Our Practice Areas| Henry Omu & Co.

OUR PRACTICE AREAS

Dispute Resolution/Litigation
Corporate & Commercial
Intellectual Property
Compliance & Business advisory
Foreign Investment
Enviromental & Energy
Banking & Finance
Energy & Natural Resources
Family,Probate & Administration of Estate
Election Petition
Corporate Secretarial Services
Mergers & Acquisition
Immigration
Pro bono
Notary Services
Propety & Real Estate

Dispute Resolution/Litigation

We have a formidable Litigation Department, our experience in dispute resolution and litigation cuts across diverse aspect of laws. Our clients are quite varied and we have rights of audience and experience of acting, before all courts in Nigeria. We have wide-ranging experiences and exposure in our firm’s key law practice areas and we conduct trial up to appellate Court levels in civil and criminal cases for our individual and corporate clients. We also handle cases bothering on judicial enforcement of fundamental rights when they have been violated or are being violated or about to be violated under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or/and the African Charter on Human Rights and the procurement of requite damages or apologies for such breaches. We also represent our clients in Arbitration and ADR proceedings. Our experience and expertise include the litigation of disputes arising from the following areas:

Labor/Master-servant
Arbitration
Banking and Finance
Commercial Law
Companies and Allied Matters
Constitutional and Administrative Law issues
Construction disputes
Contractual and commercial transactions
Debt Recovery
Criminal law proceedings
Enforcement of Fundamental Human Rights
Electoral Law
Family, Probate & Administration of Estates
Insolvency
Insurance
Intellectual Property
Capital Market
Mergers and acquisition
Oil and Gas
Property/Real Estate
Landlord and tenant
Securities
International Trade
Criminal and civil Appeals up to the Supreme Court

Corporate & Commercial

Corporate/Commercial law is an important core area of our practice, this Department’s work includes advising clients on all issues bothering on conveyancing and general corporate and commercial matters involving individuals and corporate bodies. We advise on different aspects of employment law including negotiation and preparation of various contracts of employment, director’s service agreements, employee manuals and handbooks, consultancy agreements, discrimination, promotion, appointment, termination and dismissal of staff, employment disputes, actions for unlawful dismissal or breach or termination of contract of employment and wrongful dismissal. We routinely provide advisory services to individual and corporate bodies and business enterprises on several areas of Nigerian commercial law. We conduct legal due diligence, we advise on companies and allied matters, insolvency and corporate restructuring, contract drafting, review and negotiation. We advise on the floatation, incorporation, restructuring and winding up of different kinds of companies and associations, acquisitions, mergers and joint venture arrangements. We advise on Nigerian laws and procedures for foreign direct investment in Nigeria, procurement of office and residential properties, procurement of Governor’s consents where necessary, procurement of expatriate quota or business permits and resident permits and their processing, renewals for foreigners intending to do business in Nigeria.

Intellectual Property

We engage in the protection of our client’s intellectual property rights including; trademarks, copyrights, patents, industrial design rights and trade secrets. We prepare, file, process for both local and foreign clients, applications for the registration of trade marks, designs, copyrights and patents and maintaining, surveying and protecting trade marks from infringement or passing-off. We also represent our clients in various opposition proceedings at the trademark registry. We have extensive experience of representing holders of intellectual property rights in the enforcement or defence of such rights in Nigeria. We also represent our clients in relation to issues of enforcement of intellectual property rights at the Federal High Court when this has become necessary, where judicial orders such as Mareva (Freezing) injunctions, Anton Piller orders, Ex Parte orders etc are procured on behalf of our clients. We also monitor the registers and journals of the Trademarks and Patent Registries to ensure that the interests of our clients are not jeopardised.

Regulatory Compliance & Business Advisory

We advise local and international clients on several matters, including the formation of businesses, companies, business names, partnerships and joint ventures, immigration law, property conveyancing, foreign investment etc. We advise on registrations and compliance matters with government agencies such as the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, Corporate Affairs Commission, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Nigerian Immigration Service, Federal and States Inland Revenue Service, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Lands Registries across the country and Trademarks, Patents and Designs Registry etc. We provide company secretarial services through HF Nominees Limited, which is the Company Secretarial arm of Henry Omu & Co.

Foreign Investment

We provide advisory services in relation to foreign investment in Nigeria to our local and foreign clients. We assist in setting up local companies for foreign investors in Nigeria in accordance with the Companies and Allied Matters Act and obtain the necessary approvals required under Nigerian law including pioneer status, expatriate quotas as well as residents permits, where necessary. We advise our clients on compliance and regulatory matters with government agencies such as the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, Corporate Affairs Commission, the Nigerian Immigration Services etc.

Enviromental & Energy

In relation to Environmental and Energy laws, we engage in consultation and offer legal opinions and advice on environmental issues including how to minimise risks and avoid liabilities when Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) matters arise, especially from oil spillage and oil exploration activities and its effects. We also advise on the legal and institutional frameworks concerning environmental pollution, implementation, enforcement and compliance issues.We prepare, peruse, advice on energy matters, including crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas sales/purchase (GSPA) agreements, the laws concerning them, rights/duties in oil prospecting licences (OPL), oil mining leases (OML) and oil exploration licenses (OEL), petroleum joint venture agreements, service contracts, production sharing contracts, risk service contracts, marginal fields and oil and gas investments generally.

Banking and Finance

We advise and conduct cases on banks and customers relationships issues and disputes, bills of exchange, finance, guarantees, electronic banking and bank payments including electronic (internet) money transfers, cross-border credit transfers, international banking, trade and finance and other banking and finance issues generally. We act as solicitors to issuing houses on securities and act as receivers and liquidators of companies. We engage in debt recovery, realisation of collateral securities for loans, voluntary and compulsory winding up of companiess as well as issues relating to indemnities, guarantees, pledges, bonds, legal and equitable mortgages etc. We engage in the preparation and perfection of legal mortgages, debentures, guarantees, bonds, loan agreements, equipment lease agreements and other securities.

Energy & Natural Resources

We advise and act on behalf of our clients in the oil/gas and power sectors. We have experiences of supporting oil and gas exploration and production companies in negotiating production sharing contracts (PSCs), processing applications for leases and licences and other matters relating to their business in Nigeria. We advise clients in the acquisition and disposal of interests in oil and gas assets, gas sale and purchase transactions, representing clients in environmental degradation claims arising from the operations of upstream oil companies in Nigeria, and representing clients in disputes arising from the sale and purchase of oil and gas assets. We advise on energy matters including crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas sales/purchase agreements (GSPA), oil prospecting licences (OPL), oil mining leases (OML), oil exploration licenses (OEL), petroleum joint venture agreements, service contracts, production sharing contracts, marginal fields, oil and gas investments etc.

Family,Probate & Administration of Estates

We act on behalf of our clients in relation to family law matters such as institution of legal proceedings in courts all over the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the procurement of Orders for dissolution of marriage, nullity of marriage etc and for ancilliary proceedings such as custody, spousal and children support etc. We prepare and lodge wills and organize the reading of same as at when due. We procure the issuance of Letters of Administration upon intestacy and the issuance of Probate when necessary from the Probate Registries of the High Courts of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We render legal advice on meaningful ways of ensuring proper administration of estates.

Election Petition

We handle Election Petitions matters at the Election Tribunals and Courts all over the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as pre-election disputes and matters in regular Courts and appeals arising therefrom.

Corporate Secretarial Service

We act on behalf of our clients on matters bothering on incorporation of business names, limited liability companies, companies limited by guarantee as well as clubs and associations registrable under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990. We advise with regards to necessary compliance issues of corporate bodies with the Corporate Affairs Commission such as the filing of annual returns of business names and companies limited by shares and incorporated trustees under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990, Federal and States Inland Revenue Services, Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission etc. We act as Company Secretary and provide company secretarial support services to our respective clients when necessary.

Mergers & Acquisition

We act on legal issues and matters pertaining to restructuring and winding up of different kinds of companies and associations. We act with respect of issues bothering on acquisitions, mergers and joint venture arrangements etc. We have ample experiences, from the legal background of our Principal Partner of acting as Solicitors in diverse capital market issues, as Solicitor to the Issuing House, Trustees, Company etc. We have also, from the legal background of our Principal Partner, procured Orders from the Federal High Court with respect to the sanctioning of scheme of mergers of some Banks in Nigeria.

Immigration

We act as Immigration law consultants and in that guise, we act on behalf of clients on immigration issues such as proceedings in relation to proceedings associated with denial of entry clearances by foreign embassies in Nigeria. We act in connection with procurement of business permits, expatriate quota, resident permits and their renewals for foreigners intending to do business in Nigeria. We also file necessary monthly returns on behalf of foreigners’ residing in Nigeria to the Nigerian Immigration Services and other regulatory bodies. We also render other forms of sundry immigration services to our clients.

Pro bono Services

We provide legal support to deserving individuals, organizations and communities. We have continuously rendered lots of pro bono services to indigent persons who cannot afford the cost of quality legal services, especially to inmates and convicts in the various prisons and detention facilities across Nigeria with respect to criminal cases. We have prosecuted criminal appeals on behalf of indigent individuals up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria and in the process procured favorable judgements on their behalf.

Notary Services

We offer Notary services to individual and corporates bodies through our principal partner Chief Henry Omu who is a Notary Public for the Federal Republic of Nigeria since on the 24th January, 2005.

Property & Real Estate

We act on behalf of our clients in relation to all manner of real estate matters. We source and procure suitable properties on behalf of our clients. We prepare on behalf of our clients property and conveyancing documents of all descriptions such as lease agreements, Deed of Assignment, Deed of Partition, Deed of Sublease etc. We undertake on behalf of our clients, negotiations of sales, purchases and assignments, development leases or agreements and management of real estate, conducting due diligence for local and foreign Clients intending to invest in real property and advising them on such investments. We conduct searches at the various land registries in Nigeria on behalf of our clients, we prepare, stamp and register Deed of Assignments, leases, subleases, and mortgages of properties and engage in the procurement of Governor’s consents from the various Directorate of Lands Services of states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and, in appropriate cases, we procure certificate of occupancy in relation to properties on behalf of our clients. We engage in other sundry legal services in relation to property and real estate such as the placing of caution on titles, registration of memorandum of loss, replacement of lost or missing title documents etc.We engage, on behalf of our clients, in recovery of possession of properties, arrears of rents and mesne profits in respect of landed properties from defaulting tenants and lessees.