Bowmans

Chairman: Robert Legh
Managing Partners: Alan Keep (Group), Richard Harney (Kenya), Fazil Hossenkhan (Mauritius), Wilbert Kapinga (Tanzania) and Ernest Wiltshire (Uganda)
Number of lawyers: 400+
Total staff complement: 800+
Languages: English

Firm Overview:
Bowmans is the brand identity of a Pan-African legal practice comprising AF Mpanga Advocates in Uganda, Bowman Gilfillan Inc. in South Africa, Bowmans Mauritius in Mauritius, Bowmans Tanzania Ltd in Tanzania and Coulson Harney LLP in Kenya. Its track record of providing legal services in the fields of corporate law, banking and finance law and dispute resolution, spans over a century. With over 400 specialised lawyers, Bowmans draws on its unique knowledge of the business and socio-political environment in Africa to advise its clients on a wide range of legal issues.

The firm delivers integrated legal services to clients throughout the continent. Everywhere it operates, Bowmans offers its clients a service that uniquely blends expertise in the law, knowledge of the local market and an understanding of their businesses. The firm’s aim is to assist its clients to achieve their objectives as smoothly and efficiently as possible while minimising the legal and regulatory risks.

Bowmans works closely with its alliance firm, Aman Assefa & Associates Law Office, in Ethiopia, its best friends in Nigeria and Mozambique (Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie and Taciana Peão Lopes & Advogados Associados, respectively) and has strong relationships with other leading law firms across the rest of Africa.

It is a representative of Lex Mundi, a global association with more than 160 independent law firms in all the major centres across the globe. Clients include corporates, multinationals and state-owned enterprises across a range of industry sectors as well as financial institutions and governments.

Bowmans’ expertise is frequently recognised by independent research organisations. The firm was ranked first by deal value and second by deal count in Mergermarket’s 2018 Africa league tables for legal advisors. It received first place in five out of six categories at the Dealmakers East Africa Awards for 2018. In the Dealmakers South Africa Awards for 2018, Bowmans was placed first for deal flow in the General Corporate Finance category. Bowmans also received the 2019 awards for Transportation and Infrastructure Team of the Year and TMT Team of the Year at the African Legal Awards hosted by Legal Week and the Corporate Counsel Association of South Africa.

Main Areas of Practice:

Aviation:
Bowmans’ aviation specialists have a keen understanding of the industry based on a proven track record of involvement in major aviation-related matters.

Construction:
The firm assists clients throughout the project life cycle of complex infrastructure and construction projects including development, delivery, financing and disputes under all forms of construction contracts.

Consumer Goods:
Bowmans is uniquely positioned to advise consumer goods companies on all aspects of their businesses in Africa and has an exceptional track record of having advised some of the world’s leading companies in this sector.

Education:
The firm’s multi-disciplinary and cross-jurisdictional team is in a singular position to provide clients entering or operating in this field with a comprehensive spectrum of services covering transactional, regulatory, tax and employment law in the education sector.

Energy:
Bowmans acts for a wide range of clients in the energy sector including developers, sponsors, public utilities, funds, commercial banks and other financial institutions, and governments.

Financial Institutions:
The firm has extensive experience advising clients in the banking, insurance, financial products and services sectors across the continent.

Hotels & Leisure:
Bowmans has specialist know-how and experience in the sector, having advised a number of international hotel groups as they commenced doing business, or have looked to expand their existing footprint in Africa.

Industrials:
The firm’s offering spans the full range of corporate services and extends to all the specialist areas of law associated with activity of this nature including competition and antitrust, employment and tax.

Infrastructure:
Bowmans helps its clients at all stages of the economic life-cycle of infrastructure projects – from developing to acquiring to managing to restructuring to selling assets, including advising on financing aspects.

Mining:
The firm has a strong record of acting on the most significant mining-related mergers and acquisitions across the African continent. Bowmans advises on every aspect of mining-and resource-related transactions from the initial due diligence through regulatory compliance to negotiating and closing the deals.

Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare:
Bowmans’ pharmaceuticals and healthcare specialists have extensive experience in, and regularly advise stakeholders across, the healthcare services and products supply chain.

Ports, Transport & Logistics:
The firm delivers a comprehensive service facilitating relationships between land and sea users and owners of ports, terminals and equipment.

Technology, Media & Telecommunications:
Bowmans’ understanding of the regulatory landscape in many African jurisdictions enables us to assist clients get to market quickly while avoiding many of the pitfalls of operating in a new jurisdiction.