Corporate & Commercial Practice

We prioritize protecting our clients’ brands, innovations, and products through our intellectual property (IP) practice. We ensure strong safeguards by registering their trademarks, patents, and designs. Our expertise spans various industries, including pharmaceuticals, information technology, consumer goods, and entertainment.

We advise and guide foreign investors through the complexities of doing business in Nigeria and are able to help clients obtain the necessary statutory and regulatory permits to establish a new business or invest in an existing one. We also assist with a cost-effective transition into the Nigerian market and advise on the most suitable entry vehicle.

We advise project sponsors, contractors, and other industry players, offering insightful solutions tailored to their specific needs. Our approach is rooted in a deep understanding of the commercial and legal intricacies of each project. Our lawyers possess extensive experience in negotiating construction contracts and providing counsel on FIDIC and ICE standard forms of contract.

Our energy team offers clients extensive resources, local expertise, and a long-standing presence in the energy industry. Our experience includes negotiation and documentation of oil & gas drilling contracts, joint operating agreements, joint venture agreements, agreements for the sale and purchase of petroleum products, lease agreements and community development agreements. Our unique strength in dispute resolution is a major advantage for our clients, especially foreign operators in the oil and gas sector who can be vulnerable to local counterparties when disputes arise. We also provide legal advice on regulatory issues affecting our clients.

Our banking and insurance practice is designed to meet the specific needs of banks and insurance companies within Nigeria’s dynamic financial markets. We offer comprehensive advisory and dispute resolution services across traditional areas like banking and insurance law, financial institution regulation, and loan documentation. We also excel in receivership and debt recovery actions, where we are recognized as formidable legal practitioners.

Our lawyers are experts in providing critical advice on corporate restructuring and insolvency. We are regularly engaged in procedures ranging from receivership, administration, and liquidation to company voluntary arrangements. We also represent banks, other secured lenders, creditors, and receivers in insolvency-related matters.

We are well positioned to offer clients quality advice at every stage of the merger and acquisition process. Our expertise covers a wide range of areas, from advising on all forms of mergers, to shares and asset purchases. We support our clients throughout the entire journey, from strategy and planning through due diligence and transaction documentation, and continuing all the way to post-transaction integration.

We are licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission to provide legal advisory services for securities and capital market transactions. Undertaking an Initial Public Offering (IPO) is a significant step for any organization. We understand the complexities and regulatory challenges of the IPO process. With our extensive experience in capital market transactions, we are well equipped to guide our clients toward a successful listing. We have advised on rights issues, public offers, establishment of mutual funds, private placements and debt instruments.

We provide advice on all aspects of carriage of goods by sea, including issues arising from letters of credit, charter-parties, bills of lading as well as the more complex matters of maritime law. We are also regularly involved with non–contentious work in shipping finance/security documentation and local registration of vessels. We have represented a broad range of clients, including ship-owners, charterers, cargo interest parties, underwriters, banks and P&I clubs. We pride ourselves on delivering cost-effective, tailor-made solutions to meet our clients’ specific requirements.

We have a dedicated team committed to helping companies develop corporate governance codes that adhere to best practices. We also offer a full range of company secretarial services, ensuring corporate compliance and good standing simply and efficiently. When required, these services are provided through ALP Nominees Limited, our wholly owned company, which has a strong track record of acting as company secretaries for both large and small companies.

Our tax group advises on all aspects of corporate and personal tax matters, handling both non-contentious and contentious work. For contentious issues, we engage in all aspects of tax litigation, using our dispute resolution extensive experience to successfully challenge unfair tax assessments.

We offer comprehensive advice on all aspects of employment law, encompassing both dispute resolution and advisory services. Our employment practitioners provide a wide range of advisory support, including drafting employment contracts for executive and senior management staff, creating handbooks and regulations in compliance with Nigerian law, and designing and implementing employee benefits schemes.