Sebalu & Lule
 | |
| Headquarters |  East African Development Bank, Plot 4, Nile Avenue, Kampala, Uganda |
|---|---|
| No. of offices | 1 |
| No. of attorneys | 25 |
| No. of employees | 60 |
| Major practice areas | Corporate & Commercial Law Practice |
| Key people | Barnabas R. Tumusingize (Managing Partner), James Mukasa Sebugenyi (Senior Partner) & Nicholas Ecimu (Partner).[1][2] |
| Revenue | Unknown |
| Date founded | 1980 (Kampala) |
| Founder | Paulo Sebalu & Godfrey Serunkuma Lule |
| Company type | LLP |
| Website | www.sebalulule.co.ug |
Sebalu & Lule Advocates and Legal Consultants is a Ugandan law firm headquartered in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. It is a leading business law firm that was founded in 1980 by Paulo Sebalu and Godfrey Serunkuma Lule.[3] The firm is a member of DLA Piper and the DLA Piper Africa Group.[1][2] The firm's advocates are members of various professional bodies, including the International Bar Association, the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, the East African Law Society and the Uganda Law Society.[1][2][3]
Sebalu & Lule advises leading local and multinational organisations across the financial services, energy and infrastructure, insurance, telecommunications, construction, hospitality and leisure, private equity and processing/manufacturing sectors, several of whom are listed on the Uganda Securities Exchange and FTSE 100 index. The firm also acts for industry regulators, international financiers, the Government and governmental agencies.[4][5][6][7]
History
Sebalu & Lule was formed in 1980 by Paulo Sebalu and Godfrey Serunkuma Lule, both distinguished legal practitioners at the time.[1]
In 2010, Sebalu & Lule joined the DLA Piper Group.[2]
Work Profile
Sebalu & Lule specialises in the following practice areas: banking and finance, capital markets, corporate and commercial law, commercial dispute resolution, projects and infrastructure, power (energy, oil and gas and mining), mergers and acquisitions, employment and pensions, non-profit organisations, real estate and tax.[4]
Notable transactions include:
- Advised the lenders, including the International Finance Corporation, African Development Bank and Standard Chartered Bank, for the US$900 million project financing of the Bujagali Hydroelectric Power Station on the Victoria Nile, currently Uganda’s largest energy and infrastructure project. Although Sebalu & Lule, advising on Uganda law, was a lesser one of the four legal firms involved, the project was "the first greenfield power financing in Uganda and is east Africa's largest private sector investment."[8]
- Advised the Government of Uganda for the concession of assets of Uganda’s sole copper mine, Kilembe Mines
- Acted for Rabobank and Rabo Development BV in the acquisition of an equity stake in a listed company in Uganda in what was the first transaction to test the Capital Markets (Mergers and Takeovers) Regulations[1][2]
- Acted for Standard Chartered Bank, Uganda Telecom and Kakira Sugar Works on the issue of medium-term notes programmes on the Uganda Securities Exchange and for the Nation Media Group for its cross-listing on the Uganda Securities Exchange.
Notable cases include:
- Successfully acted for the National Social Security Fund, Uganda statutory provident fund, in its challenge of a US$20 million arbitral award before the Supreme Court of Uganda.[9]
- Successfully acted for Standard Chartered Bank Uganda before the East African Court of Justice in a multi-million dollar dispute founded upon a claim on a guarantee issued by Standard Chartered Bank Uganda.[10]
Associate firms
Awards & Rankings
- The 2014 IFLR1000's financial and corporate law rankings for Sebalu & Lule indicate that it is a Tier 1 financial and corporate law firm. The firm is also ranked as a Tier 1 energy and infrastructure law firm by the same legal directory.[11]
- Sebalu & Lule is ranked as a Band 1 Ugandan law firm in the 2014 edition of Chambers & Partners.[2][12]
- Barnabas Tumusingize is ranked as a Band 1 general business law expert in the 2014 edition of Chambers & Partners. James Mukasa Sebugenyi and Nicholas Ecimu are ranked as Band 2 and Band 3 general business law experts respectively by the same publication.[13]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e "IFLR1000 Reviews". IFLR1000:The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms.
- ^ a b c d e f "Band 1: Sebalu & Lule Advocates and Legal Consultants". Chambers Global.
- ^ a b "About Us". Sebalu & Lule.
- ^ a b "Practice Areas". Sebalu & Lule.
- ^ "MTN takes $3.7m battle back to Three Ways Ltd". The Observer.
- ^ "Banks file defence in charges case". New Vision.
- ^ "UBC resurrects Ntinda land case". Daily Monitor.
- ^ (among notable deals, under Project Finance, in roundup article "Merrill bailed out by Temasek; Herbert Smith on Abu Dhabi power plant; Ropes & Gray heads up Bain Capital takeover", Anonymous. International Financial Law Review (Feb 2008)
- ^ "NSSF wins court case against Alcon, saves UGX 60b". NSSF Uganda.
- ^ "EACJ Dismisses Alcon International Limited Dispute". MEACA.
- ^ "2014 Rankings". IFLR1000:The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms.
- ^ "Sebalu & Lule Advocates and Legal Consultants". Chambers Global.
- ^ "RANKED LAWYERS". Chambers Global.