MESA Advocates

MESA Advocates, formerly Elau & Ochom Advocates and Legal Consultants was registered and commenced operations in Uganda in the year 2015 as a duly established firm.

The firm, in pursuance of its broader objectives with respect to growth rebranded to MESA Advocates in 2022 bringing onboard more partners with diverse specialized skill sets with a view to provide world class, multi-disciplinary legal services and build solid, long term mutually beneficial relationships, while remaining attuned to the dynamic legal landscape. We understand and work to fulfill the myriad legal and business needs of our clients.

MESA is a specialized full-service law firm, combining a well-established dispute resolution, business and trade law practice that helps its clients overcome legal complexities and build solutions that address our client’s needs. We are dedicated to collaboration, teamwork, and superior client service.

Practice Areas:

Dispute Resolution

Our dispute resolution practice encompasses litigation, arbitration, negotiations, conciliation, and mediation as approaches towards building solutions to a particular set of circumstances. We also advise our clients on how to identify and manage risks in their dealings. Our team is extremely agile and versatile whether before courts, arbitral tribunals, or any other special fora.

Our offerings stretch from, commercial and civil litigation, international and Domestic arbitration, mediation, and complex negotiations as well criminal litigation. Our team-based approach also focuses on the optimal path to obtaining a favorable resolution of the matter that is truly in the best interest of our clients.

Regional and international trade

Because the International and Regional Landscape is complex, businesses encounter a wide range of trade compliance issues like restrictions, controls, observing regional agreements and dispute resolution issues across various jurisdictions.

MESA handles large, varied, and complex trade matters in the region of the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite, AFCTA and the wider world market. They also advise lenders on structured trade financing and specialize in collateral management for trade financing transactions.

Crisis Management and Strategic Response

We provide instant and continuous support to organizations navigating complex and challenging crises throughout the world. The team advises in real time and proactively thinks ahead to the next stages and beyond to provide tailored solutions to address volatile and ever shifting crises attacking corporations and organizations on multiple fronts.

We have experience guiding clients through such crises by establishing and managing both the initial and long-term legal strategies and assisting with remediation efforts. These include providing due diligence and counsel on compliance, governance, corporate restructuring, anti-money laundering, litigation risks and potential exposure arising from alleged misconduct, corruption, and mass tort litigation.

Banking and financial Services

The team at MESA advises, negotiates, and drafts documentation relating to secured and unsecured debt facilities, syndicated loans, project finance as well as Islamic finance. It advises on preparation and reviewing financial documentation as well as providing legal opinions for foreign law governed contracts to evaluate their efficiency and validity under Ugandan law.

The team can ably take on and execute Islamic banking and finance advisory on all sharia compliant bankable products, sharia compliant securities and portfolio management.

We can ably structure transactions relating to debt restructuring, conversion of debt-to-equity, swaps, and derivatives.

Project finance and Infrastructure

We provide counsel, due diligence, contract negotiation and drafting to sponsors, lenders, investors, contractors, credit agencies, insurance companies and other service providers across virtually every major industry such as Energy, infrastructure, oil and gas, mining, as well as transportation.

We offer legal services relating to procurement, contract administration, claims, dispute avoidance and resolution to project employers, contractors and suppliers according to the PPDA, FIDIC and other applicable laws. We are trained in the use of the contemporary Project management methodologies such ad Prince 2 and PMP which aid in project management.

Corporate and Commercial Law

 

We have vast interaction with the stakeholders in the corporate arena who makeup our diverse clientele from all over the world. We coordinate complex transactions while dealing with regulatory requirements, due diligence, investigations and prepare all the necessary documentation as well as advise on the taxation implications.

On corporate advisory and business management, the firm advises Boards of Directors, Investors and in-house legal counsel on a wide range of company matters inclusive of governance, debt workouts/insolvency, insurance and mergers and acquisitions. MESA also acts as a Company Secretary to our clients globally.

The firm’s private equity team has developed significant expertise in private equity fund structuring and investment transactions. The members of the team bring a range of experience from their commercial, finance, tax and corporate governance advisory practice areas to aid their work for private equity advisory.

Real Estate

 

The firm advises on the development and acquisition of the various tenure and property management under the Ugandan law. We also advise our clients on mortgages, land use and government entitlements pertaining to real estate.

We are well versed with the complexities of the various interests existing on the same land and regulations governing new construction and development projects. We also harness the knowledge of our experts in related areas such as income tax relating to REITS.

Tax and Revenue

We advise on all aspects of income tax, customs and excise, value added tax, stamp duty and all other government levies.

We also offer dispute resolution tax services; these include litigation in courts of law and the tax appeals tribunal. We offer tax planning and advisory services on all business transactions, administrative engagement with the Uganda Revenue Authority and lobbying with the Ministry of Finance.

Labour and Employment

Our labour and employment practice encompasses the regulation of the laws that govern the workplace and the relationship between employees, managers, and unions and between employers and the government. MESA advocates offer representation in both facets of litigation and offers counsel in claims of discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, sexual harassment, unlawful termination, unpaid overtime among other related employment issues.

We also offer advice on the compliance of employment laws such as wholesale employment policies and practices, employment aspects of business transactions like M&A or restructurings, management on union matters, collective bargaining, union strike avoidance and breaking as well as occupational safety, casual work in the gig economy and cross border migration recruitment.

Oil and Gas

We advise on all aspects of income tax, customs and excise, value added tax, stamp duty and all other government levies.

We also offer dispute resolution tax services; these include litigation in courts of law and the tax appeals tribunal.

Fintech

As the digital revolution changes and inverts traditional laws and services of financial transactions there is an increasing demand for fintech solutions around the world, MESA advocates serve as trusted advisers for the buy side and sell side clients.

Our experience in this area spans to services and products including artificial intelligence, block chain & crypto currencies, initial coin offerings, online lending, digital banking, mobile wallets, E-commerce platforms & payment gateways.

Intellectual property

MESA offers a full range of legal services for the acquisition, commercialization and enforcement of intellectual property and technology Assets in the areas of patent, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, data privacy and security.

Our transaction’s practice provides strategic and Commercial advice to our clients and counsels in all aspects of IT transactions. Our work ranges from negotiating all IP related transactions to structuring and implementing complex sourcing and strategic alliances.