Nermin Tahoun: A Trailblazer in Corporate Law - Interview

As seen in our March - April 2021 issue. Click here to see Business Today Egypt Magazine's latest issue

 

Passionate, determined and studious, international corporate lawyer Nermin Tahoun has embarked on a challenging mission, to end up shining in a predominantly men-run profession.

From pursuing a prominent career as an international lawyer for over 20 years, to establishing her own law office in 2009, Tahoun has managed to overcome tedious societal stereotypes and numerous professional challenges.

This month, Tahoun speaks to Business Today Egypt about the story behind her ambitious and successful career path, her law firm Tahoun & Associates, and what makes a successful investor.

 

The legal profession is a complex path, especially corporate law. What is the story behind your choice to pursue this specific career path?

Why law?

That’s a question I’ve been asked over and over again.

I have considered carefully my own reasons and source of motivation. But believe me it’s more of a motivation as I was raised in a Legal and judicial-minded family. My father himself was a retired general and a lawyer; and this has been an impactful inspiration that I got from my family to pursue my legal career.

My parents and my family have not been very supportive to my desire to pursue my career in law because I was a girl; and knowingly, the legal profession is predominantly run by men.

I, being a girl and an only daughter, intended to pursue my career in law even without the blessings of my family, trying to crack societal stereotypes irrespective of my gender.

A profession in law has extensively interested me, especially the corporate aspect. I was intrigued by its developments and the way that it adapts to an ever-changing society. I have always been a very determined and studious individual. I have a broad interest in many subject areas, yet I felt drawn towards a law or business degree. That’s when I decided to specialize in Corporate Law.

Why Corporate Law? The corporate or business sector has seen extraordinary growth in the last few decades, which has resulted in the debut of innovative platforms for legal professionals, an elite group in legal practice as corporate law is one of the most prominent ones. 

Clients in this field range from multinational companies, investment and privately-held companies, to small and medium businesses, regulatory bodies and governments. This was then a huge challenge for me.

I made my way around just like any male and female lawyer. It was very competitive, I went through working insane hours and was often under immense pressure. I worked as an international lawyer for a number of international companies, investors and the Egyptian government for more than 20 years; and then, I established Tahoun Law Office in 2009. My determination to be a successful lawyer has encouraged me to face the challenges and insistently pursue my vision.

 

In your opinion, do you think the legal corporate sector is well balanced between both genders in terms of representation?

In recent years, there has been an ongoing debate about the representation of women in companies. Despite extensive efforts to increase women’s presence on corporate boards, men still dominate the corporate world.

In Egypt, women empowerment has seen a great deal of progress. We have got a decent number of women ministers; women empowerment organization are on the rise; and so are women in law.

I am positive that women representation especially in corporate law will evolve in the near future.

 

How do you see the future of legal tech services?

I firmly believe that the trend of increased legal tech adoption will continue and that we will see an increasing number of legal tech companies or higher-end AI solutions. 

TAHOUN & Associates has established its digital legal services in 2017 “T Smart”. T SMART holds a certificate of registration with the public record of original works and authorship, and has copyright protection under the copyright laws which preserves against claims of infringement of intellectual property rights.

T SMART is an online platform through which investors, businesses and individuals can receive a wide variety of premium legal services instantly and completely electronically, via our international team of exceptional legal counselors.

These services include contracts, company formation, legal analysis, patents and trademarks, as well advisory and consultation.

By signing up for an account, users also gain priority access to our wide network of lawyers, who can answer questions quickly and provide customized on-the-spot legal guidance. The mobile app is available on Google Play store.

 

What do you think are the main factors for any investment to succeed in a challenging market?

A good investment opportunity comes down to the perspective of success and the level of risk. The level of risk for an investment should be low.

Short-term investments should have a high level of safety and liquidity. A key factor for any investment to succeed must be “fairly valued”.

If you pay excessively for an investment, you are putting yourself at a drawback.  Market timing may have its limits, but stock valuation plays a big part in determining future returns. A variable investing study has shown that stocks that outperform share certain characteristics, known as investment factors. Factoring is one way of picking stocks with better balances of generating good returns.

Diversification is another key factor for a successful investment portfolios. To diversify when buying stocks, bonds and other assets, you need to build a portfolio of securities that offer various levels of divergence.

If you cannot understand how an investment will grow, create value or generate profits, it should be avoided. This goes for companies, funds or any other structure.  Complexity is often used to mask a defect in a business model. This relates mainly to complex dealings, strategies and derivatives.

Risks come with any investment, but if you do not understand what you are investing in, you won’t know how much risk you are really taking.

 

What makes a successful investor?

The challenges facing investors can be intimidating. As far as my experience goes, leadership is the prime factor.

Accomplished stakeholders are the ones who are able to focus on the big picture while directing the small picture. It takes a great deal of honesty, often painful honesty, self-awareness and the ability to guide in powerful and subtle ways.

Strategic and premeditated planning, powerful and accurate decisions that choose real goals and solve real problems, are also needed.

Continuous quality improvement, creativity, boundless marketing and customer service are factors that we can’t do without – as consumer’s demands are always changing, and the competition is rising. If we don’t get better, we will be left behind.

 For a woman leading a successful career, how do you maintain a work-life balance?

The expression “work-life balance” stirs a metaphor of fit executives who gracefully devote eight hours at work, eight hours asleep and the remaining eight pursuing their passions. However, this concept ignores the fact that my priorities in life are rare.

My work demands attention, I am always on the go, juggling work and meetings in between, expecting new tasks or hitches could pop up anytime of the day.

At the end of the day, I go home and spend time with my dogs. But being human, dealing with stress and uncertainty is part of my life. I have relished that this lifestyle suits me perfectly to expertly navigate my professional and personal lives.

 

What advice do you give for young and aspiring lawyers?

At the beginning of your legal career, everything is new and there is a great deal of the unknown that we have to deal with.

My most important career advice for new lawyers is to take risks. Look out for yourself — at the end of the day, you are responsible for the trajectory of your career.

Know what is best for you, understand your relationships and make the best decisions for your career is going to last decades. You will evolve, twist and turn, adapt and learn.

So for our aspiring lawyers: Know that you will not just be okay — you will boom because you have what it takes to help reinvent this industry.

 

How does Tahoun & Associates set itself apart from other law firms in the market?

Tahoun Law Office was established in 1990 for the purpose of providing high quality litigation and arbitration services.

In 2009, the Firm was restructured to align with a new vision of providing premium legal services to a broad base of multinational and regional clients.

Going beyond opening doors to new investment opportunities, we strive to work alongside our clients to help navigate challenging markets, solve complex problems with creative solutions, and implement strategies to manage risk.

Tahoun & Associates provides legal services to investors, companies and the Egyptian Government in different investment fields and business sectors.

Our legal expertise ranges from agency, agriculture, arbitration to litigation in relation thereof, automotive, aviation, construction, concessions, education, healthcare and hospitals, infrastructure, utility projects and tax related matters, manufacturing, merger & acquisitions (M & A), oil and gas, pharmaceutical, PPP, BOT, PPA, PFI, and other concessions, project finance, power projects, swapping transactions, tourism and hotel management.

I myself was a legal deal maker securing the best deal for the client and ensuring the most successful legal position to maintain the clients’ business and commercial goals and clear contractual relationship, highly involved in drafting legal opinions on a wide range of corporate issues and conducting legal due diligence reports, advisory and other legal services to the government and various private projects specialized in various industries, including oil & gas retail, shipping, distribution and logistics, health and medical, education, free zones, real estate, natural resources and energy.

I have taken part in drafting the Egyptian PPP Law and played a key role in drafting PPP related model agreements and direct agreements. I was the head of the legal team of the Egyptian government and successfully reached financial close of the first PPP in the MENA region (New Cairo Wastewater Treatment Plant).