Mohamed S Abdel Wahab

Founding Partner & Head of the International Arbitration, Zulficar & Partners

Professor Dr Abdel Wahab holds a number of academic and professional positions, including: Chair of the Private International Law Department (Cairo University); founding partner and head of international arbitration, construction and energy (Zulficar & Partners Law Firm); Dean of the Africa Arbitration Academy; Chair of the International Expert Advisory Committee of the Permanent Forum of China Construction Law – China; Vice-President, ICC International Court of Arbitration; Member of the ICCA Governing Board; Member of the Governing Board of the International Council on Online Dispute Resolution (ICODR); Vice-President of the CRCICA Advisory Committee; MIAC advisory board member; LACIAC Court member; CIMAC Court Member; PCA Court member (Egypt); member of the CIArb’s Board of Trustees; and Senior Vice Chair, IBA Arab Regional Forum; and member of the SIAC African Users’ Council’s Committee.

Prof Dr Abdel Wahab served as arbitrator, counsel and legal expert in more than 230 cases involving African, Asian, Canadian, European, Middle Eastern and US parties. Most recently in 2021, he features among the top 64 world leading practitioners in Who’s Who Global Elite Thought Leaders: International Arbitration (2021), in AFRICA’s 30 Arbitration Powerlist (2020) and in I-ARB AFRICA’s 100 Leading African practitioners, and was selected as the African Personality by Africa Arbitration in June 2018, and by the LACIAC in May 2019. He received the LAW Magazine 2017 Best Legal Practitioner Award, the 2018 ASA International Arbitration Advocacy Prize, the 2019 AYA Hall-of-Fame African Arbitrator Award, the 2020 Client Choice International Award and the 2021 Lawdragon Global Litigation 500 Award. Prof Dr Abdel Wahab was nominated four times in (2013), (2014), (2018) and (2019) for the Global Arbitration Review Award for the Best Arbitration Lecture/Speech, and he was also nominated in (2020) for the GAR COVID-19 Pandemic Response Award on account of the ‘Abdel Wahab Pandemic Pathway to Virtual Hearings’ published by Global Arbitration Review on 6 May 2020 (and translated into other languages including Chinese and published in the Beijing International Arbitration Quarterly Vol. 112 No. 2, 2020).

Prof Dr Abdel Wahab is also co-editor (with Maxi Scherer and Niuscha Bassiri) of the leading international book on covid-19 and international arbitration, entitled International Arbitration and the COVID-19 Revolution (2020). He also sits on the editorial board and advisory committees of several law journals and has held visiting posts in universities in Egypt, the UK and the US. He teaches international law, international investment and commercial arbitration, conflict of laws and comparative law. He featured in proceedings governed by Angolan, Bahraini, Californian, Egyptian, English, French, Iraqi, Jordanian, Kenyan, Kuwaiti, Libyan, Moroccan, New York, Nigerian, Omani, Pakistani, Qatari, Rwandan, Saudi, Spanish, Swiss, Syrian, Italian, United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistani laws, as well as the general principles of law.

Chambers and Partners Global (2021) says, “Peers regard Mohamed Abdel Wahab as “an absolute star in arbitration”, “He is very charismatic and engaging. He is always on top of the work and has an excellent knowledge of the market and the law”. Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration (2021) says: “Outstanding engagement and pleasant to work with”, “He is a top-tier thought leader and in a league of his own” and “a very well-prepared and exceptional arbitrator”. Client Choice International (2020) by Lexology says: “Mohamed is an exceptional lawyer; he has extraordinary focus and an impressive knowledge of the law”, “Mohamed outshines his competitors; he is world-class. He is really an outstanding a very impartial and independent arbitrator”, “He is extremely efficient and reliable; he is one of the most brilliant legal brains of his generation”, and “He is very knowledgeable, extremely responsive, brilliantly outstanding and an excellent arbitrator and counsel”. WWL: Arbitration (2020) says he is “a leader in the space”. The Legal 500 (2019) states he is “one of the best in the world”.