The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region presents the biggest challenges that global businesses face today. The experts of Heenan Blaikie’s MENA team help our clients understand and meet these challenges. We know the risks and we understand how to realize the rewards.

The resource-rich and labour-abundant MENA region stretches from the Atlantic Ocean  at the eastern tip of the Maghreb to beyond the waters of the Gulf and from the Mediterranean to the Sahara. Its market rivals that of the European Union (EU) in size, and it is an economically diverse region that continues to benefit from the wealth created by the region’s bountiful supply of resources. With over two-thirds of the world’s proven oil resources and well over 40% of its natural gas resources, the region is an important source of economic stability. Oil and gas and other mineral and renewable energy have fostered unparalleled commercial and financial growth.

As the members of the Heenan Blaikie MENA practice group are seeing first hand, commercial activity in the region is booming. Unprecedented investment is being made into infrastructure and energy projects. The region’s population growth is putting pressure on existing infrastructure and on natural resources. As the region faces development challenges, its citizens are reaching out for partnership and investment in, among others, the energy, mining, health care, education and transportation sectors. The Heenan Blaikie MENA practice group is at work in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Gulf, and in the other countries of the MENA region.

Opportunities in the MENA region are significant – the doors are open for Canadian companies to provide products and services to businesses in the region, as well as for Canadian companies seeking foreign or private capital to expand their business internationally. We are well positioned to bridge this gap and act as a catalyst, facilitating our clients’ establishment in the region. Heenan Blaikie lawyers work with our clients as an integral part of their team, lending our experience and credibility to the process of starting to do business in the region. This is our value-added approach in providing legal services to our clients.

Our lawyers are involved in transactions around the world and have special resources dedicated to the MENA region  The practice group is led by co-chairs David Carbonaro and Michael Woods. Mr. Woods, who is a recognized leader in the international trade law (Chambers Global), served as diplomat at the Canadian embassies in Saudi Arabia and in Algeria during his foreign service career. He maintains high-level connections in the region. Mr. Carbonaro, a senior international and corporate finance lawyer, was a key member of Heenan Blaikie business delegation to Saudi Arabia in January 2009, and has been involved in a number of major investment ventures in the Gulf and other states in the MENA region. They are joined by a strong team of internationally recognized and experienced experts who bring specialized skill and knowledge to the group.