Our People

Sami Touma

Managing Partner

Sami Touma

Practice Areas

Business Transactions, Corporate, Public Sector, Communication, Media, Entertainment, Advertising, Intellectual Property, Real Estate, Labor & Employment, Mediation & Arbitration, Litigation.

Experience

Sami Touma is the Cofounding General Secretary of the Eptalex Swiss Verein and Founder and Managing partner of Eptalex-MEG Legal Services, established and duly licensed in Dubai since 2009.

 

Throughout his career which started at prominent law firms in Lebanon, followed by the establishment of his own practice Touma Law Firm in 1994, Sami has been providing a variety of public and private law related services to government bodies and to a number of international, Middle Eastern and local clients undertaking diversified activities such as consulting, research, statistics and surveys, manufacturing (process control and robotics, cash handling and processing textile, food…), commercial transactions, printing and publishing, music, artist management, media (TV, radio, publication, digital media), production, broadcasting and transmission, catering, construction, estate planning and management.

 

His key qualifications extend to a wide range of business matters such as venture development and establishment, negotiation and contract development, media- related matters, such as media policy formulation, drafting of related laws and regulations.

 

Sami is a pioneer in the media landscape field in the MENA region since 1985. He was the legal counsel of the first non-governmental TV broadcaster in the region. An active player in developing media related legislations and regulatory mechanisms in the Middle East, Sami has an in depth understanding of the day-to-day functioning of the media, advertising and entertainment industries, its major stake holders and the latest tendencies therein.

 

Specifically, Sami’s experience includes:

 

Business Law

He incorporated various companies and startups, negotiated and structured a variety of local and transnational partnerships.

He reviewed the legal framework of foreign investment in Cuba further to the adoption of the Cuban law on foreign investment N. 118/2014. He also initiated and supervised the preparation of the Arabic version of the laws, decrees and regulations relevant to foreigners looking to invest in Cuba.

 

 

 

 

Media Policy

He developed a variety of media-related draft laws in Lebanon, including “TV and Radio Broadcasting”, “Creation of the Audiovisual Media Union” and “Audiovisual Media and Elections”.

In addition, he worked on a draft “Code of Ethics” for a Pan-Arab TV broadcaster.

 

Communication & Intellectual Property

He negotiated and drafted for thirty years, agreements of various types such as production, licensing, acquisition, development, distribution, exploitation, management, etc, in a wide range of related fields, notably in media industry (TV, radio, cinema), media research (represents a leading global market and public affairs research group of companies), music, entertainment (events, artists management, etc), sports, publishing, advertising (media representation, sponsorship, merchandising, endorsement).

 

Telecoms

He participated in the assessment of the BOT mobile operator’s contracts in Lebanon with the Government of Lebanon.

He contributed later in the conciliation and mediation efforts and process between the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and the mobile operators.

He ended up participating in the works of the ad hoc committee designated for recommending legal and regulatory reforms for the telecommunications sector in Lebanon.

 

Special Economic Zones

He developed draft laws, related decrees and regulations pertaining to “Special Economic Zones” for the governments of Egypt, Jordan and Syria.

 

Arbitration

He represented clients in various arbitral proceedings, particularly in DIAC (Dubai International Arbitration Centre).

 

Conferences & Events

He participated as lecturer in regional and local events and seminars such as WIPO (World International Property Organization), CIPE/AL-AHRAM (El-Ghouna, 2006), UNESCO and IRAKI Communications and Media Commission (Amman, Jordan, 2007), the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum (2009), the Cuban Lebanese Economic Forum (Beirut, 2015), the Lebanese Ministry of Economy and Trade, the Beirut Bar Association, etc..

He attended a variety of reputable international events, such as the Annenberg School for Communications & Markle Foundation (Bellagio, 2006).

 

Sami is currently a member of the “ALAI” (Association Littéraire et Artistique Internationale).

 

Sami was admitted to the Beirut Bar Association in 1981.

 

Education

Saint-Joseph University (Beirut), 1981 “Master’s Degree in Private and Public Law”

University of Lyon (France), 1981 “Master’s Degree in Private and Public Law”

University of the Pacific-Mc George School of Law, “Certificate in International Legal Studies”

Languages

Arabic, English, French.