Our Casablanca office brings together Moroccan and French law practitioners alike, and is today one of the only firms in the country to offer legal assistance that covers the various fields of Moroccan and international finance and business law.

Our teams assist our clients, be they international institutions, public bodies, banks, foreign investors or leading Moroccan business groups, on the legal and tax aspects of their investments and their commercial and financial operations.

Main areas of expertise:

• Mergers & Acquisitions / Corporate Law
• Real Estate               
• Banking & Finance  
• Projects (Finance & Infrastructure)       
• Tax                       
• Competition & International Trade      
• Employment                 
• Public & Administrative Law           
• Insurance, Industrial Risk & Transport       
• Arbitration              
• Intellectual Property, Telecommunications, Media & Technology          

Recent experience includes:

• Advising Renault Trucks on the divestment of its Moroccan subsidiary Renault Trucks Maroc.
   
• Advising South Korean alloy-wheel manufacturer Hands Corporation on the set-up of a new manufacturing plant in Morocco.
   
• Advising the Kingdom of Morocco on its first sovereign Sukuk issuance.
   
• Advising Chariot Oil & Gas Limited on the farmout of a 40% equity interest in six exploration permits in Morocco.
   
• Advising Onomo Hotels (Batipart group) on its various real estate and hospitality projects in Africa (Morocco, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Republic of Congo, Mozambique, etc.): acquisition of hotels / plots of land, hotel construction, etc.
   
• Advising SDX Energy on the acquisition of Circle Oil’s assets in Morocco. Circle Oil held certain gas operating concessions located in the Gharb basin (Morocco).
   
• Advising Groupe Palmeraie Développement on real estate and hospitality projects in Côte d’Ivoire and Gabon. It is one of the first real estate Sub-Saharan transactions involving Moroccan players.
   
• Advising Aabar Investments on the setting-up of Wessal Capital and its first investments in Casablanca and Rabat: in October 2014, Wessal Capital was named “2014 Sovereign Wealth Fund Deal of the Year” by World Finance, due to its unique collaborative model and the scale of its developmental impact, and "2014 Social Deal of the Year" (Press release for more information)
   
• Advising Groupe Palmeraie Développement on the divestment / restructuring of a substantial portion of its hospitality business and assets: setting up a joint venture with Aabar Investment PJS, transferring the ownership of the real estate assets and associated businesses to the JV, etc.
   
• Advising Wendel on its acquisition of a 100 million-euro stake in Saham Group.
   
• Advising Veolia on the sale of its water and electricity activities in Morocco.
   
• Advising the Moroccan government on reviewing the existing Moroccan mining code and drafting a new version.
   
• Advising Medi Telecom (second telephone operator in Morocco) on refinancing its local debt, amounting of EUR 450 million.

Gide Cuatrecasas Casablanca draws on 17 years of experience on the ground in Casablanca and it continues to assist Moroccan and foreign clients with major M&A transactions in Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa. Its work on cross-border M&A transactions spans sectors as diverse hospitality and tourism, automotive, energy, healthcare, real estate and retail. Partner Simon Auquier and counsel Chloé Joachim de Larivière are the principal contacts. They recently assisted US company Spirit AeroSystems with the acquisition of Bombardier Aerospace North Africa.

Legal 500 EMEA 2021

Gide Cuatrecasas Casablanca has a standalone group that advises both international and Moroccan clients on tax and foreign exchange control matters. It assists multinational companies with global tax strategies, transfer pricing and interactions with Morocco's Office des Changes. Newly promoted counsel Chloé Joachim de Larivière and associate Julien Nouchi are the key practitioners in the practice, which is led by corporate partner Simon Auquier. It is well-positioned to advise French companies and recently supported renewable energy company EDF Renouvelables in tax matters relating to its projects in Morocco.

Legal 500 EMEA 2021

At Gide Cuatrecasas Casablanca, one of its clients recently noted that 'the team was outstanding, really dedicated and available to help meet its clients' needs'. The firm has the only fully dedicated real estate team on the market, with four full-time real estate lawyers, and it frequently handles high-profile property purchases and construction projects. It is assisting Société Générale Marocaines de Banques with the construction of an office tower for its headquarters. 'Dedicated and very professional' counsel and real estate specialist Loris Marghieri leads the practice. 'Outstanding partner' Jean-François Levraud, whose practice is split between the Paris and Casablanca offices, and projects partner Wacef Bentaibi are also recommended.

Legal 500 EMEA 2021

During the last 15 years, Gide Cuatrecasas Casablanca has established itself as a key player in the M&A market. It assists local and foreign clients with major M&A transactions in Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa. Simon Auquier and star senior associate Chloé Joachim de Larivière advised Wendel on the $155m sale of its holding in Saham Group.
Legal 500 EMEA 2019

Gide Cuatrecasas Casablanca has 'a very competent and hardworking team that is second to none in its knowledge of Moroccan energy law.' Key partner Wacef Bentaibi is 'very supportive and provides the best advice'. He assisted South Korean alloy wheel manufacturer Hands Corporation with the development of a manufacturing plant in the Tangier Free Trade Zone.
Legal 500 EMEA 2019

This firm is the product of a joint venture between French firm Gide and Spanish firm Cuatrecasas. Both backgrounds bring benefits, with excellence in projects, infrastructure and energy a notable synergy. Other areas of experience include the establishment and divestment of operations and subsidiaries for industrial and automotive clients. One international client praised the firm for its tailored solutions: 'Gide understood exactly our company's situation and needs, then provided us appropriate solutions.' Another source rated the 'strong team and good service,' as well as the technical skills of the team.
Chambers Europe 2019