Corporate Finance & Capital Markets

We are licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to provide legal advisory services related to securities law and capital market activities. Our corporate finance and capital markets practice provides legal support in the execution of Mergers and Acquisitions, Syndicated Loans, Loan Documentation and related Due Diligence. We offer legal advisory services and support for Initial Public Offerings, Rights Issues and Collective Investments Schemes. We also offer legal advisory services to Trustees and have acted as Solicitors to the Trustees in Collective Investment Schemes and Bond Issuance.

Our clients also rely on our advice and representation on Insurance, Mergers and Acquisition, Capital restructuring, shareholding, employee shareholding and profit-sharing schemes, Asset Finance, Private Placement, Regulatory compliance Services.

Track Records
We have been retained in various capacities for services like Scheme of Arrangement, preparation and documentation of Trust Deeds, preparation of the Prospectus, Vending agreement and acting as Solicitors to the issue, Solicitors to the trustee, or Solicitors to the issuer.

Dispute-Resolution

Recent trends of globalization and need to expand business frontiers have made the occurrence of commercial disputes (indigenous and international) inevitable, which now require the application of complex, innovative and commercial solutions.

Ordinarily, we take a holistic approach by outlining the benefits of amicable settlement (alternative dispute resolution) vis a vis litigation, with a full understanding that in some cases litigation is unavoidable in resolving the disputes.

In the event that litigation, arbitration or other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms cannot be avoided, AA & Co. has a vibrant and large dispute resolution practice which enjoys requisite expertise to protect our Clients’ needs and interests in proceedings in the various trial and appellate courts and in both indigenous and international arbitration.

Our dispute resolution practice handles claims-raising issues ranging from Actionable and Fraudulent Misrepresentations, Admiralty and Maritime Matters, Banking Law, Carriage of Goods by Sea Air and Land, Company Law, Construction Contracts, Defamation, Enforcement of Foreign Judgments, Enforcement of Shareholders Agreements, Hospitality Contracts, Insolvency Practice (Winding Up, Liquidations and Receiverships), Insurance Law, Intellectual Property, International Trade and Foreign Exchange, Labour and Employment, Mining and Quarrying, Occupiers Liability, Privatisation, Property, Public Sector Civil Works Contracts, Securities Law and Practice and Telecommunications.

We are qualified to appear before every court in Nigeria and have access to extensive resources comparable to that of any other leading law firm. Thus, apart from providing excellent technical advice, we are well placed to proffer solutions that allow quick resolution of complex disputes in the areas of corporate and commercial litigation; Arbitration, Alternative Dispute Resolution, including Mediation, Conciliation, Negotiation and Capital Markets Dispute Resolution, including proceedings before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Investments and Securities Tribunal (IST) and the regular courts.

Track Records

We represented one of the leading telecommunication companies in Nigeria in an arbitration proceedings in a matter referred to a Sole Arbitrator. We have also represented one of the leading oil and gas companies in Nigeria in an admiralty matter before the Federal High Court which matter was litigated up to the Supreme Court.

Energy and Natural Resources

Our Energy and Natural Resources practice is separated into three broad practice areas:
Power; Oil and Gas; Mining.

• Power

  Our Energy team provides legal advisory services to clients on the development, financing and acquisition of electric power projects following the privatization of the sector in Nigeria. Our power utilities practice extends to the various segments of the sector which covers Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution. We successfully advise our clients on all aspects of major acquisitions, joint ventures, asset purchase, privatisation, trading and marketing, regulation and market reform, public procurement matters, environmental issues, legal disputes and financing. Our team specializes in all aspects of the power generation industry, including gas and coal.

  Our advisory services to clients extend to regulatory issues, project structuring, take off agreements, M&A of power assets, Construction, O&M and power purchase agreements, decommissioning, Carbon Capture and Gas Storage and Pricing disputes relating to PPA’s, GTA’s and GSAs, Environmental and regulatory including property and planning. We advise on all aspects of all renewable and clean energy technologies including onshore and wind, biomass and bio fuels, waste, solar and hydro generation.

• Oil and Gas

  Our depth of experience within the oil & gas industry spans the entire value chain from exploration and production activity through development of pipelines, gas gathering and liquefaction projects, refining and petrochemicals, trading and distribution downstream, international dispute resolution, shipping, international projects/project finance and regulatory/health and safety and compliance. We understand the challenges and opportunities inherent in the upstream sector, based on our vast experience of providing legal advice to operators and service companies, as well as interfacing with regulators.

• Mining

  Our mining practice covers mining ventures, from precious and base metals and precious and semiprecious stones to industrial mineral and coal. We are positioned to advise global resource houses, large multinational corporations, and exploration and mining companies. Our services include advising on project structuring, project financing, assistance in the creation or reorganization of wholly owned structures and joint ventures and the transfer or granting of mining permits including, due diligence, Investment protection strategy, JVs - consortium formation.

  We provide legal support in resolving complex issues, as well as the preparation and review of project documentations, including project contractual strategies, selection of the contractual matrix and forms of contract acceptable to funders, negotiations and discussions with stakeholders, Multilateral and Export Credit Agency issues, Disputes management and resolution, including via arbitration and litigation, Mergers and acquisitions, IPO’s and other equity fund raising, documentations for the admission of companies on financial markets.

Track Records

We advise our clients on various aspects of oil and gas, mining, power generation and related trades. The services we provide include but not limited to contracts negotiations, project financing, deregulation, divestment/acquisition, privatization operations and regulatory compliance.

Immigration, Employment & Labour

AA & Co. has the reputation of being an employment and immigration solutions provider in Nigeria. We specialize in providing immigration support services to both indigenous and multinational companies. We render assistance in obtaining temporary work permits (TWP), Subject to Regularization Visas (STR Visa), Entry Clearance Visa, Business Permits, Expatriate Quota approvals as well as processing applications for Nigerian Citizenship and naturalization.

We provide document procurement services which include but not limited to document notarization, translation, authentication and legalization as may be required by assignees.

Track Records

We acted as immigration service provider to E-Cart Internet Services with respect to visa procurement for their employees that required constant travel out of Nigeria. We successfully liaised with foreign embassies thereby establishing a cordial relationship for future visa application process.

Intellectual Property

Our intellectual property practice deals with all aspects from maintenance, protection and enforcement of Trademarks, Copyrights, Patents and Trade Secrets for our clients’ industrial and intellectual property rights either in isolation or as an offshoot of related transactional matters.

We have profound experience and expertise in all licensing, maintenance works and other ancillary trade issues for regulatory approvals at the Nigerian Trademarks and Patent Registry either for publication, registration and renewals of trademarks. We also undertake the assignment of such marks as well as recordals of registered User Agreements to third parties or subsidiaries. Our expertise also extends to the filing, prosecution or defence of our clients’ applications in Opposition proceedings before the Registrar of Trademarks. We file applications for the issuance of Letters of Patent on behalf of inventors or assignees and effect payment of annuities for such patents. We advise on a wide range of legal issues relating to the Nigerian laws and policies on intellectual property protection and enforcement that are specifically tailored to suit our clients varying and ever evolving needs.

In the area of enforcement, our firm’s intellectual property department works closely with the Dispute Resolution department in the prosecution and or defence of Copyright, Trademarks and Patent infringement actions at various levels. We can obtain ex parte, interlocutory, Anton Piller or Class injunctions depending on the exigencies of an action as well as instigate anti-counterfeiting proceedings under the Nigerian Merchandise Marks Act. Our firm handles applications for the issuance of product licenses before the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC).

Track Records
We have been engaged by our numerous clients for the registration of Trademarks, Patents and Designs. For Patent or Trademark watching services, our team review possible matches for the purpose of identifying new technology developments as well as providing relevant advisory services. We have also dealt in the management of Intellectual Property portfolios, filing oppositions and appeals for intellectual property enforcement.

Maritime

We provide multi-faceted services, of international standards, to shipping and oil services industries in the maritime sector. With close to four decades (40) years combined, we advise on transactions relating to charterparties, bills of lading, corporate structures for ship ownership and joint ventures, drilling and service contracts, management agreements, flag and operational registrations, employment, port & logistics, ship finance and lease, ship sale and purchase, ship mortgage registrations, ship recycling, crude oil and commodities trading, trade finance, international sales, documentary credit, marine insurance, marine casualties, pollution, piracy, ship arrest and release, Nigerian Cabotage trade and the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010.

Real Estate and Succession

Our real estate practice provides legal support in the sale, acquisition and perfection of title to landed properties in Nigeria. We conduct due diligence on title and occupancy details as well as perfect mortgages. We represent the interests of our clients in the acquisition, sale and mortgage of real estate properties as well as advising on other real estate financing arrangements such as joint ventures and Real Estate Investment Trusts.

We provide legal services in the development of complex construction projects, including the development of corporate headquarters, commercial office complexes, malls and hotels, shopping centers and major local and international energy, power and infrastructure projects. Our clients include participants in the public and private sector and our services are highly commended by them because of our commercial approach to every transaction. Our experience, from working closely with these clients, gives us an excellent understanding of the wide spectrum of issues that arise across various sectors. We work closely with procurement and project delivery teams from the very start of each project, making sure all solutions meet our clients’ requirements at every step of the way. We regularly draft and amend building contracts, consultancy agreements, warranties and performance securities such as bonds and guarantees – to ensure adequate rights of recourse, we are well versed in the construction-related legal issues that organizations are likely to encounter.

Our succession practice involves non-contentious as well as contentious matters. We assist our clients with the drafting of wills, obtaining probate, letters of administration and where disputes arise, in consequential litigation including the appointment of administrators pendente lite and other contentious probate proceedings. We also assist with the re-sealing of probate and letters of administration where estate properties are located outside the domicile of the deceased.

Track Records

We are renowned for processing and obtaining Probate Grants to the Executors of Estate at the various Probate registries within 3-4 months of instructions as well as resealing the Grants in other jurisdictions where the Testators left property. We also prepared and successfully processed Deed of Assents for the transfer of valid title between the Executors of the Estate and Beneficiaries under the Will at the various Land registries in Nigeria.