Chebl Atallah is a senior associate at Abou Jaoude & Associates Law Firm.
Chebl has considerable experience advising local, regional, and international clients on dispute resolution matters, as well as matters related to corporate, agency, and labor law, with a notable industry expertise in F&B, consumer electronics, and distributorships.
He has a broad disputes practice representing clients in civil, commercial and penal litigation before all court levels, from case strategy setting to implementation. Chebl’s practice spans across many industries, and includes counselling on collection claims, consensual work-outs, complex enforcement actions, major debt restructurings, and insolvency proceedings.
He advises annually-retained groups on the legal aspects of their day-to-day business and transactions, including regulatory compliance, the coordination with all administrations and authorities, registrations of intellectual property rights, corporate structurings and restructurings, private equity acquisitions and disposals, and a wide spectrum of commercial agreements, particularly agency, distribution, and franchise agreements.
Chebl also specializes in employment law matters, ranging from the development of legally-compliant employment policies to the drafting of employment contracts, as well as labor-related litigation.
Chebl's recent notable representative experience can be viewed here.
EXPERTISE
- Dispute Resolution
- Corporate Law
- Employment and Benefits
- Financial Restructuring and Insolvency
- Licensing, Agency and Distributorships
- Franchising
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Chebl is recognized as a Recommended Lawyer in the prominent international directory The Legal 500 EMEA 2022, in the practice area of ‘Commercial, Corporate and M&A’.
MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS
- Admitted to the Beirut Bar Association.
EDUCATION
- LLB (Bachelor of Laws), Saint-Joseph University, Lebanon.
- Diploma in Computer & Law, Saint-Joseph University, Lebanon, accredited by the University of Montpellier, France.
LANGUAGES
Arabic ● French ● English
Corporate Law ● Employment and Benefits ● Financial Restructuring and Insolvency ● Licensing, Agency and Distributorships ● Franchising
- Advised prominent groups on corporate structurings and acquisitions and divestments in the F&B and consumer electronics industries, involving exclusive distributorships and complex third-party approvals, including with respect to the Cherfan group (Samsung Lebanon), and leading regional urban eateries Zaatar W Zeit, Bar Tartine and Sandwich W Noss.
- Advised several leading companies in the F&B and FMCG industries on commercial lease agreements for stand-alone outlets, shops-in-shops, and outlets in major shopping malls in Lebanon and abroad, including the renowned ABC mall and the City Center Beirut mall.
- Advised the exclusive distributor of the Opel automotive brand in Lebanon Technocars SAL on the sale and transfer of its inventory and distributorship license to the A.N.BouKather Group, the distributor of Mazda and Vespa in Lebanon, involving a complex approvals process in Germany and Japan.
- Advised prominent groups across all industries on employment redundancy plans and employee settlements in the context of corporate restructurings and winding-ups involving complex regulatory approvals, as well as a wide array of employment lawsuits.
- Advised Brazilian multinational construction conglomerate Construtora Andrade Gutierrez SA on complex employment matters related to its non-Lebanese experts and engineers working on the US$250 Million Jannah dam and lake construction project in Lebanon.
- Participated in advising major F&B group Geadah Bros on the complex US$15 Million debt restructuring involving 11 banks, 35 creditors and a large receivables and real estate portfolio.
- Participated in advising on the Mansour family on the US$200 Million largest multi-business family debt restructuring involving eight premier banks in Lebanon and a large real estate portfolio.
- Participated in advising on the Wehbe family on the complex US$10 Million family debt restructuring involving six premier banks and a large real estate portfolio.
- Advised the renowned Cherfan group on major exclusive distributorship and agency agreements with the global leader in consumer electronics Samsung for the import and distribution of Samsung products in Lebanon.
- Advised leading regional urban eateries Zaatar W Zeit, Bar Tartine and Sandwich W Noss on the setup of their franchise operations and documentation, and the drafting and negotiation of their franchise-related agreements in Lebanon and several countries worldwide.
Litigation
- Advised leading Lebanese bank Fransabank on five connected multi-million lawsuits against renowned home decor group Sleep Comfort related to the reimbursement of bank facilities and the enforcement of back-to-back cross-border bank guarantees with the Commercial Bank of Qatar, involving highly complex currency-related regulatory issues amidst Lebanon’s unprecedented banking crisis and the ensuing capital controls imposed by banks.
- Participated in advising Carlos Ghosn, the notorious former CEO of the Renault-Nissan Group, on the challenging of an Interpol Red Notice in the context of the high profile globally mediatized legal actions against Nissan and Renault.
- Participated in advising Bankmed on lawsuits before Lebanese courts connected to the major US$1 Billion highly complex multi-jurisdiction banking dispute against oil trader IMMS.
- Advised the regional leader in the lighting and energy sector Debbas Group on a lawsuit lodged by its subcontractor EPS in connection with a highly complex DSP Contract with the Lebanese Government for the rehabilitation and modernization of the electricity power grid in Lebanon through the installation of an advanced smart metering infrastructure.
- Participated in advising the Lebanese Canadian Bank (under liquidation) on the complex US$10 Million settlement of a breach of trust and embezzlement lawsuit related to the sale of shares in Qatar First Investment Bank.
- Participated in advising the Abou Zeid family on the US$33 Million settlement of a lawsuit against leading wealth management financial firm FIDUS involving complex portfolio management mandates.
- Advised global telecoms group Ericsson on a major employment lawsuit involving the embezzlement of funds and the breach of Ericsson’s Code of Business Ethics.
- Advised the exclusive distributor in Lebanon of the global leader in consumer electronics Samsung on a major lawsuit related to the commercial distributorship of the TCL TV brand.
- Advised leading FMCG group Bocti on an unlawful competition lawsuit brought against major distributors in Lebanon under exclusive distribution agreements of food brands.
- Advised leading TV station LBCI on a wide spectrum of pre-litigation negotiations, and media-related litigation cases involving the infringement of IP rights and rights of privacy and publicity.
- Advised leading TV station LBCI on a criminal lawsuit for fraudulent bankruptcy against the largest Arab media group Rotana before the financial prosecutor in Lebanon in the context of the highly-mediatized Lebanese and international judicial and arbitral conflict opposing LBCI to the Rotana group.
- Advised major media stakeholders, including LBCI, Annahar newspaper, and the Lebanon Press Federation in challenging a highly mediatized controversial court order banning local and foreign media organizations from interviewing the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon following her public comments which were deemed to interfere in domestic affairs and strike sectarian and political strife.
