Launch of Conakry presence with two new partners ‘a key step’ in Bennani & Associes’ regional growth strategy

Bennani & Associes has marked “another defining milestone” in its pan-African growth with the announcement yesterday that it has secured talented lawyers Julia Challoub and Christina Karaouni as new partners who will lead its presence in the Republic of Guinea, the ninth different African nation where the firm now operates.

“Both Julia and Christina bring exceptional Guinean expertise, having advised on many of the country’s most significant corporate, energy, and infrastructure transactions,” said the firm. Their work reflects a deep command of local law and business practice, extensive OHADA experience on complex cross-border matters, and further strengthens Bennani & Associes’ regional offering and client service.

“Julia and Christina embody the firm’s values of excellence, integrity, and innovation,” said Mehdi M Bennani, the co-founder and Managing Partner of Bennani & Associes.

In 2004, Bennani, a member of the New York Bar, established the firm in Morocco with Abdellah Moustaid, a member of the Casablanca Bar, to advise local and international clients on setting up and expanding businesses in Francophone Africa.

After its first decade, the firm expanded into Algeria then Tunisia and Algeria, before opening an office in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire in 2018. Its pan-African growth has accelerated in the past four years, with five further offices added in Congo-Kinshasa, Rwanda, Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, and now the Republic of Guinea.

The new Conakry base, said Bennani, marks a key step in the firm’s regional growth.

“I am deeply honoured and proud to be joining this remarkable team and to be part of the firm’s journey,” shared Julia today. “On a personal level, this step is even more meaningful as I take it alongside Christina Karaouni, with whom I share a long-standing friendship and professional journey. Seeing our shared commitment to Guinea take shape in this way is a true source of pride.”

Julia, a corporate and M&A lawyer with extensive experience advising on complex, high-value transactions across Francophone Africa, and Christina, a project development and finance lawyer with extensive experience advising investors, sponsors, and lenders on large-scale energy, mining, and infrastructure projects across the region, are both Paris-trained lawyers who worked for leading French and international law firms before practising in Guinea with ADNA in recent years.

“A heartfelt thank you to Mehdi M. Bennani and the team for their unwavering trust and support — I am truly grateful,” shared Christina today. “Guinea has been at the heart of my professional journey for many years. I’ve had the privilege of advising investors, sponsors, and lenders on some of the country’s most transformative projects across energy, mining, infrastructure, and beyond. I look forward to contributing to Bennani & Associés’ pan-African growth and to continuing to serve clients with the highest standards of expertise and commitment.”