Our Company Secretarial Practice is committed to providing high-quality company secretarial service to all our clients. The Practice advises a broad spectrum of clients providing a high level of quality service whatever the size or structure of the client. Our Company Secretarial Team has a thorough understanding of Nigerian Company Law, thereby putting the team in a vantage position to provide unrivaled technical and practical support to company secretaries and directors on all aspects of corporate compliance, corporate governance, administration and general corporate matters, whether routine or complex. The Practice also provides annual compliance diligence service to ensure that the directors and the secretary are complying with their statutory duties.

Our due diligence team is made up of lawyers specialised in different areas of law (including business regulatory, general corporate advisory, corporate transactions, banking and finance, employment, property, litigation and dispute resolution) so as to ensure a well-balanced investigation and the ability to appreciate the issues involved in the different aspects of the target companies often specialised operations. We have conducted due diligence on entities involved in the banking and other financial services, routinely covering such areas as legal, regulatory, commercial/contractual, loan documentation (where financial entities are involved), tax, human resources, pensions, insurance and risk management and intellectual property.

The team possesses extensive experience in Nigerian Immigration Law and Practice and is routinely instructed by Nigerian and foreign clients to act as their Immigration Advisers. In this regard, we advise our Clients on the provisions of the Law and where required, assist them in obtaining Immigration facilities (Permits, Quotas, Visas, etc) required for their operations in Nigeria.

We dispense our services with dispatch due to our expertise and robust experience in this area of practice and our longstanding excellent working relationship with the Ministry of Interior Affairs (MIA), the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission [NIPC].

Our Labour practice entails us rendering advice to clients on a broad range of labour issues including trade union regulations, private sector pension schemes and retirement benefits; staff negotiations, employment contracts, and employment protection.

Our Firm’s Immigration and Labour Practice advises on compliance with Immigration and Labour Laws and Regulations.

Our broad experience in this field is complemented by our appreciation of the fact that due diligence is a project specific exercise and thus we are constantly refining our methods to ensure that they are relevant to each of our clients and transactions. To us, due diligence surpasses the uncovering of issues which may impact on the contemplated transaction – it involves the basis of combination and integration considerations and as such, our investigations often uncover and focus on details which may otherwise be overlooked. Our due diligence team is accustomed to working with professionals from other fields in the sourcing and analysis of information on the target.

The Firm provides a full range of legal services relating to the protection, exploitation and litigation of intellectual property rights. The practice group for Intellectual Property combines strong expertise and local knowledge of specific industry sectors such as pharmaceutical and general consumer products, communications, Information Technology and the media, to provide the ability to give more bespoke and specific advice. In particular the firm delivers unparalleled services in the following key areas at competitive and efficient costing –

• Commercial – advice in transactions covering industrial and intellectual property acquisitions, royalties, franchises, licensing and other international trade protection measures.
• Corporate and Regulatory – an excellent working relationship with Trade Mark, Patent and Design registries provision of timely and accurate filings affords protection of clients’ interest to both local and international businesses in Nigeria.
• Litigation in opposition of registration and actions for passing-off, protection of mercantile marks and products, seizure and disposal of offending goods, injunctions and actions related to; parallel trading activities; copyright collecting society and IT protection actions.
• Watch Service – Diligent and efficient search for trademarks that are conflicting with existing marks, as well as potential clients’ trademarks and notifying them of same.
• Instituting proceedings at the Trademarks Registry, to challenge the registration of trademarks that are identical or similar to Clients existing trademarks.
• Negotiation of amicable settlement between opposing parties.
• Extracting written undertakings from offenders to refrain from infringing on clients’ Intellectual Property rights.

Our knowledge and experience in Intellectual Property law and practice, coupled with our wealth of experience in commercial transactions, has equipped our lawyers in drafting of various contracts in relation to Intellectual Property, including copyright. Our experience in this regard covers contracts for performances and broadcasting; Publishing Agreement; Printing Agreement; Assignment and Licensing Agreements; Distributorship Agreement, Recording Agreement, Website Development and Maintenance Agreements amongst others.

We provide legal advice on regulatory, intellectual property, interconnection, corporate and licensing issues. We aim to provide comprehensive services to our clients by rendering all-encompassing legal services according to their individual needs. Lawyers in the Firm have considerable knowledge of competition law, telecommunication regulations and information technology.

Banking, Finance and Capital Markets

Our Banking and Finance team represent numerous domestic banks, other financial institutions in both general advisory (Banking Regulation) and transactional capacities. We regularly represent our clients in a broad spectrum of syndicated and non-syndicated financing transactions, including secured and unsecured loans, liquidity facilities for structured finance transactions.

Over the years, our lawyers have rendered a wide array of services to this sector and have thereby developed expertise in advising on, negotiating, drafting, review and perfection of all types of banking documents particularly in syndicated loan documentation including perfection of debentures (Fixed and Floating), stamping and up-stamping and registration; preparation of documentation relating to legal mortgages and charges and the preparation of term loan agreements.

Debt Recovery:

Uncertainties birth by sudden economic down-turn renders debt recovery services an essential in the financial world. The Firm’s pedigree in Debt Recovery stems from experience garnered while representing lenders and borrowers at different times and which in turn has sharpened our lawyers’ skills to deliver top-notch work while carefully avoiding unnecessary complications in achieving results.

Taxation:

Our Tax team routinely advises on tax issues and assists clients in various areas of tax administration. We respond to enquiries from the tax authorities and formulate tax structures for our Clients. Our tax services include:

• Advising on the general application of Nigerian tax laws and compliance therewith.
• Provision of advice on tax implications of both proposed and concluded commercial agreements.
• Advice on areas of tax exemption and structuring options to maximise the benefits derived there from.
• Advising on tax implications of proposed/new legislation.
• Representation at tax audits.
• Taxation analysis of different business structure such as Public Private Partnership initiatives and finance leasing.

The Firm has expertise in all aspects of Real Estate in Nigeria including Sales, Leases & Acquisition; Real Estate finance, securitisation etc.

Our Dispute Resolution team emphasizes the Firm’s commitment to its clients by responding aggressively with formidable resourceful litigation capability when they become involved in disputes that parties are unable to settle themselves. The deployment of cutting-edge information technology tools in our dispute resolution practice area allows us to practice law at the speed of thought, which in turn has afforded us the ability to develop many methods to keep costs in good perspective. Our litigation practice draws on its intimate knowledge of our client’s businesses and our ability to respond creatively to their problems. This knowledge enables us to resolve their disputes efficiently. This practice handles all issues relating to litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution.

The Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Team provide legal support for those companies involved in the exploration and production of energy resources. Our practice handles all types of oil, gas and energy resource matters, which extend to property, title, contract, liability and environmental issues. The team has over the years, gained considerable practical experience, in the structuring and documentation of petroleum transactions and arrangements. Our energy lawyers offer expertise in the extensive area covered by “upstream” and “down stream sectors” of oil and gas projects, the acquisition and disposal of interests in oil and gas fields and marginal fields and other concessions, advisory work in the privatization and project financing of corporations in this area has provided an invaluable understanding of the entire sector.