Prior to reorganizing the firm into a brand-focused as the Law Office of Chigbue & Chigbue. The practice was carried on for five years as Chigbue & Chigbue Chambers with counsel plying their profession in a loose association. Following its re-engineering and re-registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission in the year 2016, Chigbue & Chigbue Chambers has now become a full service Commercial Law & Litigation Firm with its head office situate at Abuja. The Law Office of Chigbue & Chigbue collaborates with other law firms nationwide and internationally, serving a distinguished array of clients, including Multinationals, Government Corporations and Private entities.
1.2 PRACTICE FOCUS
At the Law Office of Chigbue & Chigbue Chambers, our focus is the client based; we are deeply committed to the success and satisfaction of our clients. Our lawyers seek to add value to every client interaction, investing our own time to understanding our client’s business in order to gain a deeper sense of their priorities, goals and challenges. We have built our service approach upon a commitment to excellence, client focused teamwork, responsiveness and cross-disciplinary collaboration. We believe that our strong commitment to client success enables us to provide top-notch legal services and more importantly, enhance our client’s business. We provide excellent legal services to domestic and international clients in broad range of areas including Civil Litigation, Commercial and Company Law, Intellectual Property, Oil and Gas, Banking, Insurance and Capital Market. To further complement our basket of legal services, we are generally involved in Corporate Compliance, Project and Asset Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions, Labour and Employments, General Contracts, Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution, Tax Litigation, Debt Recovery as well as general legal work (Legal Opinion/Research).
Our multi-disciplinary approach draws upon the collective knowledge and resources of each relevant practice area across our different backgrounds as is required, to achieve efficient, effective and practical results for our clients. In addition to this, the firm has also established solid contacts with a number of international legal experts in specialized areas both locally and internationally.
1.3 PRACTICE VALUES
At the Law Office of Chigbue & Chigbue Chambers, our practice is governed by the following values, to which every member of the firm is committed:
a. INTEGRITY
In all that we do as a firm, we are committed to integrity as our watchword and most importantly as a guiding principle. We aim to be honest and transparent with our clients at all times. We are also committed to protecting the confidentiality of all data and information disclosed to us, within the framework of applicable laws and client confidentiality rules of the legal profession.
b. TOTAL QUALITY
In all that we do as a firm, we are committed in the pursuit of excellence through delivery of the highest quality of our services that exceeds the client’s expectation whilst we engage in the act of continual self-improvement.
c. EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
In all that we do as a firm, and wherever we carry on our business, we give recognition and also accord respect and value to every individual. Our aim is to ensure the accessibility to our services including equal opportunities, by every potential client. We are opposed to unjustified discrimination on grounds of equality or diversity.
d. SUSTAINABILITY
In all that we do as a firm and wherever we do it, we are committed to ensuring that our use of natural resources does not diminish the rights of future generations to such resources. As far as it’s practicable, we are committed to the practice of recycling and regenerating all inputs.
e. HEALTH SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT (HSE)
In all that we do as a firm, we are committed to promoting health, safety and the well-being of the environment at large and those with whom we work or might be affected by our work and processes.
2. SERVICES
2.1 GOVERNMENT RELATIONS: REGULATORY AFFAIRS
The firm advises and guides investors and their professional advisers (foreign and local) on the regulatory regime for doing business in Nigeria. We advise on compliance procedures and filing processes. We also help our clients obtain requisite license permits and authorizations in different sectors including offering immigration advice and processing services.
We also interact with on a regular basis with other regulatory agencies such as Corporate Affairs Commission, Nigerian Communications Commission, Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Federal and State Environmental Protection Agencies, Department of Petroleum Resources, Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), National Investment Promotion Commission, Land Registries at the Federal and State Government levels and Tax authorities.
2.2 OUR UNIVERSITY CLIENTELE
Over the years our firm has handled matters on behalf of Institutions as it pertains to disputes which led to Arbitration, Mediation and Litigation all of which we were able to bring amicable resolve to.
We also provide advisory, litigation, secretarial duties to some Universities currently namely; Yobe State University and University of Maiduguri.
We have also had the mandate to work closely with the University Disciplinary Committee and on issues relating to HR-Employment & Labour. We have also represented our Client (the University) at several meetings in and outside jurisdiction.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION: LITIGATION, ARBITRATION AND OTHER FORMS OF ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION (ADR)
The firm handles a wide range of Criminal and Civil cases bordering on
Corporate/Commercial issues in both trial and appellate courts and is particularly active in the areas of Company disputes, Debt Recovery, Insolvency, Infringement of trademarks, property litigation and commercial disputes in general. With a highly skilled and experienced litigation dispute resolution team, our initial approach is to define the goals and objectives of the client and then select the approach best suited to achieve the desired result for the client.
2.3 BANKING AND FINANCE, BUSINESS AND INSOLVENCY
The Law Office of Chigbue & Chigbue Provides legal support and services to a number of banks and financial institutions. Our areas of practice in this fields includes; Registration and Licensing, Loan documentation/syndication, Bank security, Debt Recovery/Factoring, Receivership/Insolvency/Bankruptcy Practice, Banker/Customer relationship, Legal advice/opinion; Assets securitization and project financing, Mergers and Acquisitions. We also represent clients in regulation of stocks and shares, transfer of shares, SEC regulations and compliance, general contract matters and financial services.
2.4 CORPORATE PRACTICE
The firm has developed a great level of proficiency in corporate practice spanning from incorporation of companies, advising clients on matters falling within other general areas of General Corporate and Commercial law concerning the operations of business in Nigeria, Acquisitions and Disposals of shares or assets (Legal due diligence, Negotiation of purchase and Sale agreements, Obtaining all Government or Administrative consents), Private equity, Capital transactions (Capital increases, Issuance of securities and purchase of distressed.
2.5 PROPERTY AND REAL ESTATE
We advise on a wide range of areas related to the development, financing, operation, purchase and lease of infrastructure projects including negotiation and preparation of leases and entitlements, real estate purchase and sale agreements, property secured financing documents of title and due diligence searches. We also offer guidance to our clients from the inception of the project, negotiation of contract with service providers and consultants involved in the project, including architects, marketing/field agents and consultants. We also conduct a relevant research on the current trend in the client’s particular type of project so as to resolve any legal bottlenecks arising the course of the project lifecycle. We also advise our clients on the necessary statutory and legal compliance requirements and also assist them in procuring requisite licenses and permits.
2.6 INTELLECTUAL AND INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY
Our strength in this area arises particularly from various aspects of litigation over intellectual property related areas matters on which we are able to act for our clients, protecting and advising them on their varied intellectual property rights and interests. Our practice encompasses the following: Trademark, Copyrights, Patent and Designs, Licensing, Promotion and execution of licensing projects, filing applications, registration, amendments, searches, oppositions and consultancy amongst other things. We also monitor trademark journals for some European and English companies to protect their Intellectual Property rights.
2.7 TAXATION
Tax considerations will often affect transactions in general. Tax considerations may also dictate the form in which a transaction or business might be implemented. Therefore, the firm pays particular attention to tax implications of every area of practice in order to ensure that at all times clients are advised on the tax implications of proposed transactions or tax implications of their operations in general. The objective is to develop tax efficient structures to meet the commercial aims of the client, guide clients through compliance procedures and handle taxation disputes.
2.8 MINING, OIL AND GAS
We provide legal support and advice on all major aspects of mining and solid minerals law and practice. The firm advises mining companies in the preparation of applications for exploration licenses, mining licenses, contracts and concessions. These include advising clients on the prevailing pre-requisites for applications and exploration and mining licenses, and all other types of mineral including Oil and Gas.
