AI
Amer Ishak
Founder & Chairman · Lawyer
30+Years of practice
2Offices in Lebanon
7Jurisdictions served
3Languages of practice
About the firm
A legacy of law. A vision for what comes next.
Ishak & Co is an independent law firm built on more than three decades of legal experience, professional integrity, and a longstanding commitment to our clients.
The Firm's foundations trace back to Amer Ishak, who established his legal practice more than thirty years ago and built its reputation through years of advocacy, advisory work and trusted client relationships. What began as a practice devoted to arbitration, mediation and the settlement of commercial conflict became, over time, one of the region's steadier hands in difficult matters.
Today that legacy continues through the next generation. Under Shady Ishak, the Firm has grown beyond its original borders into an international practice — one that carries forward the values on which the original office was built, while developing a broader and more modern platform designed to answer the increasingly complex needs of individuals, businesses and institutions.
Legal advice should go beyond addressing the immediate issue. It should anticipate risks,
identify opportunities, and contribute meaningfully to our clients' long-term interests.
We work across a wide range of legal disciplines, combining depth of knowledge with a practical understanding of the commercial, regulatory and strategic realities in which our clients operate. Our team brings together lawyers and consultants with different areas of expertise and complementary perspectives, which allows us to approach each matter collaboratively — drawing on the right experience for each client and each challenge.
While our roots are firmly established in decades of legal practice, our outlook is firmly focused on the future. We are committed to building a firm that combines experience with innovation, tradition with modernity, and rigorous legal thinking with practical solutions.
At Ishak & Co, we do not regard our history simply as a point of reference. It is the foundation upon which we continue to build.
Our approach
Strong representation is built on more than technical expertise.
It requires a thorough understanding of the client, a clear assessment of the issues at hand, careful strategic thinking, and the ability to translate complex legal matters into decisive and practical advice.
Our lawyers work closely with clients to understand not only the legal question before them, but the broader objectives, risks and considerations surrounding it. That is what allows us to give advice that is precise, commercially conscious and strategically informed.
We draft against the argument a matter might one day face. Where a dispute is still avoidable, we avoid it. Where it is not, the position was built years earlier — and we argue it ourselves.
How a matter runs
Three stages, applied to every file we open.
The sequence has not changed in thirty years, whether the matter is a shipping claim, a shareholder deadlock or an AI governance framework.
I
Understand and assess
We map the client's objective and the exposure around it — the counterparty, the regulator, the currency, the deadline, the exit — and say plainly where the risk sits and what it costs.
II
Draft and structure
Obligations, remedies, jurisdiction and termination are written so that a disagreement has nowhere to begin. Ambiguity is treated as a defect, never as a style.
III
Represent and resolve
Where a matter must be tested, we act before the courts, in mediation and in arbitration — and we pursue the resolution that serves the client, not the one that reads best.
Why Ishak & Co
Thirty years is not a number. It is a record.
Experience of this length changes what a firm can see coming — and how early it can see it.
01
A record built in dispute
The Firm was founded in arbitration and conflict resolution. Three decades of resolving disputes is what teaches a lawyer how they begin — and how to close that door in advance.
02
Continuity across generations
The same practice, the same standards, carried from the founder to the generation now taking it international. Clients who came thirty years ago are still clients today.
03
Breadth without dilution
From maritime trade to artificial intelligence, from joint ownership to criminal defence — one team, one file, and the right lawyer on each question.
04
Present where our clients are
Two offices in Lebanon and hybrid representation across the Gulf and Australia, working in Arabic, English and French.
Practice areas
What we are asked to do, and what we are known for.
These are the areas in which the Firm actually works — grouped the way our files arrive, not the way a directory would list them.
Arbitration & Dispute Resolution
Where the Firm began, and still the practice by which it is known.
- Domestic arbitration
- International arbitration
- Institutional proceedings
- Ad hoc proceedings
- Enforcement of awards
- Annulment proceedings
- Mediation
- Conciliation
- Negotiated settlement
- Conflict prevention advisory
- Expert determination
- Multi-party disputes
Corporate & Commercial
From the day a company is formed to the day it is restructured or sold.
- Company formation
- Offshore & holding structures
- Shareholder agreements
- Share transfers
- Corporate governance
- Mergers & acquisitions
- Joint ventures
- Restructuring
- Liquidation & dissolution
- Bankruptcy & insolvency
- Agency & distribution
- Franchising
- Competition matters
- Board & assembly advice
Artificial Intelligence, Technology & Data
The newest field we work in, and the one where the law moves fastest.
- AI governance frameworks
- AI policies & protocols
- Model & dataset licensing
- Acceptable-use terms
- Automated decision-making
- Data protection & privacy
- Cybersecurity compliance
- IT & software contracts
- SaaS & cloud agreements
- Platform terms of service
- Technology transfer
- Digital evidence
Contracts, Compliance & Risk
The work that decides whether there will ever be a dispute at all.
- Contract drafting
- Review & negotiation
- Penalty & liability clauses
- Force majeure & hardship
- Termination & exit
- Confidentiality & NDAs
- Supply & service agreements
- Compliance programmes
- Internal policy drafting
- Anti-bribery & AML
- Compliance audits
- Risk management advisory
Litigation
Every degree of the Lebanese courts, and enforcement beyond them.
- Civil litigation
- Commercial litigation
- Appeals
- Cassation
- Summary & urgent proceedings
- Precautionary attachment
- Execution proceedings
- Debt recovery
- Administrative disputes
- Judicial expertise
Real Estate, Construction & Joint Ownership
Land, buildings, and the relationships between the people who share them.
- Sale & purchase
- Title & registration
- Development
- Construction law
- Permits & building regulations
- Contractor agreements
- Defect & delay claims
- Joint ownership
- Shared-building management
- Servitudes & boundaries
- Expropriation
- Commercial leases
- Residential leases
- Eviction & rent disputes
Maritime, Transport & Trade
Goods in motion, and everything that can happen to them on the way.
- Maritime commercial law
- Carriage of goods by sea
- Land transport
- Charterparties
- Bills of lading
- Cargo claims
- Vessel sale & registration
- Ship arrest
- Freight forwarding
- Customs, import & export
- Trade & commodities
- Letters of credit
Insurance
For insurers and for the insured — we have acted on both sides.
- Commercial insurance
- Marine insurance
- Policy drafting & review
- Coverage disputes
- Claims handling
- Subrogation & recovery
- Reinsurance
- Liability insurance
Intellectual Property
Registering what a client owns, and defending it when it is taken.
- Patents
- Trademarks
- Copyright
- Industrial designs
- Trade secrets
- Licensing
- Portfolio strategy
- Infringement & enforcement
- Domain names
Immigration & Mobility
Residence, work and status — for individuals and for the companies moving them.
- Residence permits
- Work permits
- Corporate relocation
- Investor & business visas
- Family reunification
- Naturalisation applications
- Status regularisation
- Employer compliance
- Appeals & refusals
Criminal & White-Collar
Defence, and the representation of those who have been wronged.
- Criminal defence
- Civil-party representation
- Economic & financial crime
- Fraud & forgery
- Cybercrime
- Money laundering
- Corporate criminal liability
- Internal investigations
Employment, Civil & Private Clients
The matters that are rarely commercial, and never small to the person in them.
- Employment contracts
- Dismissal & end of service
- Labour disputes
- Social security matters
- Civil liability & damages
- Obligations & contracts
- Succession & inheritance
- Estate division
- Family assets
- Powers of attorney
- Personal status
- Guardianship
International & Advisory Services
The work that sits between jurisdictions, and the work done in writing.
- Public international law
- Conflict of laws
- Cross-border enforcement
- Recognition of foreign judgments
- In-house counsel support
- Legal opinions
- Legal writing & memoranda
- Legal translation (AR/EN/FR)
- Legal due diligence
- Corporate secretarial services
- Retainers & consultation
Our people
Our strength lies in our people.
We believe in collaboration rather than compartmentalisation. Each matter is approached with the objective of bringing together the right knowledge, experience and perspective to serve the client's interests effectively.
SI
Shady Ishak, Esq.
Associate · LLM, Corporate & Commercial Law
ZZ
Zaki Zakaria
Lawyer
DJ
Daniel Jubaily
Lawyer
LH
Lea Hazouri
Legal Consultant
MS
Miral Soboh
Legal Consultant
Our commitment
For more than three decades, our practice has been built on relationships of trust.
That remains at the heart of Ishak & Co today. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism, confidentiality, integrity and legal excellence, while remaining responsive to the changing needs of our clients and to an evolving legal and business environment.
Three decades of experience. One continuing commitment to excellence.
Locations
Two offices in Lebanon. Representation well beyond it.
Our practice is based in Tripoli, and we act for clients across the Gulf and Australia on a hybrid basis — remotely as a matter requires, and in person when it does.
Office I · Lebanon
Tripoli Boulevard
Gebran Khalil Gebran Building, 1st floor
Tripoli, Lebanon
Office II · Lebanon
Bahsas Boulevard
Mosbah Al Nazer, 2nd floor
Tripoli, Lebanon
Hybrid representation
The Gulf & Australia
Saudi Arabia · Qatar · United Arab Emirates · Bahrain · Kuwait · Australia
Matters are handled remotely with attendance in person where a hearing, a signing or a client
requires it.
Join us
We are not looking for people who want a position. We are looking for people who want a practice.
A firm that has lasted thirty years does not continue by hiring in a hurry. We take on very few people, and we take them on for a long time. What we offer is not a desk — it is proximity: to real files, to senior lawyers, to clients, and to the kind of matters that teach you something the second year you could not have understood in the first.
If you are a lawyer, a consultant, or a student who reads a contract and instinctively looks for the clause that will one day be argued, write to us — even if we have not advertised a role.
- Lawyers with two or more years at the bar
- Legal consultants in corporate, technology or compliance
- Trainees and students seeking a serious first year
- Translators and legal writers working in Arabic, English or French
Tell us about a matter you found difficult and what you did about it. We will learn more from that than from a list of courses.
Contact
Tell us about the matter.
Send a short description and we will tell you plainly whether it is something we can assist with, and what it would involve. Please do not send confidential documents or time-sensitive material before we have confirmed that we are able to act.
Phone+961 81 435 646
Phone+961 81 030 117
WhatsApp+961 81 435 646
LanguagesArabic · English · French
HoursMon — Fri · 09:00 — 18:00 (Beirut)
Questions
Frequently asked questions.
If your question is not answered here, write to us and we will answer it directly.
Does contacting the Firm make me a client?
No. Sending an email, submitting the enquiry form, or speaking with a member of the Firm does not create a lawyer–client relationship and does not oblige the Firm to act for you. A relationship arises only once we have carried out our conflict and acceptance checks and both parties have signed a written engagement.
Until then, please do not send us confidential or privileged material, and do not rely on any preliminary comment as legal advice.
How do fees work?
Fees depend on the nature and complexity of the matter. Depending on what is appropriate, we work on an hourly basis, a fixed fee for a defined piece of work, or an annual retainer for clients who need continuing support.
We set out the basis of our fees in writing before we begin, together with any expected disbursements such as court fees, expert fees, translation or registration costs.
Can you act for me if I am outside Lebanon?
Yes. We act for clients across the Gulf and in Australia on a hybrid basis. Where a matter falls under the law of another jurisdiction, we will say so clearly and, where required, work alongside qualified local counsel rather than advising outside our competence.
Will my information stay confidential?
Yes. Professional secrecy binds us under Lebanese law and under the rules of the Bar. We treat all client information as confidential, both during a matter and after it closes, subject only to the narrow exceptions the law itself imposes.
How quickly do you respond?
We aim to acknowledge every enquiry within two working days. Urgent matters — an attachment, a hearing date, a detention, an expiring deadline — should be raised by telephone rather than by the form, so that they reach a lawyer immediately.
In which languages do you work?
Arabic, English and French. Pleadings, contracts and formal correspondence are prepared in the language the matter requires, and our translation work is carried out by lawyers rather than by translators alone.
Legal
Legal notices, privacy and terms.
Please read these before using this website or contacting the Firm. Your use of this website means you accept them.
Legal notices
This website is published by Ishak & Co, Attorneys & Legal Consultants, with offices at Tripoli Boulevard, Gebran Khalil Gebran Building, 1st floor, and Bahsas Boulevard, Mosbah Al Nazer, 2nd floor, Tripoli, Lebanon.
The lawyers of the Firm are admitted to practise in Lebanon and are subject to the professional rules and disciplinary authority of the competent Bar Association. Members of the Firm who are not admitted to the Lebanese Bar act as legal consultants and do not practise as advocates.
Contact
Lawyerishac.s@gmail.com · +961 81 435 646
Hosting
This website is hosted by a third-party hosting provider. Technical operation of the site is governed by that provider's own terms and infrastructure.
Disclaimer — no legal advice
The content of this website is provided for general information only. It is not legal advice, it is not a substitute for legal advice, and it must not be relied upon as such. Law changes, and its application depends entirely on the facts of a particular matter.
No lawyer–client relationship is created by your use of this website, by sending us an email, by completing the enquiry form, or by any preliminary discussion. Such a relationship arises only upon completion of our conflict and acceptance procedures and the signature of a written engagement letter.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Ishak & Co, its partners, lawyers, consultants and staff accept no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on any material on this website, from any error or omission in it, or from any inability to access it.
Descriptions of the Firm's experience are provided for information. Past matters do not guarantee, warrant or predict the outcome of any future matter. Nothing on this website is an offer, a solicitation, or a promise of any particular result.
Communications sent to us over the internet are not necessarily secure and may not be treated as privileged until an engagement is in place. Please do not send confidential or time-critical information through this website.
Privacy policy
Ishak & Co respects your privacy and processes personal data only where there is a proper basis for doing so.
What we collect
- Information you give us directly: your name, email address, telephone number, the area of law you select, and the description you provide in the enquiry form.
- Basic technical information generated automatically when you visit, such as approximate location, browser type and pages viewed.
Why we use it
- To respond to your enquiry and assess whether we are able to act.
- To carry out conflict checks and any verification the law requires of us.
- To provide legal services where an engagement is agreed.
- To meet our professional, regulatory and record-keeping obligations.
Who sees it
Your information is seen by the lawyers and staff of the Firm who need it. We do not sell personal data and we do not share it for marketing. It may be processed by our hosting and email providers acting on our instructions, or disclosed where a court, a regulator or the law requires it.
How long we keep it
Enquiries that do not become matters are retained only as long as necessary for our conflict records. Client files are retained for the period required by professional and legal obligations, after which they are securely destroyed.
Your rights
You may ask us what personal data we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it where we are not required to keep it. Write to Lawyerishac.s@gmail.com and we will respond within a reasonable period.
Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data. No transmission over the internet can be guaranteed as entirely secure, and information is sent to us at your own risk.
Terms of use
By accessing this website you agree to these terms. If you do not accept them, please do not use the site.
Permitted use
You may view, download and print material from this website for your own personal or internal business use. You may not reproduce, republish, distribute or exploit it commercially without our prior written consent.
Intellectual property
All text, design, layout, graphics and other material on this website belong to Ishak & Co or are used with permission, and are protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights. The name and marks of the Firm may not be used without written authorisation.
External links
Any link to a third-party website is provided for convenience only. We do not control such sites, do not endorse their content, and accept no responsibility for them.
Availability
We do not warrant that this website will be available without interruption or free from error, viruses or other harmful components, and we may change or withdraw any part of it at any time without notice.
Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, we exclude all liability for any direct, indirect or consequential loss arising out of the use of, or inability to use, this website.
Governing law
These terms, and any dispute arising out of them or out of your use of this website, are governed by Lebanese law, and the competent courts of Tripoli, Lebanon shall have exclusive jurisdiction.
Changes
We may amend these terms at any time. The version published on this page is the version in force.