Motaz El Dreny, founding partner of Dreny & Partners: For a special Ramadan edition of our weekly My Morning Routine column that we will run through the holy month, we spoke to Motaz El Dreny (LinkedIn), founding partner of Dreny & Partners. We asked Motaz the usual questions to find out how a successful member of the community starts their day and threw in a few more to find out how he adjusts to Ramadan and what he looks forward to in the holy month.

My name is Motaz El Dreny and I’m the founding partner of Dreny & Partners. My interest in the law started as early as high school — my father was also a lawyer — and I've been practicing law for over 20 years. I started my career as a public prosecutor and moved over to corporate law in 2006, before establishing my own firm in 2014.

I manage a firm of around 40 people, including 23 lawyers. My daily responsibilities can be split into three parts: the technical part of my job, which is the law itself, the administrative part managing the firm, and the PR and business development side, which is a key part of ensuring the sustainability of the firm.

Egypt has made a lot of progress in expanding financial services in the country, and working towards financial inclusion. This is something I had anticipated when I set up the firm. We wanted to be a key player in this wave of new financial activity that is fast developing, and to position Dreny & Partners as one of the top law firms providing legal services in the field of financial services.

As for what we do? We help to grow and support businesses who provide finance — whether that’s to consumers or to other businesses — and we make sure that they are in full compliance and that they adhere to financial regulations, which are often complex.

Our job goes hand in hand with the macroeconomic conditions. So, for example, with the float of the EGP, we’re seeing busier private M&A activity. Or, a decision to increase interest rates will subdue financing activities as people go for unconventional methods of lending, like structured finance.

In terms of my usual morning routine, I’m quite sporty. I’ll wake up at 6:30am, say goodbye to my three boys before they head to school, and then I’ll head to the gym for an hour-and-a-half workout. I’m fortunate enough that my home, my gym, and my office are all in the same compound. Back home, I’ll cook breakfast and check if I have any external meetings for the day. I take external meetings in the afternoon, and then head back to the office for internal meetings with the admin team or the lawyers. After that comes the best part of the job — the ‘lawyering’ itself, the technical stuff, which usually only starts around 5pm or 6pm.

But, my Ramadan routine is completely different, and super hectic. You need to squeeze in the same routine of the regular working day in fewer hours and on lower energy. During Ramadan, I usually head to the office first. The team will finish up in the office around 3pm or 4pm, so I’ll work by myself for a couple of hours and then hit the gym right before iftar and social gatherings. I’ll sometimes join a business suhoor, but I enjoy spending time with family and friends the most.

The one constant in my day? My boys. They’re 15, 10, and 7 years old and I like to be super present in their lives. Whatever spare time I have from work, I’ll spend with them. I’ll take them to sports activities and I’ll join them on trips.

It’s easy to forget to ‘live’ when progressing in the corporate world. One thing I’m trying to work on is getting the right work-life balance. Getting back in touch with the people I love and miss, whom I lost touch with while focussing on my career.

I’m a big fan of Al Daheeh. I discovered it quite late, around four or five years ago, but I love that it’s a show that you can relax to whilst also learning valuable information.

As for books, I’m reading two at the moment: ‘Everything Is Fu**ed: A Book About Hope’ by Mark Manson and ‘Sapiens’ by Yuval Noah Harari. I would recommend them both.

What’s next? As for Dreny & Partners, we’re seeking regional expansion. We’re looking into GCC countries, especially Saudi Arabia. I think it makes sense for any business here who is looking to expand. We’ve started making moves into the UAE, but there’s nothing solid confirmed so far.

I was one of the youngest lawyers to make partner in the corporate field, and I’d often resent how the older, established lawyers would treat younger colleagues. The mentality of, “Who are you to tell me what to do?” But one of the best pieces of advice I was given came from my professor at the University of Commercial Law, Dr Hani Sarieldin, with whom I also worked with until 2015 — he’s very charismatic and someone I look up to. He would tell me, “You’re young, you have the future. They don’t. So use your youth wisely. It’s one of the most valuable assets you have.”

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