Who Is She

Personal information

Lawyer, University Lecturer
Youmna Zein Hayek

What I have done for Lebanon

My personal involvement towards Lebanon has essentially been through knowledge and education, the pillars of Lebanon’s future. Being anchored to this belief, I returned home shortly after having obtained my PhD in France. I avidly decided to use my skills for the transmission of my faith in Lebanon’s resources and opportunities to my law students, thus contributing in building the future of new generations. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to participate at the Saint-Joseph University in Beirut in the introduction of a new LLM in Business Law, with standards equivalent to similar accreditations in Europe and the US.

On a more personal level, I am raising my two kids with an indefectible love and attachment to their roots.

Contact information / Private

Ashrafieh, 90, Doumani Str., Jamil Saab Bldg., 3rd Floor
Beirut
Lebanon
Phone: 
111 211 1 961

Contact information / Work

Zein Law Firm
Ashrafieh, 73, Charles Malek Avenue, La Cigale Bldg., 9th Floor
Beirut
Lebanon
Phone: 
961 1 336060
Fax: 
300 336 1 961
Mobile: 
288 377 3 961

Education

Education: 
  • Doctorate degree (with high distinction), Law, 1997, University of Paris 2 - Assas, France.
  • Post-Master’s diploma (Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies), Law, 1992, University of Paris 2 - Assas, France.
  • Master’s degree, Private law, 1991, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Saint-Joseph University, Lebanon.

Areas of expertise

Expertise: 
  • Syndicated loans
  • Banking law
  • Corporate law
Languages: 
  • Arabic
  • French
  • English

Work history

Jobs: 
  • Lawyer (Member of the Beirut Bar Association) and Senior Partner, 1996 - present, Zein Law Firm.
  • Lawyer (Member of the Beirut Bar Association), trainee, 1993-1996, Zein Law Firm.
  • Professor – Coordinator of the LLM in Business Law, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Saint-Joseph University.
  • Professor - Banking Law (Master’s), 2003 - present, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Saint-Joseph University.
  • Professor – LLM in Business Law, 2014 - present, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Saint-Joseph University.
  • Professor – Master’s, 2011 - present, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Saint-Joseph University.
  • Member of the Board of Directors, 2010 - 2013, The Near East Commercial Bank SAL (NECB).
  • Visiting Professor, 2005, University of Paris 2 - Assas.
  • Lecturer - Banking Law (Master’s), 1999-2007, Commercial and Financial Operations (Post-Master’s), 2003 - 2015 "Filière Francophone De Droit" (French section) - Lebanese University.

Honorary office and memberships

  • Member of the “Comité francophone” of the Beirut Bar Association, 2015 - present.
  • Member of the Scientific Committee of Al-Adl law review (edited by the Beirut Bar Association), 2005 - present.
  • Member of the Commission for the Modernisation of Laws related to the Ministry of Justice (Lebanon), 2003 - present.
  • Member of "Association Droit et Commerce" (France), 1999 - present.
  • Member of the Banking Commission at the International Association of Lawyers (UIA), 1998 - present.

Productions

Publications highlights: 
  • Zein Hayek, Y. (2013), « Le compte joint : ange ou démon ? Regards sur le compte joint en droit libanais », [The joint account : angel or devil ? A study on the joint account in the Lebanese law]. Al-Adl, 1, 93.
  • Zein Hayek, Y. & Cabrillac, S. (2009). La réception du droit français par le droit libanais des contrats [The reception of French law by the Lebanese contracts law]. In S. Bros & B. Mallet-Bricout (Eds.), Liber amicorum, Christian Larroumet. Paris: Economica.
  • Zein, Y. & Cabrillac, S. (2007). L’acculturation en droit des affaires libanais : Le cas du droit des contrats [Acculturation in the Lebanese business Law: The case of contract laws]. Canada: Editions Thémis.
  • Zein, Y. (2005). Le secret bancaire au Liban face à la lutte contre le blanchiment de capitaux [Banking secrecy in Lebanon facing the fight against money laundering]. Revue de Droit Bancaire et Financier, 4, 46 - 52.
  • Zein, Y. (2004). Le secret bancaire au Liban [Bank secrecy in Lebanon]. Bulletin Mensuel de l’Association des Banques du Liban & Juriste International, Revue de l’UIA , 3, 53.
  • Zein, Y. (1999, July). Les Pools bancaires [Syndicated Loans]. Bulletin Mensuel de l’Association des Banques du Liban.
  • Zein, Y. (1998). Les Pools bancaires - Aspects juridiques [The legal aspects of syndicated loans]. Paris: Economica.
  • Zein, Y. (1997). La nature juridique des pools bancaires [The legal nature of the syndicated loans]. Ph.D. thesis, University of Paris 2 - Assas, France.

Awards and Distinctions

Awards: 

Awards and Distinctions Received for her PhD Thesis on the "Syndicated Loans":
- Selected by the jury of Prix du Cercle Montesquieu - France, 2000;
- Obtained the award of “Association Droit et Commerce” - France for best thesis (the first non-French to receive this award), 1999;
- Selected by the European Society for Banking and Financial Law (AEDBF) in the contest of the best studies in the field of banking, 1999.
- High distinction obtained from the University of Paris 2 – Assas (France), in the contest for best thesis of the year, 1998.