Expertise
Corporate and Commercial
We advise on the full life cycle of corporate activity: formation, governance, mergers and commercial contracting; the choice, structuring and registration of entities; joint ventures; contract documentation; and sales, acquisitions, reconstructions and dissolutions, covering due diligence, negotiation, documentation and closing. Our Managing Partner is an accredited agent of both the Corporate Affairs Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission, enabling the Firm to handle company incorporation, filings and statutory compliance in house, alongside advice to non-Nigerian entities investing into Nigeria on permits, licensing, taxation and repatriation of funds.
Capital Markets
Building on our Managing Partner’s accreditation as a registered capital market operator, the Firm advises issuers, investors and market participants on equity and debt offerings, listings, regulatory filings and ongoing compliance with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Investments and Securities framework, a natural extension of our long standing corporate and commercial practice.
FinTech
As Nigeria’s digital finance sector matures, we advise fintech operators, payment platforms and their investors on licensing pathways, regulatory frameworks and commercial structuring, drawing on the Firm’s banking, capital markets and regulatory compliance experience to help clients build and scale compliantly
Dispute Resolution
The Firm has an active litigation practice spanning State and Federal trial courts, specialised courts and tribunals, and all appellate courts in Nigeria, including the Supreme Court. Our Managing Partner and partners have represented clients in high value, complex matters for corporates, multinationals and high net worth individuals, and have featured prominently in election petition matters at Tribunal and Appellate levels. Where arbitration or mediation is the better route, the Firm’s partners, Fellows and members of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK), regularly act as counsel, arbitrator and mediator in domestic and international arbitrations, including oil and gas, maritime and charter party disputes. Wherever it is the most pragmatic route, we pursue a commercially favourable settlement rather than protracted litigation.
Intellectual Property
The Firm advises on the protection of ideas, concepts and operating plans, and handles trademark, patent, copyright and trade secret matters, from searches, filing and prosecution to opposition, as well as licensing, franchising, agency and distribution agreements. Our Managing Partner represented DSC Publications Limited in a landmark Federal High Court passing off and copyright infringement suit concerning the Companies and Allied Matters Act (Law and Practice).
Energy, Power and Renewable resources
The Firm has established itself as a reliable player in oil and gas law, providing legal consulting and advisory services on energy matters, joint ventures, licensing and regulation, and negotiating gas and petroleum sales agreements and related contracts, with experience spanning farm in and farm out transactions. On the power side, we advise Independent Power Producers, investors, financiers and regulators on project structuring, financing and the development, acquisition and operation of power assets, including renewable energy policy and participation in Nigeria’s power sector reforms and privatisation programme.
Aviation
The Firm advises on aircraft acquisition, leasing, regulatory compliance and disputes, including acting for ADC Airlines Plc following the Sokoto air mishap, and representing an international airline in a matter before the Supreme Court of Nigeria. We also regularly defend airlines in cargo, contractual and passenger claims.