Bankruptcy Attorneys

Mkono & Co. Advocates, Tanzania’s leading law firm, is pleased to announce that it has hired two senior lawyers, Karel Daele and Gilbert Nyatanyi, to reinforce its legal team in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Karel Daele, 34, holds a Master of Laws, magna cum laude, from the University of Ghent and a LL.M., cum laude, from the University of Exeter. He started practicing law in 1996 as a member of the Brussels bar with Stibbe after which he successively practiced at the Brussels offices of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr. Mr. Daele has advised clients from a wide variety of sectors and has a broad litigation experience, having represented clients in numerous cases before national courts and arbitration panels and in settlement negotiations. He is the author of various publications in international legal journals on commercial law and litigation. Karel Daele is mentioned in the 2005 and 2006 editions of Legal 500 Europe, Middle East and Africa for his corporate and commercial work and is recommended for dispute resolution in the 2006 edition.

Karel Daele will join Mkono & Co as a Partner and will be responsible for the further development of the firm’s dispute resolution practice. At Mkono & Co, Karel will be in the company of two other lawyers who, like him, have worked in the Brussels office of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, namely Steven De Backer (Partner in charge of the firm’s strategy and regional development) and Bart Wilms (Principal Associate).

Gilbert Nyatanyi, 34, joins Mkono & Co. as Special Counsel. He has a Masters of Law from the University of Ghent (Belgium). He started his career in the public sector and then moved to the Brussels office of White & Case, where he spent over 5 years. He has extensive experience in banking and finance. Furthermore, Gilbert Nyatanyi has gained a wide experience in transactions in several African countries. He has published numerous articles on law and law reforms in emerging countries and on economic developments in Africa.

Gilbert Nyatanyi’s practice will focus on finance, financial instruments, financial regulatory matters and general banking work. He will also play a central role in the development of the firm’s activities in the Great Lakes Region.

The existing legal team at Mkono & Co comprises of almost twenty practitioners and with the arrival of two more high-profile lawyers it will be one of the largest practices of its kind in East and Central Africa.

Statement from the Managing Partner, Hon. Nimrod E. Mkono

“The legal profession in Africa is changing rapidly. Legal practice today transcends its traditional boundaries. Cross border transactions have become more frequent. The continent needs high-quality legal skills to back up the economic reforms which now cut across Africa. Mkono & Co.’s combination of international specialist lawyers and locally qualified attorneys represents a well-balanced legal team committed to the regional groupings of eastern and southern Africa.

Karel Daele and Gilbert Nyatanyi will add significantly to our firm’s existing strengths. Karel is a top-notch commercial litigation lawyer and his acquisition reflects our firm’s drive to maintain excellence and provide expertise that clients demand. His presence will greatly enhance our firm’s capabilities in investment arbitration particularly under the auspices of bilateral investment treaties, ICSID and ICC as well as in the private sector. Gilbert is a well-known legal professional in Africa. His presence will not only improve the firm’s capacity in banking and finance, but also confirms the firm’s commitment to accompany the economic development of both the Franco and Anglophone countries of the region.

Karel’s and Gilbert’s hiring will significantly assist in placing the firm on the cutting edge of the legal practice on the African continent.”

Statement from the Global Development Partner, Steven De Backer

“Mkono & Co. is in the throes of change, transforming from a traditional local corporate practice to a regional full-service firm. The key to our growth has been a twin strategy of focusing on developing our traditional local practice and establishing an international capability on the ground in areas which used to be served only by international firms, such as finance projects, energy projects and arbitrations. Of course, in terms of cover, we’re not there with the magic circle firms, but we want to be the best full-service law firm in the region - it’s a very clear mission statement.
Like our alliance with Denton Wilde Sapte, these appointments are based on a desire to provide a consistent and coordinated range of services which meet our clients’ international needs. Also with these additions, we will have not less than seven French speaking lawyers in our team. The firm’s unique mix of (English) common law and (French) civil lawyers will be key to our move to the Great Lakes Region.

In this respect, we clearly recognize the rapid integration of the countries in the East-African region in its broadest sense. We are committed to continuing with the strategy set down over the last two years. We will open our first branch office in Bujumbura, Burundi, later this year and the appointment of Gilbert Nyatanyi is a further testament to our commitment to the Great Lakes Region.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 25th, 2008 at 4:36 am and is filed under Banking & Finance Law, Bankruptcy Attorney. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.