Lawyers
nullnullZouha Sakr-Vayanos
Partner
She has special expertise in WTO accession issues, competition law and other international trade law and dispute resolution issues. Zouha has been a senior advisor in a USAID-funded WTO accession project for Lebanon, advised Lebanon’s Minister of Economy as part of his UNDP-funded team on international trade law issues including trade facilitation, EU partnership agreement, WTO accession for Lebanon and other regional integration agreements especially the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) and participated in drafting the first inter-Arab draft free trade areas in services. She has led Lebanon’s GAFTA services negotiations and was the Senior Lawyer leading the Booz Allen Hamilton Project advising the Ministry of Economy and Trade on WTO Accession. She has represented Lebanon in numerous meetings, seminars and conferences devoted to these issues.
In addition, Zouha advises and represents clients in matters involving banking, insurance, regulatory, competition law, intellectual property, government contracts, commercial and corporate law, international trade and investments law and association law. She has represented these clients both as an adviser and in court and arbitration proceedings. She has acted as Administrative Secretary to arbitral tribunals under the ICC and BCCI Rules of Arbitration. Zouha is also a qualified mediator.
Prior to joining SAAS as a partner, Zouha was between 2003 and 2012 the Senior Lawyer leading the Booz Allen Hamilton Project advising the Lebanese Ministry of Economy and Trade on WTO Accession. Before that, she acted as senior international trade law expert with the United Nations Development Program and a senior lawyer with Price Waterhouse Coopers in charge of advising the Government of Lebanon on international trade issues.
Zouha taught for a several years a course on International Trade Regulations and Dispute Resolution at Université Saint Joseph de Beyrouth and has published several articles, reports and book chapters on these topics, namely an extensive comparative study commissioned by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in 2012, on the Liberalization of Trade in Four Key Services Sectors including Transportation, Telecommunication, Financial Services and Tourism (The Cases of Jordan, Oman, UAE and Egypt). She has also taught Banking Law and Regulations at the ISSED law school in Beirut.
Zouha is a member of the Beirut Bar Association, the Customs and International Trade Bar Association, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the International Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
English (fluent), French (native) and Arabic (native)
Beirut
DIFC Courts, Dubai (Part I practitioner)
Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth , LL.B in Lebanese law (with Distinction) French Master in private law
ESCP-EAP, Paris (MBA)
Ecole supérieure des affaires, Beirut (MBA)
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London (Dip. Int. Arbitration)
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators,London (Fellowship, International Arbitration)
Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, CPM, (Professionnal Diploma in Mediation)
ESCP-EAP, Paris (MBA)
Ecole supérieure des affaires, Beirut (MBA)
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London (Dip. Int. Arbitration)
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators,London (Fellowship, International Arbitration)
Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, CPM, (Professionnal Diploma in Mediation)