S&L Advocates (formerly Sebalu & Lule Advocates)

Partners: Barnabas Tumusingize, James Mukasa Sebugenyi, Joseph Luswata, Nicholas Ecimu, Moses Segawa, Andrew Munanura Kamuteera, Michael Mafabi, Paul Mbuga, Allan Waniala and Winnie Awino.

FIRM OVERVIEW:

S&L Advocates is a leading business law firm in Uganda. It is a full-service commercial law firm with expertise in banking and finance, capital markets, projects and infrastructure, corporate and commercial law, power (energy, oil and gas and mining), employment and employee benefits, tax, telecommunications and technology, real estate and commercial dispute resolution. S&L Advocates is a member of the DLA Piper Africa Group. The DLA Piper Africa Group is an alliance of leading independent law firms working together across Africa.

MAIN AREAS OF PRACTICE:

Finance and Banking:

• Acting for a multilateral lender for a loan facility to an agricultural non-profit social enterprise.
• Acted for the lender, a structured debt vehicle providing eco-tourism finance, for a facility to a leading eco-tourism lodge operator.
• Acted for the lenders for a US$ 30 million facility to a large-scale steel manufacturing enterprise.
• Acted for a leading local commercial bank for the borrower's US$ 44 million corporate debt restructuring.
• Acted for a regional development bank for a US$ 42 million structured forfaiting facility.

Contact: Barnabas Tumusingize

Email: [email protected]

Contact: Winnie Awino

Email: [email protected]

Corporate, Commercial and Capital Markets:

• Acting for Access Bank PLC Nigeria on all aspects of its 80% equity acquisition of Finance Trust Bank.
• Acted for a leading integrated solutions provider and hypermarket chain for its purchase of the business and assets of an existing retail group.
• Acting for a multinational private equity fund for its proposed acquisition of a minority stake in a commercial bank.
• Acting for the seller for its disposal of a significant minority stake on the secondary capital markets.
• Acting for a multinational banking group for a first-of-its-kind "green" property development.

Contact: Paul Mbuga

Email: [email protected]

Contact: Winnie Awino

Email: [email protected]

Projects and Infrastructure:

• Acting for AMEA Power on the establishment of a 20 MW solar power plant in Uganda, including acting as borrower's counsel for US$ 19 million project financing from the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund.
• Acting for the project sponsors and equity financiers in relation to the proposed development of a US 2 billion cross-border road and electricity transmission project.
• Acted for Serengeti Energy, the sponsor of the 7.8 MW Nyamwamba II hydro power dam, on US$ 10.3 million project financing from the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund.
• Acting for CrossBoundary, the facility-owner, and the corporate customer on the novel implementation of an off-grid, single commercial-industrial captive solar power supply project - the first to be licensed under Uganda's generator-to-consumer bulk supply electricity regulations.
• Advised a carbon-streaming investment vehicle company on a carbon stream swap transaction with the seller involving a portfolio of community-based, energy efficient carbon projects in Uganda.
• Advising Sinohydro Corporation, the EPC contractor, on various completion aspects (regulatory, contractual and adjudicative) related to the construction of the US$ 2.2 billion 600MW Karuma hydro power dam.

Contact: Nicholas Ecimu

Email: [email protected]

Contact: Paul Mbuga

Email: [email protected]

Employment & Employee Benefits:

• Advised a telecommunications-sector regulated entity on an employee restructuring.
• Acted for African Field Epidemiology Network in landmark proceedings before the Court of Appeal which clarified the jurisdictional basis of the Industrial Court and the scope of statutory and common law remedies that can be awarded in an unfair dismissal claim.
• Advised a reproductive health organization on the corporate reorganization of its operational entities in Uganda resulting into a merger of operations into one entity, including the migration of employees into one single entity and a number of redundancies.

Contact: Moses Segawa

Email: [email protected]

Insolvency, Recoveries and Restructuring:

• Acting as counsel and liquidator for the operational closure and solvent liquidation in Uganda of an international insurance group.
• Acted for Stanbic Bank in significant recovery proceedings against a leading logistics entity.
• Acting for Standard Chartered in significant recovery proceedings against a hypermarket store.

Contact: Andrew Munanura Kamuteera

Email: [email protected]

Tax Litigation:

• Acting for a leading downstream petroleum entity to challenge a US$ 19.7 million income tax and value added tax assessment.
• Successfully acted for Vivo Energy in an industry significant US$ 40 million tax dispute with the Uganda Revenue Authority that determined the deductibility of lease rent and lease premium as revenue expenditure.

Contact: Joseph Luswata

Email: [email protected]

Dispute Resolution:

• Acting for dfcu Bank in appellate proceedings to challenge a US$ 12 million award arising out of a loan facility.
• Acting for Great Lakes Energy in landmark enforcement proceedings for a US$ 24 million London Court of International Arbitration arbitral award.
• Acting for the Central Bank and the acquiring bank in connection with an ex-employees’ class action following the purchase of the assets and assumption of liabilities of Crane Bank by the acquiring bank.

Contact: James Mukasa Sebugenyi

Email: [email protected]

Contact: Michael Mafabi

Email: [email protected]

Contact: Allan Waniala

Email: [email protected]