# Recommended Lawyer?



## aujelaman (Jan 4, 2012)

Hello all,

I am looking at buying an apartment in one of the compounds in and around 6th October/Sheikh Zayed cities.
Can anyone recommend a good English speaking property lawyer that I could use for the legal work and POA?
Would appreciate any suggestions or recommendations.

Thanks in advance,
Alan


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

aujelaman said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I am looking at buying an apartment in one of the compounds in and around 6th October/Sheikh Zayed cities.
> Can anyone recommend a good English speaking property lawyer that I could use for the legal work and POA?
> ...


Check embassy websites for recommendations.


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## aujelaman (Jan 4, 2012)

MaidenScotland said:


> Check embassy websites for recommendations.


Hi Maiden,

Thanks for the reply
Yes I have downloaded the list of English speaking lawyers from the UK embassy website and have contacted those that list real estate as part of their service, but have not had any replies yet. My concern from looking at some of their websites is that they all seem to be focused on companies and business activities rather than individuals, I guess that might just be part of their marketing so will wait a bit longer to see if I get any response from them. But I was also hoping someone in the forum might be able to suggest a good (trustworthy!) real estate lawyer from personal experience?

Thanks again
Alan


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## AlexDhabi (Aug 23, 2012)

Note that the UK embassy site is a starting point but gives no guarantees. They are not embassy recommendations as such. I don't recommend my lawyer who I found on that site.


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## aujelaman (Jan 4, 2012)

AlexDhabi said:


> Note that the UK embassy site is a starting point but gives no guarantees. They are not embassy recommendations as such. I don't recommend my lawyer who I found on that site.


Hi Alex,

Thanks for the advice.
I assume the lawyer you mention is in Egypt??

Regards,
Alan


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## hurghadapat (Mar 26, 2010)

aujelaman said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I am looking at buying an apartment in one of the compounds in and around 6th October/Sheikh Zayed cities.
> Can anyone recommend a good English speaking property lawyer that I could use for the legal work and POA?
> ...



An honest and trustworthy lawyer in Egypt is about as rare as hens teeth,they will quite happily work for both parties so no such thing as a "conflict of interests" but good luck in finding one.


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## aujelaman (Jan 4, 2012)

hurghadapat said:


> An honest and trustworthy lawyer in Egypt is about as rare as hens teeth,they will quite happily work for both parties so no such thing as a "conflict if interests" but good luck in finding one.


LOL thanks for the 'heads up' I guess its going to be as much a matter of luck than judgment when choosing a lawyer!! 

Alan :juggle: :fingerscrossed:


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

AlexDhabi said:


> Note that the UK embassy site is a starting point but gives no guarantees. They are not embassy recommendations as such. I don't recommend my lawyer who I found on that site.



There is no such thing as guarantee in Egypt... but at least it gives a list of lawyers who speak English. Personally I would never do anything here that involved lawyers, I have seen so many scams that the lawyers are all in


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## canuck2010 (Jan 13, 2010)

There are a few international law firms with branch offices in Egypt, you could try there. Their fees are high though.
We've had consultations with Levari and Dentons and they both seemed competent. Of course, do your own due diligence.


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## Gounie (Jan 27, 2011)

I have lived in Egypt since 2004 and never had to use a lawyer and never knew of one I could recommend either.

However, at last night's Rotary Club of Red Sea - El Gouna meeting one of the members introduced a prospective new Rotary member who is a lawyer and his father is a lawyer and they deal in many areas of law, and work internationally. He definitely seemed worth checking out so I will share his details:

01001110693 Hanna Law Firms Maged (Mark) Hanna


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## TheTaxMan (Jul 2, 2015)

Wait a sec...you're actually looking to BUY property here?? Why would you want to do that? I own a condo in Giza and let me tell you, its not worth it at all. Even if you plan on permanently residing here, you're better off renting. Its tough for Egyptians to buy/sell property let alone for an expat. Don't mean to shoot down your idea, but trust me, you don't want to get into it.

After the first revolution my condo's value went down almost 50%. No joke. It's been "on the market" now for the past year. And the funny thing that people are willing to buy it, but the sale never occurs because of all the red tape and bureaucracy here. Not worth it. The other thing is that you are likely buying a condo (cuz that's what 99% of EG is). You really don't own the condo in the sense as you would think in US/UK. soooo much red tape. I'm a US trained lawyer and having trouble. My new idea is to rent it out on a short term basis to foreigners on holiday...but I could totally see someone having a problem with that (other unit owners, the gov't, etc.). As for a good lawyer, if he's willing to take your money without at least giving you the disclosures I'm giving you, then he's not worth a damn IMO. Good luck.


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## AlexDhabi (Aug 23, 2012)

aujelaman said:


> Hi Alex,
> 
> Thanks for the advice.
> I assume the lawyer you mention is in Egypt??
> ...


Yes, with offices in Cairo and Alexandria.


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## AlexDhabi (Aug 23, 2012)

TheTaxMan said:


> Wait a sec...you're actually looking to BUY property here?? Why would you want to do that? I own a condo in Giza and let me tell you, its not worth it at all. Even if you plan on permanently residing here, you're better off renting. Its tough for Egyptians to buy/sell property let alone for an expat. Don't mean to shoot down your idea, but trust me, you don't want to get into it.
> 
> After the first revolution my condo's value went down almost 50%. No joke. It's been "on the market" now for the past year. And the funny thing that people are willing to buy it, but the sale never occurs because of all the red tape and bureaucracy here. Not worth it. The other thing is that you are likely buying a condo (cuz that's what 99% of EG is). You really don't own the condo in the sense as you would think in US/UK. soooo much red tape. I'm a US trained lawyer and having trouble. My new idea is to rent it out on a short term basis to foreigners on holiday...but I could totally see someone having a problem with that (other unit owners, the gov't, etc.). As for a good lawyer, if he's willing to take your money without at least giving you the disclosures I'm giving you, then he's not worth a damn IMO. Good luck.


This is excellent advice. 

Buying any property is a long term commitment, but when not in your country of origin/knowledge you have to rely on the advice you are given and verify as much as possible. The risk of buying overseas is higher, moreso in a developing country. And if you must go ahead, avoid off-plan and buy something move-in ready.

I bought by Egyptian flat 11 years ago after 2 years of research and visiting various developments. It was brand new in an area that has stayed nice with quiet professional Egyptian neighbours. Maintenance charges continue low, security good, lifts work, common areas cleaned daily. Build quality still seems good with deterioration minimal, so no regrets from that perspective. I still think it was a bargain. 

My lawyer seemed upfront with lots of information about the conveyancing process and limitations of buying into what I would describe as an owners' association. Yes it is different to UK flats (which, by the way, you can never own 100% as they are leasehold with annual charges payable to the freeholder).

For my situation I could transfer the property to my husband who has an EG passport and in retrospect we should have done that in the beginning except we weren't married then.

Apologies for the ramble... I guess to sum up if you want to buy property in Egypt: caveat emptor (buyer beware) and don't be too trusting! Oh, and one other thing, make sure the lawyer assigned to your case (not just the boss) speaks and writes in English!


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