Tamrat Assefa Liban Law Offices

Firm Details:
Managing Partner: Tamrat Assefa Liban
Number of Partners: 4
Number of Lawyers: 9
Languages: Amharic, English, French (spoken)

Firm Overview:
Tamrat Assefa Liban Law Office is generally regarded as the premier and most reliable corporate, commercial law firm in Ethiopia. Founded in 2002, Tamrat Assefa Liban Law Office has quickly built a reputation as the law firm of choice for a number of renowned intellectual property firms, financial institutions, banks, developers in the energy and mining sectors, private equity investors and other major international companies investing in Ethiopia.

The firm is committed to delivering an integrated, quick and effective service whilst also maintaining high standards of technical quality drawn from reliable and accurate knowledge of the local business environment and an in-depth understanding of Ethiopia’s intricate socio-political climate.

The firm continuously expands its knowledge and experience to ensure that it is at the top level in all its areas of practice.

The firm is a full service firm with focus in the following areas of Practice:

Commercial:
The firm provides a broad spectrum of commercial law advice in both contentious and non-contentious areas. It has experience in assisting clients in their negotiations and conclusion of contracts including, but not limited to, leases, joint ventures, investment agreements, manufacturing agreements, project development agreements, distribution agreements, negotiable instruments and other commercial related agreements.

Banking & Finance:
The firm helps clients, mostly foreign lenders, structure their loan/credit transactions, protect their best legal and commercial interests, and negotiate and document the contractual relationship between lenders and borrowers from an Ethiopian law perspective in collaboration with other global law firms.

Mining & Energy:
Tamrat Assefa Liban Law Office’s mining and energy practice focuses on the exploration, development, construction and financing of major natural resources (oil/gas, mining) and power projects. The firm assists clients in the preparation of extensive memorandums and due diligence reports on the regulatory environment, and in registering and processing their licenses in Ethiopia among other matters requiring professional help.

Intellectual Property:
The firm assists major international companies with the prosecution, maintenance and protection of their trademarks, patents, industrial designs and copyrights

Mergers & Acquisitions:
Ethiopian laws are still at the formative stages insofar as M&A transactions are concerned. For instance, there is no stock exchange in Ethiopia and most of the laws relating to this have recently been reformulated to follow worldwide progress. However, the firm has collaborated with international law firms to develop a niche practice relating to investors acquiring shares in existing companies in Ethiopia and a few that consolidate as part of a restructuring exercise in ensuring, among other legal requirements, that the transactions comply with Ethiopian employment, tax and antitrust laws.

Aviation:
Presumably in a bid to protect its aviation industry, the laws currently in force restrict local air transport to the Ethiopian government and Ethiopian nationals only. This has limited the number of transactions in this area. Despite this, Tamrat Assefa Liban Law Office has experience, on individual capacities and as a firm, in providing jurisdictional analysis for various aviation bodies and institutions, assisting clients in the registration of leases and mortgages over aircrafts in Ethiopia and financiers provide financing for the purchase of aircrafts by Ethiopian airline entities.

Charities & Societies:
Tamrat Assefa Liban Law Office assists clients without shareholders and/or profit motive conduct business in Ethiopia for the benefit of the general public. The firm assists clients mainly with the formation and registration of local and international charitable organisations, filing of annual statements, advice on compliance with budget allocations, formation of boards among other legal issues.

Clients:
Corbetti Geothermal, Credit Suisse, Norfund (the Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries), Agence Française de Développement Petrus 90 Aircraft Leasing, LLC, Mott McDonald Ltd, Gemcorp, Solar Turbines, Duet Private Equity Limited, Delloite, Tech Mahindra Limited, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Access Power, Caterpillar Financial Services (UK) Limited, Ernst & Young, BTN Kenya Ltd, World Bank, 54 Capital, Caterpillar (China) Investment Co., Ltd, SES Société Anonyme, Syngenta Group, PROPARCO, FINNFUND, Hemera Capital Management LLP, BioTherm Energy, Drillife Group, Nathan Associates Inc., AECOM Infrastructure & Environment UK Limited, Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries SA/NV – BIO, Moore Attorneys, Coulson Harney Advocates, Aztec Money Ltd, Greenstone Industries Limited, Oda Gudina Gold Mining PLC, Mintz Group, The Red Flag Group, Sineria Group, One Acre Fund, Silafrica, The Kaizen Company LLC, Indevco Limited, Terraco Group, Iris Mining PLC and Elenilto Mineral PLC, major international and well established intellectual property law firms and other multinational corporations.

Firm Contact:
Managing Partner: Tamrat Assefa
Tel: +251 911 642 169 / +251 925 085 597
Email: [email protected]