Jihad Pharaon Law Office in DamascusARENFR
Syrian LawJihad Pharaon Law Office in Damascus
Jihad Pharaon Law Office in Damascus

Legal Counsel for Foreign Companies in Syria

Syrian Law is the Damascus law office led by Jihad Pharaon, a Damascus Bar Association member since 1997. We act as Syrian local counsel for international companies, investors, in-house legal teams and foreign law firms, coordinating market entry, contracts, governance, disputes, enforcement and intellectual-property work in Syria.

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How we assist

  • Market-entry structure, branch and representative-office questions
  • Commercial contracts, distribution, agency and governance support
  • Regulatory, employment, due-diligence and compliance coordination
  • Litigation, debt recovery and intellectual-property protection

What to prepare

  • Corporate registry documents and ownership chart
  • Business plan, proposed activities and locations
  • Draft contracts and correspondence with Syrian counterparties
  • Known deadlines, approvals, claims or compliance concerns

A practical legal process

Conflict check and initial factual assessment
Document and legal framework review
Written strategy, priorities and responsibilities
Implementation, representation and progress reporting

Local counsel for international matters

International companies need advice that connects Syrian procedure with the commercial expectations of foreign management and external counsel. We clarify the applicable route, required evidence, responsible authority and immediate risks before work begins.

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Frequently asked questions

Can you work with our foreign legal team?

Yes. We can act as Syrian local counsel, provide focused advice and coordinate documents and procedural steps with external counsel.

Should legal review begin before market entry?

Yes. Early review helps identify licensing, ownership, contracting, sanctions-screening and IP issues before commitments are made.

Can one mandate cover several legal workstreams?

The scope can be structured in phases, with separate priorities, deliverables and reporting for corporate, contractual, dispute and IP matters.

Commercial and procedural focus

This service focuses on building a phased Syrian legal work plan that connects market entry, contracts, governance and continuing compliance. The initial review separates the business objective from the procedural work, confirms the parties and decision makers, and records the assumptions that still require evidence or authority confirmation. The resulting scope identifies immediate actions, client decisions, external dependencies and the point at which a wider or different professional mandate may be needed.

Issues to test before action

Particular attention is given to treating incorporation as the entire market-entry exercise, or committing to contracts before authority, licensing, ownership and payment questions have been mapped. These points are tested before cost or urgency drives the matter into an unsuitable route. Advice is framed as options, dependencies and documented next steps; an application, claim or enforcement outcome is never presented as guaranteed.

Initial decision points

  • Intended Syrian activities and locations
  • Ownership, management and signing authority
  • Sector approvals and contractual dependencies

Business Law and Foreign Companies in Syria →

Evidence, cross-border coordination and timing

International matters should begin with consistent corporate names, ownership records, signing powers, original documents and a dated chronology. Foreign documents may require certification, legalisation and certified Arabic translation. Exact requirements and deadlines are checked for the particular procedure, authority and facts rather than copied from another matter. Foreign counsel, technical advisers and management can be coordinated through a responsibility list and written issue log.

Scope and professional boundaries

The engagement letter should identify the included right, entity, transaction, claim or procedural stage. Syrian legal work does not replace tax, accounting, valuation, technical, banking, sanctions, customs or foreign-law advice. When those questions affect the decision, they are flagged for separate confirmation. Confidential material should be transmitted only after conflict checks, acceptance of the mandate and agreement on an appropriate communication method.

Discuss your Syria-related matter

Send a concise description of the matter, the parties involved and any urgent deadline. We will identify the appropriate next step and the documents required for an initial review.

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