Samy Laghouati is the partner in charge of the Algiers Office which he founded in 2003. He focuses exclusively on projects and investments in Algeria, assisting and advising both Algerian public bodies (government, public companies) and foreign investors. He mainly handles joint ventures, major infrastructure projects (engineering structures, water desalination, power and combined cycle plants), and company acquisitions and disposals.

Over the last twenty years, he has been involved in the creation of the main mixed industrial companies between Algerian public entities as Sonatrach, Sonelgaz, Asmidal, Sider and foreign partners, including Total Energies, General Electric, Volkswagen, Siemens, Renault, Air Liquide, Linde Gas.

He has worked in the upstream oil and gas sector for two decades, regularly assisting companies such as Repsol, ENGIE, ENI, Total E&P and Sinopec.

He has also developed a practice and expertise in settling disputes between partners and shareholders in the context of complex partnerships (joint ventures, consortiums, state contracts) before both local courts and international arbitration tribunals.

Samy Laghouati is consistently ranked as a Leading Individual in M&A / Corporate and Energy by the international guides Chambers Global and Legal 500.

Since 2018, he has been included in the new The Legal 500 Hall of Fame ranking, which lists lawyers whose excellence is regularly mentioned by clients.

« Practice head Samy Laghouati has significant experience advising on business ventures, transactions and investments in Algeria. »
Legal 500 EMEA 2023 - Algeria - Energy

« Samy Laghouati oversees the team and is highly skilled in the aforementioned areas, with expertise in both traditional and renewable energy projects. »
Legal 500 EMEA 2023 - Algeria - Commercial / Corporate & M&A

« Samy Laghouati is a leading lawyer who often assists international clients with the creation of joint ventures. Alongside his experience in oil and gas transactions, he is also seasoned in international arbitration. "He is competent, he understands situations quickly and finds solutions." “He is very responsive in the processing of the cases.” “Samy Laghouati has a very good mastery of the local market and the different business aspects.” »

Chambers Global 2023 & 2024 - Corporate / Commercial: International Firms

« Samy Laghouati oversees the team and is highly skilled in the aforementioned areas, with expertise in both traditional and renewable energy projects. »
Legal 500 EMEA 2022 - Energy

« Samy Laghouati, who has a particularly strong focus on the energy sector, heads the team and is supported by counsel Julien Gontier. »
Legal 500 EMEA 2022 - Commercial, Corporate & M&A

« The founding partner of Gide's Algiers office,Samy Laghouati is a leading lawyer who often assists international clients with the creation of joint ventures. Alongside his experience in oil and gas transactions, he is also seasoned in international arbitration. "He is a very capable and good lawyer. He has good knowledge about Algeria." »
Chambers Global 2022 - Corporate / Commercial: International Firms

« Samy Laghouati, head of the firm’s Algiers office, has experience in drafting exploration licences, M&A transactions, and hydrocarbon asset securitisation. »
Legal 500 EMEA 2021

« Gide Loyrette Nouel’s corporate and commercial group is led by Samy Laghouati, whose practice is chiefly focused on the oil and gas sector, having acted for ENI and Total on major projects. »
Chambers Global 2021

« The founding partner of the firm's Algiers office, Samy Laghouati is a leading practitioner who often assists international clients with setting up joint ventures. Alongside his experience in oil and gas transactions, he is also seasoned in international arbitration. One commentator said that he is "extremely business-oriented; he always provides a high level of value to his clients." »
Chambers Global 2021

« Led by Samy Laghouati, the team at Gide Loyrette Nouel handles privatisations, joint ventures, acquisitions, divestments and large-scale infrastructure transactions, assisting both public bodies and foreign investors. A notable highlight was advising Total on a joint venture with Algerian state-owned oil and gas company Sonatrach. Other notable clients include Engie, Volkswagen and Sanofi. »
Legal 500 EMEA 2019

« Samy Laghouati is a prominent figure in the Algerian market and is well known for his corporate and commercial work. Interviewees note: 'He's very knowledgeable about Algerian law. He's a very good adviser.' He is highly praised for his work in the energy sector, advising on acquisitions and divestitures, as well as infrastructure projects and commercial partnerships. His practice also covers fund formation and foreign investment. »
Chambers Global 2019

« The Tunisia practice at Global Lawyers North Africa in partnership with Gide Loyrette Nouel is led by Anis Jabnoun, with assistance from Algiers-based Samy Laghouati and Paris-based Jean-Gabriel Flandrois. Commercial and merger control matters are an area of strength for the firm. Clients include the European Investment Bank (EIB). »
Legal 500 EMEA 2019