Our Services
To us, a client’s satisfaction is something to be pursued with an unflagging zeal since the client comes next only to God who is Himself the bedrock and inspiration of the firm.
Areas and Kinds of Service Provided
To us, a client’s satisfaction is something to be pursued with an unflagging zeal since the client comes next only to God who is Himself the bedrock and inspiration of the firm. We render services mainly to international and domestic corporate and institutional clients in the following areas:
International Commercial Arbitration, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Methods
Our partners and other Solicitors in the Arbitration, Litigation and ADR Group represent parties and sit as arbitrators, conciliators, mediators etc in simple and complex Arbitration, Conciliation, Mediation etc. matters of international and domestic character. Some of the matters have involved the apex and regulatory company in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Industry, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, or its subsidiaries. Some were or are very high volume civil construction disputes, maritime, international trade and intellectual property disputes.
Litigation
In addition to emphasizing litigation-preventive legal guidance, we have built a pool of strong litigation lawyers who take on litigation for effective results when and if litigation arises. We have been involved in the prosecution or defence of very
sensitive and complex claims in all the areas of the law in which we have specialist interest, in the different tiers of Courts in Nigeria.
The Arbitration, Litigation and ADR Group is our strongest arm and the litigation lawyers in this group undergo consistent continuing legal education in their particular areas of interest to enable them render services to a variety of clientele drawn from practically every sector of the economy.
Oil and Gas Law, Environmental Law
We render consultancy and normal-run legal services to existing and intending investors in the Nigerian Oil and Gas sector, especially in resource-exploitation joint venture agreements and contracts; contracts for procurement and supply of tools and equipment; representative sales agreements; Arbitration, Conciliation and, or negotiation of oil and gas pollution matters and environmental impact assessments and audits generally.
Maritime, Air Law
We provide legal services in dry shipping issues (charter party, marine insurance, ship finance, ship acquisition and management, bills of lading) and wet shipping (arrests, collisions, salvage, towage etc.) as well. Port Harcourt, with two seaports (in the metropolis and at Onne) and acting as a gateway to the highly commercial South Eastern states is a venue for an active maritime practice and the firm has earned a reputation of distinction in the practice
We render legal services to airlines in Nigeria, encountering in the process the present deficiencies of the Nigerian law in this largely untapped/undeveloped area of legal work. We hope to be of use in developing the law in this area to contemporary international and helpful standards.
Communication (including Information Technology) Law, Media Law
We have over the years rendered to clients services requiring the application of the principles of traditional/conventional Media Law With the advent of Information Technology Law, we have sought and obtained requisite skills in the area through collaboration with associate organizations and lawyers overseas and in-house continuing education. We have maintained an abiding interest in domain name (internet) disputes and disputes arising out of misrouted or aborted email and fax messages, telephony (landlines and wireless – including GSM) and other satellite transmissions.
Corporate and Commercial Law Practice
Some of our partners and other Solicitors spent the formative years of their practice in the most notable international corporate law firms in Nigeria and have continued in the tradition of rendering quality services in this area. We handle all legal aspects of foreign investment work including preparation of Joint Venture Agreements; floating of companies, partnerships and even small scale business organizations; mergers, acquisitions and reconstruction of companies; insolvency; legal aspects of stock exchange, capitalization and privatization labour and employment; corporate social relationships, industrial and inter-corporate disputes; international trade, investment and divestment.
Banking, Financial and Property Services
We work for a wide variety of banks and other financial institutions especially in secured credit transactions; project, industrial and trades finance; debt recoveries and insurance. As a benefit of a sustained research on the matter, we are able to advise banks (as lenders) on the best ways of securing their interests in loan transactions involving certificates of occupancy as collateral, as against the popular practice of just taking those certificates along with the regular Deed of Mortgage without more. Following our advice, banks are saved from loss if and when the certificate suffers invalidity or revocation before the loan is completely repaid.
We manage large size commercial and domestic properties for investors/landlords; source properties for potential investors and investors for willing sellers. We handle all stages and aspects of property acquisition documentation and perfection.
Company Secretarial Work
If appointed for the purpose, we act as Secretaries to ambitious and clear-sighted corporate organisations and guide them through the complex and multitudinous Company Law legislation, with a comparative approach. Even as the Nigerian
Company Law and legislation touching on the running of corporate business in Nigeria gets progressively more complex and modernised, a comparative approach with the laws of more advanced jurisdictions is becoming important by the day as the world becomes more of a global village. It is particularly so for companies who are involved or hope to get involved soon on the international scene.
Legal Consultancy Work
We render legal consultancy services to law firms, institutions, corporate business organisations, government establishments and agencies on recondite or new areas of legal study or work. With two established law teachers at the professorial level in the pool of our Solicitors who are authors of well-received law texts, we are well positioned for every level or depth of legal intellectual or consultancy work. We relate law to business and use it to solve everyday simple or complex business problems. We do so in innovative manners when innovation is desirable.
Private Individual Clients
We equally provide legal services for private individual clients involved in several subsectors of the economy and areas of life and endeavour.
Pro bono Work
As one of the ways of giving back to our Inspiration and Helper, God Almighty, and the society we render free services in and outside the Courts to needy persons whose rights are infringed.
Sundry Matters
response or turn around period is remarkably short even as we strive to ensure that in every other way the quality of work delivered is our very best.