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Dr. Radwa Elsaman
SJD Program Graduate

 

Dr. Radwa Elsaman successfully earned her S.J.D. degree from American University Washington College of Law in May 2012. Her dissertation was titled “Towards an Egyptian Franchising Law Based on A Comparative Study of The Laws Of The United States, China, and Malaysia.” Elsaman’s area of expertise focuses mainly on the Middle East and North Africa. In addition to being a Professor of Law at Cairo University, she has lectured as an adjunct professor of law at Cornell University. Elsaman has also conducted academic research at prominent universities including, among others, Boston University School of Law and the Central European University in Budapest. Her research and scholarship include business and commercial law, international comparative law, international sustainable development, the rule of law, and gender equality.

With 20 years of experience, Dr. Elsaman is well known for assisting governments and private sector entities in the MENA Region with legal and institutional reform. She has consulted for the USAID on various projects such as the Project of Automating Economic Courts and Capacity Building of Judges in Egypt; the Project of Economic Stabilization Support for Syria; and the Project of Strengthening Entrepreneurship in Egypt. With the IDLO, she advised on Strengthening the Capacity of National Partners in Economic Laws in Jordan. Similarly, she advised the European Investment Bank on Improving Access to Finance by Facilitating Business Expansion of SMEs. Moreover, she acted as the legal expert of the European Union’s Euromed Justice Project on the Provision of Legal Aid Services to the Most Vulnerable in the MENA region. With the World Bank Group, she served as a legal consultant on land and property projects in the MENA region. She was also engaged with other development organizations, such as the GIZ and the AFD. Between 2006 and 2015, Dr. Elsaman worked for international law firms, including Dentons Law Firm and DLA Piper, where she represented clients, mainly banks, financial institutions, and multinational corporations, in regulatory and transactional matters.

Being intensively engaged in community work, Dr. Elsaman has received several awards, including the recognition of the AAUW (American Association of University Women) in Washington DC in 2019 - and the LexisNexis Middle East 2020 Law Award. She is a member of various professional global unions and is licensed to practice law in multiple jurisdictions.

Degrees & Universities

S.J.D., American University Washington College of Law, 2012
LL.M., American University Washington College of Law, 2008
LL.M., International Maritime Organization’s International Maritime Law Institute, 2005
LL.B., Cairo University School of Law, 2002LL.M. in International Business Law, American University Washington College of Law, 2007
Honors: Honorable Recipient, Academic Scholarship for the Master of Laws
LL.M. in Maritime Law, The International Maritime Organization, International Maritime Law Institute, 2005
Honors: Honorable Recipient, Academic Scholarship for the Master of Laws
Post Graduate Diploma in Commercial and Civil Law, Cairo University School of Law, 2004
LL.B., Cairo University, The English Law School, 2002
Honors: Graduated first in class (top 1% out of 5000 students) with the grade of Excellent with Honors

BookS

  1. Radwa S. Elsaman, A Practical Guide To Drafting Franchise Agreements: Legal Versus Commercial Aspects, the American Bar Association (In-progress – expected May 2024)
  2. Radwa Elsaman, Middle East and North Africa, Cambridge Handbook on Comparative Law, Cambridge University Press (CUP) (Expected January 2024).

Law Journals’ Articles

  1. Radwa Elsaman, Disclosure and Registration Requirements in Franchising: Common Law or Civil Perspective?, 58 Tulsa L. Rev. 279 (2023). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.utulsa.edu/tlr/vol58/iss2/9
  2. Radwa Elsaman, What Would The Malaysian Law Teaches Us About Franchising?, Journal of the Patent and Trademark Office Society (accepted for publication, expected July 2023).
  3. Radwa Elsaman, Licensing the Use of Intellectual Property: The Tale of The Two Franchising Market Tycoons, The Law Review of the Franklin Pierce Center for Intellectual Property), (one of the University of New Hampshire’s Law Journal) (accepted for publication, expected Fall 2024).
  4. Radwa Elsaman, Franchising Law in the United States Between Theory and Practice: Heads Up for Foreign Investors, Touro Law Review (accepted for publication, expected August 2023).
  5. Radwa Elsaman, Women’s Rights in Egyptian Law: The Legal Battle For A Safer Life, META (Middle East Topics and Arguments) (The Center for Near and Middle East Studies, Philipps-Universität Marburg, July 2020, https://meta-journal.net/article/view/8242
  6. Radwa Elsaman and Mahmoud Elsaman, A Legal Perspective on Covid-19 in Egypt: The Impact on Civil and Administrative Contracts, TDM (ISSN 1875-4120), June 2020, www.transnational-dispute-management.com
  7. Radwa S. Elsaman, Franchising in the Middle East: The Example of Egypt, 35 UCLA Pac. Basin L.J. 39 (2017) (published in English), https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9hx9j5km
  8. Radwa Elsaman and Mohamed Arafa, The Rights of the Elderly in the Arab Middle East: Islamic Theory Versus Arabic Practice, 14 Marquette Elder’s Advisor (2012)
  9. Radwa S. Elsaman & Ahmed Eldakak, Is The Middle East Moving Toward Islamism After the Arab Spring? The Case Study of the Egyptian Commercial and Financial Laws,12 Richmond Journal of Global Law (2012), https://scholarship.richmond.edu/global/vol12/iss1/2/
  10. Radwa S. Elsaman, Corporate Social Responsibility in Islamic Law: Labor and Employment, the 2 Yonsei Law Journal 65 (2011), reprinted in New England Journal of International & Comparative Law (2012), https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/yonsei2&id=71&men_tab=srchresults
  11. Radwa S. Elsaman & Ahmed Al-Shorbagy, Doing Business in Egypt after the January Revolution: Capital Market and Investment Laws, 11 Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business 43 (2011), reprinted in 4 Journal of African & International Law 251 (2011), https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f19d/6b38d6e639a2e01ed5ab88d81c3534a23350.pdf
  12. Radwa Elsaman, Factors to be Considered before Arbitrating in the Arab Middle East: Examples of Religious and Legislative Constraints, The American University International Commercial Arbitration Brief, vol. 1, no. 2, 2011 at 8, reprinted in George Mason Journal of International Brief, vol. 3, no. 1, 2011

    Publications

    1. Radwa S. Elsaman, Corporate Social Responsibility in Islamic Law: Labor and Employment, the Yonsei Law Journal, Vol. 2 No. 1, 2011, reprinting expected to take place by the NEJICL in 2012.
    2. Radwa S. Elsaman, Doing Business in Egypt after the January Revolution: Capital Market and Investment Laws, Richmond Journal of Global Law and Business, Vol. 11, No. 3, 2011, reprinting expected in Journal of African and International Law, Vol. 4, No. 2, 2011.
    3. Radwa S. Elsaman, Factors to be Considered before Arbitrating in the Arab Middle East: Examples of Religious and Legislative Constraints, the American University International Arbitration Brief (Publication expected for August 2011), reprinting expected in George Mason Journal of International Commercial Law (Publication expected for December 2011).
    4. Radwa S. Elsaman, Settlement of Disputes under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 with detailed study of the process of Arbitration, (internally published by the International Maritime Organization International Maritime Law Institute “IMLI” in 2005).
    5. Radwa S. Elsaman, A Legislative Drafting Project in the Implementation of the 1992 CLC and Fund convention as amended into the Legal System of the Arab Republic of Egypt (internally published by the International Maritime Organization International Maritime Law Institute “IMLI” in 2005).
    6. Radwa S. Elsaman and Arafa, Mohamed A. The Rights of the Elderly in the Arab Middle East: Islamic Theory Versus Arabic Practice, 14 Marquette Elder's Advisor (2012).
    7. Radwa S. Elsaman & Ahmed Eldakak, Is The Middle East Moving Toward Islamism After the Arab Spring? The Case Study of the Egyptian Commercial and Financial Laws,12 Richmond Journal of Global Law, 2012.
    8. Radwa Elsaman, A Historic Opportunity to Rebuild Egypt’s Economy, Mada Masr, Dec., 30, 2013.
    9. Radwa S. Elsaman, Will the New Investment Law Launch Egypt’s Investment Recovery, Daily News Egypt, July 26, 2015

    Internships

    1. Researcher, American University Washington College of Law Human Rights Academy, Washington, D.C., August 2010 - January 2011
    2. Researcher, American University Kogod Business School, Washington D.C., Nov. 2009 - May 2010
    3. Legal Intern, The Cairo Regional Center for International Commercial Arbitration, Cairo, Egypt, 2003

    Conferences & Speaking Engagements

    Moderator: Doing Business in Emerging Markets, Cornell Law School, Ithaca, NY (February 8, 2023)

    Moderator: Can the MENA Region Meet the Sustainable Development Goals? Several Open Questions, Cornell Law School, Ithaca, NY (January 31, 2023).

    Presenter/Panelist: The Wilson Center’s Middle East Program (MEP)’s roundtable discussion on women’s entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa region (November 2, 2022).

    Presenter/Panelist: Strengthening Environmental Legal Education and Practice, Hamad Bin Khalifa College of Law Roundtable for MENA Scholars (April 2021).

    Presenter/Panelist: Implications of COVID 19 on Gender Equality in the Legal Sector, LC Publishing Group, Milan, (October 5, 2020).

    Presenter/Panelist: COVID 19: Challenges for In-house Lawyers in the MENA Region, LC Publishing Group, Milan (July 22, 2020).

    Presenter/Panelist: Is It Fair Now? 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and Gender Equality in the Middle East, Gonzaga’s 2020 International Human Rights Conference, Florence, Italy (June, 7, 2020).

    Panelist: Introducing Islamic Finance and Doing Business in the Middle East, Boston University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (with Muddassir Siddiqui, Hamoudi, Haider, and Michael J.T. McMillen) (Feb 14, 2020).

    Presenter/Panelist: Doing Derivatives in the Middle East: Legislative Overview, Practice Updates, and Islamic Finance Maze, the Fifth YCC Workshop on Comparative Business and Financial Law, the University of Akron School of Law, Akron, Ohio, USA (Feb,  2020).

    Presenter/Panelist: International Conference on Sustainable Development 2019, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (December 8, 2019).

    Presenter Panelist: Advancing Equity for Women and Girls through Advocacy, Education, Philanthropy, and Research, The American Association of University Women (AAUW Taunton Area Branch), Massachusetts, USA (December 7, 2019)

    Presenter/Panelist: Women's Rights in the Middle East and North Africa, Boston University School of Law, (with Mohamed Fadel and Rashida Manjo), Boston, Massachusetts, USA (Nov 21, 2019)

    Presenter/Panelist: The Workshop on Preparing a Proposal for a Doctoral Degree (SJD/Visiting Scholars Program), Boston University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (Nov 18, 2019)

    Presenter/Panelist: Second Annual NCCWSL Luncheon in Memory of Pat Gorton, The American Association of University Women (AAUW North Shore Area Branch), Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA (Nov 16, 2019)

    Presenter: Law, Justice, and Development Week 2019, Rights, Technology and Development, The World Bank Group, Washington DC, USA (Nov 4, 2019)

    Presenter/Panelist: Introducing Islamic Finance, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, USA, (October 21, 2019)

    Presenter/Panelist: Gender Equality in the Muslim and the Middle Eastern World, Cornell Law School (The Clarke Initiative for Law and Development in the Middle East and North Africa), Ithaca, New York, USA (October 1, 2019)

    Presenter/Panelist: German Topics In Dialogue, Egyptian German Roundtable, Legal Aspects of Gender In Bilateral Comparison, Centrum fur Nah-und Mittelost-Studien, Marburg University, Germany (July 1, 2019), https://www.uni-marburg.de/de/cnms/aktuelles/termine/gender-topics-in-dialogue-egyptian-german-roundtable

    Presenter/Panelist: Arbitrating Banking and Finance Related Disputes: A New Paradigm? Arbitrating Disputes arising from "Derivatives Transactions & ISDA Agreement,” The Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA), Cairo, Egypt (Feb 2019)

    Presenter/Panelist: Franchising Law in Egypt, American University in Egypt Franchising Expo, Cairo, Egypt (March 2018)

    Presenter/Panelist: Franchising in the Middle East, Franchising Expo, Paris, France (August 2017)

    Presenter/Panelist: Introducing Small and Medium Enterprises in the Middle East: Legal Aspects, American Society of Comparative Law Younger Comparativists Committee Conference on Comparative Law, Koc University Law School, Istanbul, Turkey: How can SMEs Contribute to the Development of Economics in the Middle East, (2017)

    Presenter/Panelist: The ABA Workshop on Legal Drafting, the ABA, Cairo, Egypt (May 2015)

    Presenter/Panelist: A Historic Opportunity to Rebuild Egypt's Economy, The University of Hamburg Institute of Law and Economics Workshop, Hamburg, Germany, (August 2013)

    Presenter/Panelist: Will the Post-Revolutionary Constitution Promote Investment in Egypt Constitution, Eurasia Business and Economics Society 10th EBES Conference, Istanbul, Turkey, (May 2013)

    Presenter/Panelist: Connecting Business Law to Human Rights: Islamic Theory versus Arabs’ Practice, American Society of Comparative Law Younger Comparativists Committee Conference on Comparative Law George Washington University Law School, Washington DC, USA (2012

    The University of Hamburg Institute of Law and Economics; Law and Institutional Economics of Revolutions Workshop, Hamburg, Germany, A Historic Opportunity to Rebuild Egypt's Economy, (August 2013).

    Eurasia Business and Economics Society, 10th EBES Conference, Istanbul, Turkey, Will the Post-Revolutionary Constitution Promote Investment in Egypt Constitution (May 2013).

    American Society of Comparative Law Younger Comparativists Committee Conference on Perspectives on Comparative Law at the George Washington University Law School, Washington DC, USA: Connecting Business Law to Human Rights: Rights of the Elderly in the Arab Middle East; Islamic Theory versus Arabs’ Practice (2012).

    Radwa Elsaman & Michelle W. Behaylo, Asst. Professor, American University Kogod School of Business at the Academy of Legal Studies in Business Annual Conference, Richmond, USA, Labor Standards in the United Nations Global Compact: US, European, and Islamic Perspectives (2010).

    Professional Honors & Awards

    Correspondent of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) for three years (June 2022 to May 2025), appointed by the Governing Council of UNIDROIT at its 101st session, held in Rome from 8 to 10 June 2022

    Lexis Middle East Law Practical Guidance Award 2020

    The American Association of University Women (“AAUW”) Award, Washington DC (2019)

    The International Institute for The Unification of Private Law Award (UNIDROIT)

    The Pence Law Authors’ Certificates of Appreciation for Academic Publications, Washington DC (2012)

    More than 50 awards, certificates of appreciation, and prizes for being granted the LL.B degree with Excellent with Honors and ranking as top student

    Contact

    r.elsaman@cu.edu.eg

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