Global law firm Ashurst announces the opening of a new office in Casablanca, Morocco, welcoming a team of lawyers to further strengthen its capabilities in the region and significantly expand the firm's existing Africa practice by building a local presence.
The firm's Casablanca team includes senior associates Meriem Komiha and Youssef Tork, and associate Yasmine Hitane. The team will be led by partner and Head of Morocco Ouns Lemseffer who joined Ashurst in September.
The multilingual Casablanca team, complemented by Ashurst's strong Africa team across London, Paris, Madrid and the Middle East, will support clients who operate or invest in the continent across a broad range of project development, financing, structured finance, capital markets and M&A/Private Equity matters. The team brings an additional level of capability in project finance, structured finance and private capital mobilisation of all forms, in Morocco as well as the wider Francophone Africa region.
Commenting on the office launch and team hire, partner and Head of Morocco, Ouns Lemseffer, said: "I am excited to build the firm's newest office as we officially open in Casablanca, and I am thrilled to be joined by the team. The Casablanca office is a key component of our Africa strategy, with our team bringing an unmatched mix of the best international standards with a very deep understanding of local laws and close working relationships with the regulators in the markets where we operate."
"There are many opportunities for the firm and our clients, and being on-the-ground means we can continue to seize the significant market opportunities," Ouns added. "I look forward to continuing to advise our clients across the region and globally on the most complex and innovative transactions in Africa."
"The launch of our first Africa office and the stellar new team in Casablanca signals a new phase of growth for Ashurst and an important milestone," said David Charlier, Co-Head of Projects & Energy Transition EMEA at Ashurst. "Expansion in Africa is the natural next step given Ashurst's 120-year history in the region. I have every confidence in Ouns' leadership and her abilities to scale our market share in Africa, as well as service clients in this fast-evolving market."
