Our Services

Commercial

Our expertise in this aspect of law and business is quite notable and covers a broad spectrum of practice areas. We guide our Client through diverse transactions, ensuring that their business objectives are achieved and business interests are protected.

The Firm’s commercial practice proficiency include: Transaction Structuring, drafting/review of Agency Agreements, Commercial Audit, Commercial Disputes, Franchising Agreements, Memorandum of Understanding, Service Level Agreements, Joint Venture Agreements, Mergers and Acquisitions, Intellectual Property, Data Protection, IT law, Licensing Agreements, Partnership Agreements and Exclusivity Agreements et al.

Corporate

This aspect of law deals with companies and business corporations. To ensure that the practice of corporate law is carried out with utmost diligence and professionalism, there are regulatory authorities that govern the various responsibilities in ensuring that this is achieved. The Firm has a well-established network of experts to advise and deliver top-notch service in corporate advisory, which includes but not limited to business formation, proffering advisory services to new businesses and providing corporate maintenance in order to preserve the limited liability aspects of the corporate form. Our Corporate Services include: Mergers & acquisitions, Company disposals, Private equity, Capital markets, Regulatory Services, Corporate governance, Constitution of companies, Corporate recovery, Joint ventures, Limited Liability partnerships, Partnership & shareholders disputes, Partnership agreements, Shareholders agreements, Business formations start-ups, Corporate structures & reorganization.

Basically, property law practice in Nigeria focuses on laws applicable to tangible or real property: land, anything attached to land, or any interest in land, land of any tenure, tenements, hereditaments, corporal or incorporeal and individual shares in lands.

W&P has the required resources and project experience to deliver portfolio acquisition and disposals on time and in budget. Our dedicated team of experienced staff is committed to providing comprehensive and high-quality services in the following property and real estate related transactions:

Property conveyance
Obtaining Land Use Rights through allocation and grant of Statutory and Customary Rights of Occupancy
Purchase and sale of leasehold and freehold property interest
Drafting of all known documentation relating to land and real property
Lease extensions, Transfer of Equity, Property finance, conducting due diligence on land purchases and transactions
Perfection of title and mortgages

The Firm serves as Company Secretary across a wide range of key industries and professions including public and private companies and SMEs, multinational companies, private clients, not-for-profit organizations, and government entities.

In addition, we assist in the formation of companies in Nigeria, corporate structures, act as external company secretary, convene Board and shareholders meetings, files requisite returns with the relevant regulatory agencies, as well as, rendering of general legal advice to suit clients’ specific industry drivers.

Our regulatory team advises the corporate sector and private businesses on regulatory compliance and governance practices in a range of industry sectors. We provide considered legal advisory services on the regulatory framework affecting industries and sectors and guide our clients through managing regulatory scrutiny of corporate conduct.

The Firm’s practice covers all compliance and corporate governance issues, including directors’ obligations and liability, shareholders’ rights, financial reporting and disclosure requirements. We also provide advise on high level and sensitive Board decisions, transactional risk and crisis management.

There are several lawful procedures/options available for recovery of debts in Nigeria, which may be adopted by an individual or corporate organization; likewise, legislative frameworks in Nigeria have made express provisions for formal restructuring and insolvency proceedings in the form of takeovers, mergers & acquisitions, bankruptcy or winding-up proceedings.

W&P has a team of seasoned lawyers with expertise in providing legal advisory, litigation and ADR services on all aspects of Debt Recovery and Insolvency Practices. We are also very proficient in fashioning effective measures of recovering non-performing loans to the advantage of our corporate clients and where necessary, initiating Winding up proceedings against the borrowing companies where viable and instituting legal action against the companies to enforce guarantees where applicable.

W&P offers diverse services in employment matters. The Firm works closely with its Clients to assist in adapting to new developments in Employments Law and practice in a bid to enable the clients have a formidable internal union and policies as it concerns the employer and employee(s).

The Firm provides speedy solutions to any form of contentious and non-contentious matters that arise in the workplace. We provide assistance in drafting and reviewing HR Policies, Collective Bargaining Agreements, Contract of Services, Employment Agreements and Corporate Governance Policies that promote a binding guideline for office operations and practice.

Family law is concerned with the law regulating the affairs of the basic unit of co-existence, the family. The concept of the Nigerian family law was adopted from the English legal system and the Traditional/customary practices that may uphold. Matters on adoption, peaceful co-existence, guardianship, ward maintenance and inheritance are managed within the scope of family law and practice.

The Firm’s Family law team has a proven track record in successfully advising and representing clients on a wide range of sensitive family law issues. These include:

Civil partnerships & dissolution
Divorce & separation agreements
Domestic violence & injunctions
Family property & inheritance disputes
Adoption & Guardianship
Child Rights’
Financial disputes following relationship breakdown
Property disputes following relationship breakdown

Companies need a strategy to manage government relation activities that impact their business. W&P’s Government Relations Team has the experience in handling major regulatory, compliance or enforcement of legal issues utilizing a combination of political and public relations expertise. The Firm’s legislative work consists of monitoring for statutory or regulatory changes or problems on behalf of clients’ business which requires an intimate understanding of the legislative process, the rules under which the business can operate and the individuals who control the flow of legislation.

By working closely with Government institutions, we develop and execute government regulations and strategies that help our clients meet their goals.

W&P advise clients on concluding contracts in different areas of business. We assist in drafting and negotiating contracts and in doing this we ardently recognize the significance of protecting confidential information disclosed during negotiations. We also help to analyze contracts and determine possible risks that may arise. We have extensive experience in filing claims due to breach of contract, settling disputes and terminating contracts.

Intellectual Property (IP) Law focuses on the study of legal rights to tangible and intangible assets, creations and products of the mind, crafts and concepts. Intellectual Property encompasses four (4) primary sub-fields: trade secrets, patents, copyrights and trademarks. In each of these areas, the goal of an IP lawyer is to help clients protect their new or novel ideas and implement products and services in a way that such ideas, concepts, drawings et cetera; do not operate contrary to IP laws and practice and the reward for such inventions are not lost due to the IP owned by others.

Our practice area under this service entails the following:

Investigation of ownership of the intellectual property rights
Drafting, reviewing, revising all legal documents relating to the transfer and licensing of trademark, copyright, patent and know-how
Participating in the negotiation of technology development, service and project transfer; Acting as agents in international trademark and patent registration
Providing services in the protection of software and trade secrets
Adoption & Guardianship
Drafting, reviewing and revising all business and legal documents relating to Intellectual Property Rights; and
Financial disputes following relationship breakdown
Representing clients in litigation and arbitration as a result of the infringement of intellectual property rights

At W&P, we pose of a rich Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution team that helps businesses avoid or resolve disputes efficiently and effectively around the world. We offer clients tailored services which harmonizes with their need and for the specific transaction or dispute they are dealing with. Our lawyers assist clients in navigating conflicts at every stage in a cost effective and efficient manner. The Firm’s litigation/arbitration practice areas include:

Civil disputes, – Debt recovery on behalf of private persons, banks, and financial institutions, corporate insolvency procedures [company liquidation, receivership & winding-up]
Contractual claims
Intellectual Property Rights protection, including passing-off actions, trademark infringement, copyrights and patents
Torts, including personal property injuries and product liability cases
Labor and industrial relations including master-servant disputes, pension contribution issues, safety and environmental protection at work places etc
Disputes involving carriage of goods, licensing, agency, franchising and import/export trade
Administrative actions [mandamus, certiorari and prohibition proceedings]; Criminal defense and prosecution; and
Other related litigation and arbitration matters

The need for a notary public goes beyond mere document affirmation and signature witnessing. A Notary Public in Nigeria is a fit and proper legal practitioner appointed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, when appointed, a Notary Public is deemed an officer of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. The appointed individual acts as an impartial witness in the execution (signing) of documents, and to certify the facts of such transactions in a notarial certificate.

W&P under its Notary services provides legalization and authentication of documents, which can be used locally and in trans-border commercial transaction.

We have wide-ranging experience in solving various project-financing issues, preparing transaction documentation and negotiating financing agreements as well as proffering advise on different public offerings of securities. The Firm’s project finance practice covers an extensive range of domestic and international transactions.

Our contribution commonly navigates through all levels of the project from conception, structure development, implementation and financing to post completion formalities.

Several regulatory bodies keenly regulate the Banking institution and other financial organization in Nigeria. These institutions ensure strict compliance with all laws bothering on financial services in Nigeria.

W&P has the requisite capability to make representations on behalf of its clients in the Nigerian finance, insurance and securities markets. We are interested in making our services available to banks, trust funds, pension funds administrators and custodians, investment companies, stock companies, mortgage banks, agricultural development and finance companies. The following are the main services we offer in this area:

Providing clients with consulting services on Nigeria international laws, rules and regulations concerning finance regulatory regime and finance markets in Nigeria
Advising clients in negotiating government loans, government-sponsored loans, syndicated loans from private banks, project financing and financed leasing
Advising on banking, insurance, underwriting, bond issue and other related financial transactions
Advising on corporate take-over procedures, mergers and acquisition, transfer of company assets and purchase of company stocks
Proffering advise on commercial papers, foreign exchange issues, letters of credit, guaranty of credit, insurance claims and trusts
Drafting, reviewing and revising all business and legal documents relating to Intellectual Property Rights; and
Other related Securities and Corporate finance matters

Making a Will preserves the interests of a testator’s kith and kin and it ensures that loved ones are adequately protected and catered for during his/her lifetime; avoiding unnecessary hassles that may arise upon the demise of the testator. A Will is a legal document through which an individual (the Testator) declares how he/she would like his/her assets to be shared and distributed amongst selected persons when he/she dies. The individuals designated to receive any of the assets of a Testator is called a “beneficiary”.

W&P has the expertise to proffer solutions to the number of complexities involved in the administration of an estate and succession law and practice. The Firm has substantial experience in the following areas:

General Legal Advisory on asset management
Preparation of Wills
Administration of Estate
Obtaining probates/Letter of Administrations
Preparing Declarations of Trust relating to property
Drafting of Deeds of Variation in connection with Wills or Intestacy and Powers of Attorney