OUR COMMITMENT
We are committed to our clients and the Courts to deliver legal services of the highest quality rendered in the most professional and timely manner.
We are further committed to ensuring that the interests of our clients, however diverse, are attended to with the highest responsibility, integrity and accountability at every stage until they are fully secured.
At Owino & McDowell Advocates
We promptly undertake to:
Invest resources, including time and effort, in developing our professional relationship with our clients.
Professionally and technically prepare ourselves at all times when handling our clients’ matters.
Passionately carry out research into any of our clients’ legal issues or cases in our care.
Keep our clients informed of progress on each matter we handle for them.
Avoid any conflict of interest with any of our clients’ work.
Leverage our exceptional talent, expertise and experiences for the benefit of our clients.
Dispute Resolution, Arbitration and Mediation
Our Dispute Resolution practice area is well regarded for its in-depth understanding of the judicial process. We have represented both local and international clients in complex banking litigation, highly complex commercial disputes, arbitration, constitutional law, election petitions, environmental litigation, employment and labour law, family law, public procurement and property disputes. Owino & McDowell Advocates retains a full spectrum of clients in sectors such as banking & financial services, manufacturing, construction, public sector and non-governmental organizations. We give careful consideration to the commercial/personal objectives of clients by carrying out an evaluation of both the legal and reputational risks of each case and seeking the best dispute resolution strategy and approach for the transaction.
Employment and Labour
Our Employment & Labour practice area is revered for its advice on contentious matters relating to termination and dismissal, redundancy and discrimination, and non-contentious matters including advisory on employment contracts, employment policies and procedures review of HR manuals & policies, advising on termination on account of redundancy. Our strong and well-resourced team is well known for providing solution-based legal counsel to both local and foreign clients. From recruitment to retirement, our team ensures that clients are well covered to avoid the usual pitfalls arising from misinformed decisions and actions against employees which may end up in costly litigation. We continually advise clients in various sectors including banking & financial services, health services, parastatals, non-governmental organizations, telecommunications and hospitality.
Banking, Finance and Insurance
Our Banking, Finance & Insurance practice area cuts a niche for its expertise in advising in both contentious and non-contentious matters. Owino & McDowell Advocates has vast experience advising on asset finance, structuring and drafting lending and security documentation for corporate and retail lending including cross border and syndicated loans, structured finance, SME financing and trade finance. We also help our clients contend with legal issues in banking, including restructurings and regulatory demands. With a good reputation in handling complex banking disputes, debt recovery and asset tracing, we have represented a diverse range of clients such as local and regional banks, international financial institutions and regulators, asset managers, capital markets and their participants, investment banks, national regulators, private equity firms, professional services organizations engaged principally in financial services and retail banks. In addition, we regularly work with retail intermediaries on the legal issues involved in the selling of financial services to consumers.
Corporate and Commercial Law
We hold our clients’ hands through complex commercial transactions based both locally and across borders. We provide bespoke commercial transaction services to a wide range of clients including state corporations, local and foreign companies as well as individuals. Our transactions, legal due diligence, joint ventures, corporate restructurings, acquisitions & mergers span various sub practice areas. We provide legal advisory services on public private partnerships, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, company secretarial services and commercial contracting. We aim to support our clients’ business and strategic needs across various sectors including Banking, Construction, Energy, Immigration and Natural Resources and Manufacturing.
Conveyancing and Real Estate
We have extensive experience and insight into all aspects of land law and property transactions in Kenya. Our team delivers on full range of services ranging from structuring and planning of complex real estate transactions, acquisition and disposal of property and perfection of securities. We take a result-oriented, strategic approach to negotiate, document and complete all aspects of property transactions. Through our developed networks, we walk with our clients and assist in obtaining all the relevant approvals from the various government agencies. We also provide regular updates on new legislation and emerging market trends that touch on the banking and real estate sector.
Fintech
Kenya is at the forefront among the pioneers of financial inclusion with innovations through its early adoption of a mobile money system (Mpesa). The country’s fintech sector is among the fastest growing in Africa, evidenced by a lot of activity in the local fintech scene involving sectors such as financial services, ICT and Agriculture. Our FinTech law practice offers a combination of deep global technical experience with local regulatory & financial service knowledge. Frequently, the team is involved in advising clients on their financing, corporate matters, and regulatory & compliance. The practice area also provides financial and technical legal advice on establishing of the fintech service businesses, licensing of the products, compliance with regulatory requirements and dispute resolution in day to day matters to highly complex issues in the industry. Our client base in the practice area ranges from venture capital funds, start-ups, banks, and other financial institutions.
Infrastructure, Projects and PPP
Our lawyers and consultants are at the forefront of advising the infrastructure sector, working with clients who invest in, own, operate, manage or provide services to infrastructure assets. As such, our knowledge base from working with clients across the public and private sectors means that we have a comprehensive understanding of each of the stakeholder’s concerns and are able to structure transactions in a manner that specifically addresses them. Our strong market knowledge coupled with an extensive regional and international reach enables us to deliver world-class legal services to our clients. This practice area advises on structuring, drafting & negotiating project agreements, and project finance. We have advised clients in the transport, telecommunications, power generation, mining and energy sectors.
Family Law
Owino & McDowell Advocates family law practice area provides prudent direction to individuals and families. Our team provides all-round legal services, in the most efficient way, by integrating the other practice areas, when handling personal and structural issues. Through this practice area, we have been able to preserve, build, maintain and establish trust with our client base. Our practice is aimed at building relationships with our clients to provide them with practical and attainable legal advice and action. Under this area of practice, we offer our clients quality legal services in: • Wills and Probate • Private Trusts • Succession planning and offshore structures • Estate management • Family law – divorce, division of matrimonial property, child custody and maintenance advice and litigation.
Legal Consultancy
We offer consultancy services to Government and Non-Governmental entities, individuals & institutional bodies. We offer impeccable consultancy services on various legal issues, corporate governance, data protection and rule of law. We also advise clients on effective internal management practices through legal leverage.
Pro Bono
At Owino & McDowell Advocates, we are committed to using our knowledge and resources to help those who need it the most. We cherish pro bono legal work which ensures access to justice for the less privileged in the society. Additionally, we use our pro bono services to advance the rule of law in the society by taking up public interest litigation matters.
Tax
Our Tax practice provides advisory, compliance and tax dispute resolution services. Our team has a comprehensive understanding of the Kenyan tax laws and is highly regarded for its expertise in handling both contentious and non- contentious tax matters, developing solutions that are both tax-efficient and practical to help our clients maximise opportunities while minimising risks. Our tax lawyers have extensive experience in supporting clients in the finance, manufacturing, agriculture, telecommunications, infrastructure and service sectors. Drawing on national, regional and international exposure and know-how, the team provides practical solutions to the complex tax issues that arise in businesses. Our lawyers’ background in tax law and accounting enables us to analyze transactions and business structures to provide pragmatic solutions for today’s dynamic and challenging environment. The team provides the full range of tax services such as advice on domestic and international tax, value-added tax, income tax, capital gains tax and transfer pricing. We also advise on the tax implications of mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions. In tax disputes, Owino & McDowell Advocates is renowned for its creative approach and forward thinking in tax litigation due to the complexity of Kenyan tax laws. Our tax lawyers are specialized in managing and resolving tax disputes, including attending to tax audits by the Kenya Revenue Authority, representing clients in tax appeals at the Tax Appeals Tribunal and the High Court of Kenya.