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Practice areas

The matters handled by the office

Eight practice areas, in advisory work and in litigation. Each section sets out the situations actually handled and lets you write to the office about them directly.

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This page describes the matters in which the office acts. It is not a legal consultation: only a study of your own file can establish the basis of a claim, which court has jurisdiction, and the time limits that apply.
01

Family law

Family matters touch on the most private parts of a person's life. The office handles them with the rigour the Moroccan Family Code demands and the discretion their subject requires: divorce by mutual consent, judicial divorce, maintenance, custody and legal guardianship.

Moroccan family law has no exact counterpart in most European or North American systems: custody (hadana) and guardianship are separate concepts, and every divorce, even an agreed one, is granted by a court. The office protects the rights of all parties, gives particular weight to the children's interest, and prefers the agreed route wherever it is open.

Situations handled

  • Divorce by mutual consent
  • Judicial divorce
  • Spousal and child maintenance
  • Custody of children
  • Visiting rights
  • Legal guardianship
  • Enforcement of family judgments
  • Court approval of agreements
02

Commercial matters

The office assists traders, entrepreneurs and companies, in advisory work and in litigation, at every stage of their activity: negotiating and drafting, formal notice, proceedings before the commercial court, and enforcement.

Where a business is in difficulty, acting early is decisive: the sooner the situation is examined, the wider the range of options the law still leaves open. Foreign companies trading in Morocco should note that commercial disputes go before specialised commercial courts, not the ordinary civil courts.

Situations handled

  • Commercial disputes
  • Disputes between shareholders
  • Commercial leases
  • Recovery of commercial debt
  • Company distress procedures
  • Order for payment
  • Commercial contracts
  • Advice to companies
03

Civil matters

Civil litigation covers the bulk of relations between private parties: performance or termination of a contract, civil liability, compensation for harm suffered, neighbour disputes, and everything relating to residential tenancies and eviction.

Every file begins with a precise legal characterisation of the facts. That characterisation determines the legal basis of the claim, which court has jurisdiction, and the time limits that must be observed — limits that are often shorter than clients expect.

Situations handled

  • Contracts and obligations
  • Civil liability
  • Compensation for damage
  • Disputes between individuals
  • Residential tenancies
  • Eviction proceedings
  • Recovery of civil debt
  • Urgent interim applications
04

Real estate

Moroccan property law distinguishes registered land from unregistered land, and that distinction governs the whole strategy of a file. The office acts in ownership disputes, land registration, partition, and sale and purchase.

Registered land is covered by a land title held at the Land Registry and is, in principle, secure; unregistered land is proved by other means and carries greater risk. Checking a property's legal position — title, entries, any objections filed — before committing prevents a great deal of litigation, and is the first step the office recommends to any buyer, particularly one living abroad.

Situations handled

  • Ownership disputes
  • Land registration
  • Partition and judicial sale
  • Sale and purchase
  • Encroachment on property
  • Protection of rights in rem
  • Objections to registration
  • Easements
05

Administrative matters

Against the administration, the time limits are short and form matters as much as substance. The office assists individuals and businesses in challenging administrative decisions and in disputes with local authorities.

Administrative litigation in Morocco offers two distinct routes: annulment of an unlawful decision before the administrative courts, and compensation for the harm it caused. They are not subject to the same conditions or the same deadlines, and an application for annulment must usually be filed within a strict period from notification of the decision.

Situations handled

  • Application to annul an unlawful decision
  • Preliminary administrative complaint
  • Disputes with local authorities
  • Compensation for administrative harm
  • Civil service disputes
  • Public procurement
  • Expropriation
  • Stay of execution
06

Employment disputes

The office acts for employees and for employers alike, under the Moroccan Labour Code: unfair dismissal, unpaid wages, severance, reclassification of a contract, and workplace accidents.

In employment matters, evidence and deadlines usually decide the case. Gathering the documents at the moment the relationship ends — contract, payslips, correspondence, witness statements — is decisive for what follows. Moroccan procedure also requires an attempt at conciliation before the dispute is tried.

Situations handled

  • Unfair dismissal
  • Wages and arrears
  • Severance payments
  • Employment contracts
  • Workplace accidents
  • Conciliation stage
  • Reclassification of a contract
  • Assistance to employers
07

Criminal and misdemeanour matters

The office provides defence and assistance in criminal matters, before the judicial police, the public prosecutor and the trial courts: misdemeanours and felonies, pre-trial detention, financial crime, and offences against persons and property.

The rights of the defence are decided in the first hours of police custody. Instructing a lawyer at the earliest possible moment, rather than on the eve of the hearing, changes the course of the entire procedure. If a relative has been arrested in Morocco while you are abroad, that is the point at which to make contact.

Situations handled

  • Assistance during police custody
  • Representation before the public prosecutor
  • Misdemeanours and felonies
  • Pre-trial detention
  • Financial crime
  • Offences against persons and property
  • Civil party claims
  • Applications for release
08

Legal consultations, in person and remote

A legal consultation is not a formality to be got out of the way. Its purpose is to establish your position in law precisely and to choose the most suitable course of action, whether before a dispute arises or while it is running.

The office receives clients by appointment in Oujda and consults remotely by telephone or through modern communication channels — a practical arrangement for clients in another city, and for Moroccans living abroad who need to understand a Moroccan file without travelling.

Situations handled

  • Consultation at the office
  • Remote consultation
  • Analysis of your legal position
  • Opinion before proceedings
  • Support during a dispute
  • Review of court decisions
  • Procedural guidance
  • Second opinion

Frequently asked questions

Before you commit

Fees, documents to gather and which files are accepted: what to know before taking a first step.

How are fees determined?

Fees are set according to the nature of the file, its complexity and the work it requires, after an initial consultation that makes the scope clear. They are stated before any commitment is made, so that no step is taken before you know what it will cost. No figure can be published in advance on this website, because it would depend on matters specific to each case.

What should I bring to a first appointment?

Your identity document, together with everything relating to the matter: contracts, correspondence, summonses, police reports, any judgment or notification you have already received, and receipts or proof of payment. A short written summary of the facts in date order saves a considerable amount of time. Bring the originals and, if possible, a copy. If your documents are in a language other than Arabic or French, mention it when you make the appointment: a certified translation may be needed for the court.

Does the office accept every case?

No. Every case is assessed objectively before it is accepted. The office takes care to give a realistic picture of the chances of success rather than to make an undertaking that will lead nowhere. Where a claim looks bound to fail, or where another route would serve you better, you will be told so plainly, and the file may be declined.

Your situation is not on this list?

The headings above do not cover every set of facts. Describe the subject of your enquiry in one sentence and the office will tell you whether it can act, and by which route.

Contact details and hours
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