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African firms join Interlaw
Leading international legal network, Interlaw, added two new African law firms to their membership recently, writes Ben Rigby.
The two new firms are based in Kenya and Nigeria, and join the existing 7,500 lawyers that are part of Interlaw’s existing network.
B M Musau & Co, in Nairobi, is a full service law firm with strong expertise in mainstream areas of business law, and Sefton Fross, in Lagos, Nigeria, has experience in a range of disciplines, spanning banking and finance, capital markets, and corporate law, as well as real estate, tax and energy law, among others.
With more than 21 years in practice, the Kenyan firm, which is led by founder and managing partner, Benjamin Musau, the firm specialises in corporate commercial law, with a mix of local and international clients, the latter making up around 40% of its portfolio.
It combines business and individual dispute resolution practice with the full range of transactional legal services for commercial clients, both established companies, as well as emerging businesses; current head of legal at Kenya Airways, Melissa Makokha, trained with the firm.
Sefton Fross, meanwhile, was established seven years ago, when the Lagos-based firm was founded by managing partner, Olayemi Anyanechi, on her departure from Templars, where she was a partner; the firm has a mix of local and international clients, with almost 30% of the firm’s clients based overseas.
Anyanechi is well regarded in Nigeria, not least for her twenty years of experience in a broad range of finance mandates, as well as corporate and M&A work, while she is also experienced in energy and natural resources matters, including financing and commercial aspects. She is also active in the International Bar Association, and the Nigerian Bar Association’s influential Section on Business Law.
Glenn Cunningham, chair of Interlaw, said the new partner firms in Kenya and Nigeria would enhance his network’s presence in Africa and its wider global footprint.
“This brings multiple benefits for clients and our existing partner firms alike, who will have increased access to excellent service and first class legal and business advice in these important jurisdictions and beyond.”
Interlaw’s expansion follows moves by Bowmans to enter into an alliance agreement with Nigerian firm, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, building on their long-standing existing ‘best friends’ relationship, as previously reported by Africa Legal.
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