Dr. Sylvain W. Massaad, Managing Attorney, The Law Office of Dr. Sylvain W. Massaad.

Dr. Sylvain W. Massaad

Managing Attorney

Dr. Massaad is the Managing Attorney of the firm. He is a senior legal counsel, registered with the Beirut Bar Association, with over seventeen years of practice at the intersection of banking law, financial crime risk, and institutional governance.

Dr. Massaad currently serves as the Head of Compliance at Banque du Liban, Lebanon's central bank, where he has led the design and implementation of enterprise-wide AML/CFT and sanctions frameworks aligned with FATF standards, overseeing regulatory affairs, data protection, and institutional risk across financial and monetary policy operations and the supervised financial sector.

He is a Lecturer at the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at the American University of Beirut, where he has taught Business Law since 2019, and a member of Lebanon's Technical Committee supporting the Ministerial Committee for Combating Corruption.

His published works span banking regulation, financial crime, and anti-corruption, including two monographs on banking law and financial regulation and other legal subjects.

Credentials

  • Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) - ACAMS

  • Advanced CAMS - Financial Crime Investigations - ACAMS

  • Licensed Arbitrator - Lebanese Arbitration and Mediation Center

  • Mediation Certification - LAMAC

  • Attorney at Law - Beirut Bar Association

  • Member - International Bar Association

  • Member - European Law Institute

  • Member - International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)

  • Member - Council for Policy & Regulation, MENA Fintech Association (UAE)

  • PhD in Law, Université de Poitiers (France)

  • MBA, ESCP Business School, Paris (France)

  • Working languages: English, French, Arabic

Victoria Cherfane

Of Counsel

Victoria is a senior legal counsel, registered with the Beirut Bar Association since 2014. She advises local and international clients on a broad range of corporate, commercial, banking, regulatory, compliance, and cross-border legal matters, with particular expertise in corporate governance, legal risk management, data privacy, intellectual property, and strategic business advisory.

With more than a decade of legal practice across Lebanon and the wider region, Ms. Cherfane has represented multinational corporations, financial institutions, entrepreneurs, non-governmental organizations, and private clients in complex transactional, regulatory, and advisory matters. Her practice encompasses corporate structuring, contract negotiation, compliance frameworks, dispute resolution, policy development, and legal operations.

In addition to her private practice, Ms. Cherfane has extensive experience advising organizations on governance, regulatory compliance, data protection, and business integrity matters. She regularly assists clients in navigating evolving legal and regulatory environments while supporting commercial growth and operational resilience.

Ms. Cherfane is actively engaged in legal reform, governance, and public policy initiatives. Her work has included contributions to projects relating to human rights, anti-corruption, institutional governance, prison reform, and gender equality. She has also served in leadership and advisory capacities within professional, civic, and charitable organizations.

Credentials

  • Attorney at Law — Beirut Bar Association

  • Doctorate Candidate in Law, Lebanese University (Expected 2027)

  • DEA (Master's Degree) in Business Law, La Sagesse University

  • Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), La Sagesse University

  • Certified in International Criminal Law and Procedure — T.M.C. Asser Institute & Special Tribunal for Lebanon

  • Certified in Contract Drafting and Alternative Dispute Resolution — Beirut Bar Association

  • Certified in Oil & Gas Contracts — Aberdeen Oil & Gas Centre

  • Certified in Intellectual Property Rights and Litigation

  • International Legal English Certificate (ILEC) — British Council

  • Working Languages: English, French, and Arabic