Sonya Shaykhoun
Business / Contracts, Copyrights, Entertainment, Intellectual Property, International, Mergers & Acquisitions, Trademarks (Transactional)
New York City, New York
Personal Introduction
When seeking out a cutting-edge counsel capable of handling high-value contracts in technology, media, and telecommunications, look no further than the Law Offices of Sonya Shaykhoun, Esq. Within her Manhattan-based solo practice, the New York City native is also highly adept at doing business in the Middle East, after having spent nearly thirty years living, studying, and working abroad in Italy, Scotland, England, Egypt, Bahrain and Qatar. Shaykhoun’s 18+ years of international legal experience has her offering world class services to a global clientele. Also fluent in Arabic, she is a shining example of female achievement within a hyphenated ethnic world. Her “aha moment” came when she read an article in Cosmopolitan about an Anglo-Arab woman who studied Arabic at university. This led her to pursue a BA in Arabic and Law, which included one year studying Arabic at Alexandria, Egypt, in addition to having studied at the University of London. Having started her career as Senior Legal Counsel at Orbit Communications Company in Bahrain (now OSN in Dubai), Shaykhoun specialized in technology, media, and telecommunications. There she received a solid foundation in new technology, licensing matters, all kinds of media contracts, and telecommunications issues— especially satellites, an industry that was emerging in the Arabian Gulf in the early 2000s. When she is not working in her solo practice, you can find her acting as a committee member on the New York City Bar Association NYC Affairs and Aeronautical Affairs Committees.
Practice Composition
Transactional
Education
Practice Summary
Skills/services offered: • Transactions: cross-border, new and old technology, media, telecommunications, and aviation • General corporate and commercial matters • High value projects • Compliance projects • Outside general counsel services • Doing business in the Middle East • Doing business in New York • Power connector and deal matchmaker
Response Time
2 days
Personal Interests & Charitable Work
I am a native New Yorker born to an Irish mother and an Egyptian father. At 18, I embarked on what would turn out to be a decades-long adventure abroad. First, I studied English Language & Literature at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, then I went down to London to study Arabic and Law and do an LL.M. in Corporate and Commercial Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. My time at SOAS prepared me for 15 years in the Middle East working as a lawyer. In Bahrain and Qatar, I started horseback riding again (English) and competing in local showjumping and dressage competitions. I also have a keen interest in film and storytelling, and I am currently working on a documentary about women in Arabia and a feature-length film. As I am NYC-based, I am involved in initiatives that help to improve the current situation in NYC. I also play piano, paint, and write a newsletter on LinkedIn and Substack entitled "The Commercially Savvy Lawyer."
What is Overture?
Overture is an attorney-to-attorney referral network. Vetted attorneys refer matters they can’t take on to trusted colleagues and earn fee splits when they do, expanding what every attorney can offer their clients.
Peer Recommendations 1
