References and International practice

Ghelber & Gourdon Law Firm is strongly committed to both legal advice and institutional strengthening in transitional and developing economies.

In order to focus on a multidisciplinary approach and to enhance its legal and institutional expertise, the firm hires top level consultants who are experienced in transitional and developing economies. More often, these advisers are university law professors, or attached to governmental bodies (State Council, Court of Auditors, Ministry of Finance, Directors).
In addition, whenever requested, the firm teams up with merchant banks, engineers, accountants, scientists, management and information technology consultants.
The core activity of the firm is to deal with the legal and judicial components as well as institutional, economic and environmental reforms.

These missions occur in the general process of public and private sector development, investments promotion and enforcement of law since the liberalization of trade leads to the strengthening of institutional capacity and involves the setting up of regulation authorities.

A few significant experiences are mentioned in the firm brochure (PDF):
Download the firm’s brochure (pdf)
The firm may provide services at any stage of the project:

•Legal audit: National accounts, public expenditure control
•Taxation

•Public Law: public procurements, public/private partnerships
•Anti-fraud: protection of the EC financial interest, support to the EC candidate countries

•Corporate governance issues
•Reform of public administration
•Institutional strengthening (justice and arbitration, public finances, rural development)

•Drafting or reviewing agreements, laws, regulations, by-laws, articles of incorporation
•Codifying the rules to be applied in a branch of law or to a sector of industry
•Approximation or harmonisation of laws at a regional level
•Assessing the legal and regulatory framework, scheduling reforms to be carried out, proposing actions
•Privatizations (ports, water supply and sewerage, power, mines, hydrocarbons, posts and telecommunications).
•Insurance, competition and customs sector
•Corporate, commercial and trade law (domestic and international), including SME support
•Intellectual property, including NTIC
•Sector policies, especially energy and mining
•Environmental law
•Fishery law
•Maritime, air and ground transportation law

So far, assignments have been performed in more than 30 countries (off EU):

Former USSR Countries: Georgia, Lithuania, Moldavia, Armenia.

Eastern and Central European Countries: Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia.

Western and Central Africa: Benin, Burkina-Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo.

Middle East and North Africa: Iran, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia.

Indian Ocean: Comoros, Mauritius, Madagascar.

South East Asia: Cambodia, Vietnam.

The Caribbean: Haiti.