The Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession (Center) today announced the appointment of Karim A. Youssef, founder and chairman of Youssef + Partners and a leader in international arbitration, to the Center’s Advisory Board, effective August 1, 2023. The Center’s Advisory Board consists of leading lawyers from across the profession and around the world, including some of the world’s top chief executives, law firm managing partners, general counsels, and others who believe in the Center’s mission.
“I am extremely pleased to welcome Karim A. Youssef to the Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession’s Advisory Board,” said David B. Wilkins, the Center’s faculty director. “Karim’s unique perspectives founding and leading one of the top firms in Egypt and the Middle East, a region of the world that will be critical to global development in the middle decades of the 21st century—not to mention his impressive academic background and his status as global arbitration and international law figure —make him an outstanding addition to the vibrant discussions that the Advisory Board has with me, and with each other, about the best ways for lawyers and the profession to engage with the key challenges of the day. I look forward to working with Karim for many years to come.”
Dr. Karim A. Youssef said upon the announcement of his appointment to the Center’s Advisory Board, ” I am profoundly honored to join the advisory board of the Harvard Law School Center of the Legal Profession. The Center stands at the forefront of the discourse on the future of the legal profession, and how legal practitioners should navigate the transformative currents sweeping across the business of law. This revered institution has been recognized for its pioneering role in shaping the trajectory of law practice and legal education and for influencing thought leadership and policy-making in the US and globally. I look forward to contributing to its invaluable role and to engaging with David and all my colleagues on the Advisory Board.”
Dr Karim’s appointment has also been covered by the esteemed Legal Community MENA. According to them, Karim A. Youssef is a distinguished leader in the legal field who will undoubtedly bring extensive experience and knowledge to contribute significantly to the Center’s initiatives. With his expertise in international arbitration and understanding of complex legal matters, he will be “invaluable in shaping the Center’s future endeavors”.
“His exceptional leadership and commitment to excellence have earned him recognition as one of the foremost legal practitioners in the global arena.” – Legal Community MENA
About Karim A. Youssef, Founder and Chairman of Youssef + Partners
Karim A Youssef is the founder, and chairman of Youssef + Partners. He heads the international arbitration and international law practices at the firm. His practice focuses on commercial arbitration, investment treaty arbitration, complex high-value disputes, and international law, and is world-renown in these fields.
Dr. Youssef is a leading international figure in dispute resolution. He has acted as counsel, expert, or arbitrator in more than 146 international cases and disputes.
Dr. Youssef is “a heavyweight arbitration lawyer with extensive experience acting on multibillion-dollar claims” (Chambers & Partners, 2022). Since 2011, he has played a major role in Arab Spring arbitrations and in some of the MENA region’s major disputes, across key industries, including energy, construction, technology, telecommunications and infrastructure. He is ranked as a “Star individual” by Chambers & Partners and as a “Global Thought Leader” by international Who’s Who Legal. Mr. Youssef has been described as “a leading light in international arbitration” (Legal 500, 2018) and “a master of strategy” who thinks “light years ahead” (Chambers & Partners, 2022). In 2021, Forbes Middle East recognized him as an industry leader who champions “Cutting Edge Legal” in the MENA region.
In addition to the Center on the Legal Profession, Mr. Youssef memberships include the advisory board of the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration and the board of the BVI-IAC arbitration committee.
Dr. Youssef has law degrees from Yale Law School, where he earned an LLM and JSD, as well as from the Sorbonne-Paris (LLM, DEA License, and JD) and Cario University Law School (License and DES).
About the Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
The Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession is a research organization dedicated to providing a richer understanding of the rapidly changing global legal profession. To accomplish this goal, the Center conducts unbiased, evidence-based research on the global legal profession; innovates and implements new methods and content for teaching law students, legal academics, and practicing lawyers across the arc of their careers; and through its programming and digital publication The Practice is a bridge between legal practitioners and the academy.
Members of the CLP Advisory Board include
- Ralph Baxter, Former Chairman & CEO Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
- Alexandre Bertoldi, Managing PartnerPinheiro Neto Advogados
- Jacob Bier, Partner Poul Schmith Kammeradvokaten
- Sabine Chalmers, Group General Counsel BT Group plc
- Kenneth Chenault, Chairman & Managing Director General Catalyst
- Jonathan Chiel, EVP and General Counsel Fidelity Investments Inc.
- Ricardo Cortés-Monroy, Former SVP & General Counsel Nestle S.A.
- Ignasi Costas, Co-Managing Partner DWF-RCD
- Jennifer Daniels, Chief Legal Officer & Secretary Colgate-Palmolive Company
- John R. Ettinger, Senior Counsel Davis Polk
- Lucy Fato, EVP, General Counsel & Global Head of Communications and Government Affairs AIG
- Horacio Gutierrez, SEVP, General Counsel and Secretary Walt Disney Company
- Ben W. Heineman, Jr., Former SVP, General Counsel & Secretary General Electric
- Brad Karp, Chair Paul, Weiss, Wharton, Rivkin & Garrison, LLP
- Robert Katz, Senior Counsel Sullivan & Cromwell
- Matthew Layton, Former Managing Partner Clifford Chance LLP
- Joseph M. Leccese, Chairman Emeritus Proskauer Rose LLP
- William Lewis, Jr., Managing Director & Co-Chairman of Investment Banking Lazard Ltd.
- Vincent Maffeo, Former EVP and General Counsel Leidos
- Raymond J. McGuire, President Lazard
- Jami Wintz McKeonm Chair Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
- Roger Meltzer, Partner and Chairman Emeritus DLA Piper
- Henry T.A. Moniz, EVP and Chief Compliance Officer Meta
- Adebayo O. Ogunlesi, Chairman Global Infrastructure Partners
- Amy Schulman, Managing Partner Polaris Partners
- Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas
- Robert Shuftan,Partner Steptoe & Johnson LLP
- Brad Smith, Vice-Chair and President Microsoft
- John Soroko, Partner and Chairman Emeritus Duane Morris LLP
- Avy Stein, Co-Founder & Managing Partner Cresset Capital Management
- Laura Stein, EVP and General Counsel Mondelēz International
- Nils H. Thommessen, Former Managing Partner Wiersholm
- Hugh Verrier, Partner & Former Chair White & Case LLP
- Barton J. Winokur, Partner & Immediate Past Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dechert LLP
- Karim A. Youssef, Founder and Chairman Youssef + Partners
- Tracey Brady Yurko, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary Bridgewater Associates
- Mitchell Zuklie, Global Chairman & CEO Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Dr. Karim A Youssef’s appointment has garnered significant attention in numerous news outlets. Here are some of the notable coverages:
- Legal Community MENA- Renowned Arbitration Expert Karim A. Youssef Joins Harvard Law School Advisory Board
- Ahram Online- Egyptian arbitrator Karim Youssef appointed on advisory board for Harvard Law School CLP
- Scene Now- Egypt’s Dr karim Youssef joins Harvard law school’s advisory board
- The Law Magazine- First Egyptian to join Harvard Law School’s Advisory Board
- Banati Foundation- Karim Youssef become first Arab on Harvard Law School’s Advisory Board
- Cairo West- Dr. Karim Youssef joins Harvard Law School’s Advisory Board as the First Arab Member
- Egyptian lawyer Karim Youssef joins advisory board at Harvard Law School – Egypt Independent
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