infrastructure
- Maintenance of hardware, software, source code and escrow arrangements
- Systems procurement and integration
- Managed services arrangements
- Outsourcing transactions including desk top and data centres
- Managed communications for voice and data wide area networks
- Teaming agreements and strategic alliances
- Reseller and distribution arrangements

For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates