Casablanca Finance City (CFC), July 15. In the basements of the economic capital’s “business district,” the cars parked in the garages set the tone: Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes…
The associates of business law firms based in the plush offices of the glass towers in Casablanca’s financial district know nothing of a crisis. “When you walk into his office, you’d think you were in Manhattan,” an M&A lawyer tells us about her former boss, one of the sector’s heavyweights.
While their numbers are growing in Morocco—there are now around twenty firms that “carry weight” in the market—business law firms have seen real growth since the early 2000s, driven by Morocco’s economic development, the exponential establishment of foreign companies in the kingdom, and the large-scale projects launched in every direction since Mohammed VI’s accession to the throne.
Business is booming
“Over time, this legal formalization has taken hold in Morocco, and there has been a growing demand for legal services”
Drafting contracts, preparing shareholder agreements, handling mergers and acquisitions—M&A for insiders—providing legal support for investment projects, arbitration, regulatory advice… these are just some of the tasks carried out by business lawyers, who are increasingly specializing in response to soaring demand.
“There is a very strong legal formalization of social life. When I started as a young lawyer in New York, it was a phenomenon intrinsic to American society: everyone had their doctor and their lawyer. This was not yet the case in Europe or in Morocco. But over time, this legal formalization has taken hold, and there has been a growing demand for legal services in Morocco,” explains Kamal Nasrollah, head of the Casablanca office of the American firm Baker & McKenzie, which he founded in 2012.
“Companies have realized that it is better to protect themselves against litigation upstream and therefore secure contracts to avoid going to court. They then turn to a business lawyer or legal adviser”
The lawyer recalls a visit to the head of a major Moroccan company in the mid-1990s to offer him his services as a business lawyer. “He told me: ‘I have no litigation, why would I work with you?’ I replied that my job was precisely to make sure he had little or no litigation. A few years later, I saw him again and he said to me with a smile: ‘I didn’t understand what you did at the time, but today I know who I should call to avoid ending up in court.’”
Over the past twenty years, Morocco has thus seen new practices emerge within the legal profession. “Companies have realized that it is better to protect themselves against litigation upstream and therefore secure contracts to avoid going to court. They then turn to a business lawyer or legal adviser to agree on everything before doing business together,” explains Laila Slassi, business lawyer and co-founder of the firm Afrique Advisors, opened in 2015 within CFC.
“Today, lawyers work alongside—and especially collaborate with—specialized legal experts, not necessarily litigators. This trend is not unique to Morocco; it is a profound transformation of the profession”
A new type of lawyer has emerged, she says: “Those who don’t necessarily go to court, but specialize in contract drafting techniques, seal agreements, and advise their clients upstream. We’re seeing a transformation in the profession. Twenty years ago, it was practiced only by generalist lawyers, litigators. Today, these lawyers work alongside—and especially collaborate with—specialized legal experts, not necessarily litigators. This trend is not unique to Morocco; it is a profound transformation of the profession worldwide,” she adds.
A profession that has become essential to properly support the economic development of companies, according to Bassamat Fassi-Fihri, founding partner of Bassamat & Laraqui, one of the pioneering firms in the field, founded in 1989: “Today, it’s impossible to imagine a major economic project being implemented without the involvement of business lawyers, or at the very least, very good legal experts. It’s fundamental.”
The boom of international law firms
Faced with the growing demand for business law advice in Morocco, some major international firms have spotted a golden opportunity. In the 2000s and 2010s, the kingdom saw the arrival of many foreign firms. Alongside historic Moroccan firms such as Naciri & Associés, Bennani & Associés, Bassamat & Laraqui, and Kettani Law Firm, Anglo-Saxon, French, and Spanish giants of business law came to plant their flags on Moroccan soil.
Allen & Overy, Baker & McKenzie, Clifford Chance, Dentons, DLA Piper, Gide, Garrigues, LPA Law, Norton Rose Fulbright… generally associated with Moroccan lawyers or legal experts, they attract the young guns of the field, who cut their teeth there before, in some cases, striking out on their own to establish their own firms.
“We came to Morocco in 2005 because we had detected at that time a growing interest in the country among our clients. We follow our clients wherever they go. That’s what determines our international expansion,” explains José Ignacio García Muniozguren, managing partner of the Casablanca office of the Spanish firm Garrigues, which has about a dozen staff members in Morocco.
“Being part of an international firm helps considerably. A company advised by Dentons in Singapore, for example, will naturally seek advice from Dentons Morocco if it is considering setting up here. The bond of trust already exists,” explains Omar Sayarh, managing partner at Dentons Morocco.
For him, the business lawyer’s profession has now “gone global”: “The days when the business lawyer was isolated in their office are over. In Morocco, we’re seeing the emergence of larger structures, although still modest compared to European, American, or Asian markets,” where the number of staff is often in the hundreds, or even thousands for the largest firms.
“In Morocco, there are many international firms, but they are generally of reasonable, even small, size—perhaps better suited to the Moroccan market—with only a few dozen staff,” adds Pierre Deprez, a French lawyer who worked at several firms in France before joining Baker & McKenzie in Morocco, then co-founding his own firm, Sila Law Firm, in July 2025 with his partner Hajar Benyachou.
“Moroccan firms are often structured around a single person, the founder—more often a man—who may then partner with an international firm,” he adds. This is the case, for example, of the kingdom’s number one lawyer, Hicham Naciri, known for having defended the interests of King Mohammed VI on several occasions, who partnered in 2011 with the London-based firm Allen & Overy (A&O), which in 2024 became Naciri & Associés A&O Shearman following the merger between A&O and the American firm Shearman & Sterling.
Suits vs. black robes
“Most of us are registered with foreign bar associations, in Paris, London, or New York, but not in Casablanca. What we are criticized for is our lack of legitimacy”
This massive arrival of foreign firms specializing in business law is not necessarily welcomed by so-called “traditional” Moroccan lawyers, who handle more litigation cases before the courts. Some criticize international firms for working with legal experts not registered with the Casablanca bar, and therefore unable to plead in court.
“Most of us are registered with foreign bar associations—in Paris, London, or New York—but not in Casablanca. So what we are criticized for is our lack of legitimacy. And then, we’re seen as outsiders who show up and try to grab market share, when in reality, what we do is completely different,” argues a Moroccan lawyer, noting that it is not mandatory to hold the title of lawyer to work as a corporate legal adviser in business law.
“Business lawyers, in general, have quite a limited understanding of what can happen in courtrooms. Pleading cases, knowing the procedures, the workings, and the behind-the-scenes of the courts—that’s truly a profession of its own. So we rely on our litigator colleagues to do it. In the end, we coexist,” she concludes.
Kamal Nasrollah does not see international law firms in Morocco as a threat to local firms, on the contrary. “There is clearly room for all skill sets precisely because of their complementarity,” he says.
“If, by chance, we were to ban them, a client who needed business law services in Morocco would go to a firm in Paris or London, which would bill them in foreign currency and without applying Moroccan VAT. That would be a loss for everyone: public finances, the client, and the expertise within the Moroccan legal community, to the benefit of a firm based abroad rather than in Casablanca,” adds the managing partner of Nasrollah & Associés – Baker & McKenzie.
For Pierre Deprez, “The advantage of large international firms is that they have very strict rules of ethics, professional conduct, transparency, and respect for business confidentiality, which set a framework they are obliged to follow. It’s a bit like a publicly traded company, there are rules and a lot of responsibilities. So it helps to professionalize and improve the market.”
“In my view, there is no competition. Their activity has nothing to do with ours. Just as they could not do our job, we could not do theirs. It is a valuable complementarity”
Youssef Chehbi, a Casablanca-based lawyer specializing in criminal litigation in particular, believes that business lawyers are “essential to supporting Morocco’s ongoing development, but also to training the next generation. They contribute to the emergence of a new generation of legal experts and lawyers that we, in litigation, could not train. These are highly specific techniques and skills that we do not master.”
And he continues: “In my view, there is no competition. Their activity has nothing to do with ours. Just as they could not do our job, we could not do theirs. It is a valuable complementarity that helps move the profession in the right direction.”
Nevertheless, for some black robes, knowing how to juggle both business law and litigation should be essential to good professional practice. “I usually say that you cannot give good advice if you do not master litigation in Morocco. If you don’t know how the courts actually apply the laws, you risk making purely theoretical recommendations, disconnected from the reality on the ground,” stresses Bassamat Fassi-Fihri.
“Our advice must always be rooted in judicial reality. And this reality is Moroccan case law, which allows us, when we have to analyze or draft a contract, to think ahead and ask ourselves: ‘If things go wrong, how would a Moroccan judge interpret this clause?’ That is the most important thing,” she says.
Room for everyone?
In a market dominated by a handful of large firms and lawyers who have been well-established for decades, what place is there for the new generation? “On certain major development and investment projects, there may be two or three firms that will be in the lead because they’ve been around for over 20 years, they’re well-known. It’s normal, it’s a market reflex. There are also a few protected domains: we know that the king has been advised by Me Naciri for a long time, and it’s normal that this won’t change as long as he is satisfied with his lawyer,” says one of our sources.
But, “the arrival of a new international firm can be perceived as a form of hostility. You attract a bit of the wrath of others, because it’s a very competitive environment and we’re all fighting over the same cases,” says another lawyer.
For Omar Sayarh of the firm Dentons, “there are certainly firms that have a more comfortable position because they were there before the others and developed long-term trust with their clients. But that doesn’t mean the market is closed or that there’s an unhealthy sharing of cases. On the contrary, there is healthy competition, an upward leveling that’s happening. And everyone uses their own means to go get business and build client loyalty. Of course, there are firms that are better off than others. That’s normal. It’s the free play of competition.”
Thus, the goal for small firms starting out is not to “break the market and take other people’s clients, but to create a new market, an alternative,” emphasizes Hajar Benyachou of Sila Law Firm.
“There is room for young lawyers in this market, as long as they are fighters and can specialize. One might target the energy sector, another the port sector, and another might specialize in construction litigation, for example”
A new market that is attracting more and more young legal professionals, who see in it the opportunity to develop skills in line with the new economic reality. “There is room for young lawyers in this market, as long as they are fighters and can specialize. One might target the energy sector, another the port sector, another might specialize in construction litigation, for example, with the various projects for the 2030 World Cup, etc. But you have to want it, you have to wake up early in the morning, develop expertise, build visibility, and establish a reputation,” notes Kamal Nasrollah.
“In the past, we had this idea that in Morocco, a lawyer is a litigator, and that to do this job, an excellent command of Arabic was necessary. You also had to have the courage or the desire to work in a judicial environment that can be a very difficult workplace, especially for women,” explains Laila Slassi.
“When you leave a business law firm, you won’t have trouble finding a place elsewhere, because such profiles are still rare in Morocco compared to the demand”
“Now I’m seeing a trend among young people who want to specialize in business law because it’s a fascinating profession. You’re at the heart of transactions, you truly have a role as an adviser, a translator of legal language, a negotiator. You defend clients’ interests in transactions. It’s very challenging. And it’s also often well paid. It’s a profession where there are no unemployed legal experts. When you leave a business law firm, you won’t have trouble finding a place elsewhere, because such profiles are still rare in Morocco compared to the demand.”
Work… and money
According to estimates provided by several of our sources, juniors can earn around 20,000 dirhams to start, and up to 50,000, 60,000, or even 80,000 or 100,000 dirhams and more for the most experienced
Salaries and bonuses with multiple zeros indeed attract young legal professionals and lawyers, who can take home a tidy sum. According to estimates provided by several of our sources, juniors can earn around 20,000 dirhams to start, and up to 50,000, 60,000, or even 80,000 or 100,000 dirhams and more for the most experienced.
Sometimes, the redistribution of firm profits also allows them to receive bonuses of two, three, or four additional months’ salary. Naturally, this varies from one firm to another, and from one position to another, whether junior, partner, or senior partner.
“There is a large disparity in the fees of lawyers working in international firms versus Moroccan firms. Market practice is that international law firms charge by the hour, whereas those handling litigation tend to take a percentage of the case’s winnings,” explains one of our sources.
“At the level of international firms, now, there are many that work on a flat-fee basis, because some clients request it. But on average, let’s say a partner will cost at least between 4,000 and 10,000 dirhams an hour, sometimes more. But here I’m talking about the big firms. Smaller firms will tend to apply an hourly rate between 2,500 and 3,000 dirhams,” she points out.
“Working in a firm is not easy; it’s a lot of hours, sometimes 14, 16, 18 hours a day, there’s really no room for the human element,” laments a lawyer
The flip side of the coin is often the grueling work pace. “Working in a firm is not easy; it’s a lot of hours, sometimes 14, 16, 18 hours a day, there’s really no room for the human element,” laments a lawyer, who explains: “You feel it’s very focused on money, money, money, and you just have to bill, bill, bill.”
In some firms, there also remains “a pyramidal system, and management that is not necessarily inclusive,” sighs another lawyer. “Some top lawyers see their associates as expendable, because they believe that, in any case, whether they stay or leave, the firm will keep running. Whatever happens, clients come without them having to go looking for them,” our source concludes.
They move in the secrecy of business, make and break contracts, oversee company sales and acquisitions, assist investors, and whisper their legal advice into their clients’ ears: who are these business lawyers who defend the… pic.twitter.com/Fet3yVEslG
— TelQuel (@TelQuelOfficiel) July 21, 2025
Hicham Naciri, the star
If there is one name on everyone’s lips when talking about top business lawyers in Morocco, it is Hicham Naciri. Thrust into the spotlight since the Eric Laurent–Catherine Graciet affair—two French journalists convicted of blackmailing King Mohammed VI in 2015—he has quietly advised Morocco’s business elite for years.
The son of Mohamed Naciri, a leading figure at the bar, former Minister of Justice, and former president of the Casablanca bar association, Hicham Naciri began his career as a business lawyer after earning a corporate legal adviser degree in 1994 from Montpellier. He then moved to Paris, joining the business law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, followed by Gide Loyrette Nouel, where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions and complex legal–financial structuring.
Returning to Morocco in 2000, he developed the family firm, then partnered with Gide from 2003 to 2011, before joining Allen & Overy until 2024, and later merging with Shearman.
His most recent major deal, concluded in May 2025, was the agreement between Taqa Morocco, a subsidiary of the Emirati group Taqa, and Moroccan energy company Nareva, along with the Moroccan state, estimated at over 130 billion dirhams. Contacted about this case, Hicham Naciri told us he was “between several meetings abroad” and that it would likely be “complicated” to find time to respond.
AI, phantom menace?
Will lawyers be replaced by artificial intelligence? With the development of generative AI, the profession has reason to worry. Used for research, drafting legal submissions, or even pleading—in May, a 74-year-old man in New York attempted to have an AI-generated avatar defend him during a hearing over a dispute with his former employer—AI is shaking up the profession.
“Artificial intelligence has greatly disrupted what we do,” admits one lawyer interviewed. A tool that should be used even more by the next generation of legal professionals.
Nevertheless, “artificial intelligence is not a threat to quality lawyers. There will always be room for them, since there is a very strong intuitu personae relationship in this profession,” says another lawyer. In other words, the personal relationship maintained with a flesh-and-blood lawyer remains a decisive factor in closing good deals.
A short glossary of business law firm jargon
• M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions): Mergers and acquisitions. Refers to transactions in which companies merge or one acquires another, with the aim of growth, restructuring, or strategic expansion.
• Partner / Associate Partner: A lawyer who is a leader or co-owner of the firm, often involved in strategy and business development.
• Counsel: An experienced lawyer positioned between a senior associate and a partner. May work on complex cases without being an equity holder.
• Junior / Mid / Senior Associate: Different levels of associates based on their seniority and expertise.
• Origination: A lawyer’s ability to bring new clients or cases to the firm. This is a decisive criterion for becoming a partner.
• Contrat intuitu personae: A contract entered into because of the personal qualities (expertise, reputation, trust, etc.) of a person or company. In other words, the identity of the contracting party is a determining factor in concluding the contract.
• Facturation horaire / Billable hours: Billable hours actually worked on cases. They are closely monitored in large firms.
• Deal flow: The volume and quality of cases (mergers, acquisitions, fundraising, etc.) coming into the firm.
• Track record: A lawyer’s or a firm’s history or record on major deals, disputes, or transactions handled.
• Pitch / Beauty contest: A competitive presentation that firms make to a potential client to win a case.
• Up or out: A culture of rapid promotion of talent in large firms, where you either move up quickly… or leave.
• Magic Circle / Big Four / White Shoe Firms: Expressions referring respectively to the most prestigious British law firms, major international accounting/audit networks, or historically elite American firms.
Written in French by Anaïs Lefébure and Ghita Ismaili, edited in English by Eric Nielson
