International law firm Clifford Chance recently established its first physical presence on African soil with the opening of a new office in Casablanca. The new location is expected to serve as a hub for clients in North and sub-Saharan Africa.
The Casablanca team will be led by partner Mustapha Mourahib, who was based out of Paris till recently. Mourahib will be responsible for developing the firm’s business in the wider North African and sub-Saharan Francophone region. The team is currently advising on three major financings in the area of renewable energy, and is experienced in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, energy and infrastructure projects, banking and finance work, as well as real estate and arbitration.
"Many of our clients in Africa are increasingly looking at regional and international expansion, just as those in the rest of the world are looking to opportunities right across the continent in a way that they haven't been before,” said David Childs, managing partner at Clifford Chance. “This office is just the latest step in Clifford Chance's investment to support clients in Africa and other key growth markets."
Africa has increasingly become a hot market for both the business and legal communities, given an abundance of mineral resources and an expected growth rate of 6 percent in 2012, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Clifford Chance’s broader Africa practice is led by Paris partner Anthony Giustini, Mourahib, Frankfurt partner Edmund Boyo, and London partners Jeremy Connick and Kem Ihenacho. The Africa group consists of about 200 lawyers in 16 different countries. ALB
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