Vanessa De Happi

Practice Areas

Compliance

Corporate Law and Governance

Commercial Law and International Trade

Business mediation and arbitration

Business Litigation

Career

Vanessa de HAPPI is a member of the Cameroon and Quebec Bar association with over 15 years of transactional experience and cutting-edge expertise in a broad range of corporate law and governance, compliance, Investment law, OHADA, and Business law practices in both Canada and Cameroon.

After practicing for several years as a compliance lawyer with one of Canada's largest financial groups (Desjardins Group), then in the litigation group of a prestigious international business law firm (Norton Rose Fulbright), Vanessa de HAPPI joined D. HAPPI Avocats in 2017 where she single-handedly developed the Advisory, Corporate and Compliance practice.

Throughout her career, Vanessa has been involved in high-profile advisory and litigation cases, both in Cameroon and Canada. She assists the firm's clients on legal and regulatory compliance in various fields (anti-money laundering, CIMA insurance regulation, personal data protection, other national, OHADA or CEMAC laws), as well as on OHADA corporate governance. She pleads before civil, commercial, administrative, and community courts in matters relating to business law. She is also a Certified Mediator in OHADA Commercial Law, well-versed in alternative dispute resolution methods.

Since returning to Cameroon, Vanessa de Happi advises foreign investors in expanding their activities in Cameroon and OHADA. In addition, her experience working with the main local captains of industry has enabled her to develop in-depth knowledge of the issues involved in the governance of businesses in the African context. Over the last five years, she has also developed an in-depth knowledge of companies operating in the logistics and transport sector, with 4 of the 5 largest global players in the industry being clients of the firm.

A strong advocate for legal innovation, Vanessa played a key role in promoting compliance and digital transformation in the legal sector. In November 2019, she organized the 2nd edition of the Douala Legal Tech Forum in partnership with the Legal Tech Africa association and the French start-up Seraphin Legal. The event, held at GECAM (main Employers’ organisation of the private sector in Cameroon), focused on "Legal and Regulatory Compliance in the CEMAC Zone and New Technologies" and brought together nearly 200 professionals from legal and financial departments of major local companies.

Vanessa is creative, forward-thinking, quick to anticipate potential issues, and has a strong understanding of how much the profession is evolving. Her skills, coupled with her deep knowledge of the business environment in Africa and its legal challenges, have earned her recognition for several years among the 100 most influential business lawyers in French-speaking Africa, according to rankings by Jeune Afrique and Africa Business+ and recently Up and Coming lawyer for the year 2025 by Chambers.

She is currently the Managing Director at D.HAPPI AVOCATS.

Professional Memberships

Vanessa de Happi is a member of the Quebec Bar and the Cameroon Bar.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

CAMEROON

CEMAC

OHADA

QUÉBEC

CANADA

Languages Spoken

English

French

Awards

Education