Katende Ssempebwa
Headquarters | Radiant House, Plot 20 Kampala Road, Kampala, Uganda |
---|---|
No. of offices | 1 |
No. of attorneys | 25 |
No. of employees | 60[1] |
Major practice areas |
Solicitor & Transactional work Litigation & Dispute Resolution |
Key people | John W. Katende (Senior Partner), Professor Frederick E. Ssempebwa (Senior Partner), Samuel S. Sserwanga (Partner), Soogi K. Katende (Partner), Frederick K. Sentomero (Partner), Sim K. Katende (Partner). |
Revenue | Unknown |
Date founded | 1969 (Kampala) |
Founder | John W. Katende & Professor Frederick E. Ssempebwa |
Company type | LLP |
Website | |
www.kats.co.ug |
Katende Ssempebwa & Co. commonly known as Katende Ssempebwa is a Ugandan law firm whose headquarters are in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. It is the country’s longest standing premier league corporate commercial firm founded in 1969.[2] It is the biggest full service Ugandan firm in terms of numbers[3] and a member of the Lex Africa network.[4]
With over four decades of experience, the firm’s managing partner John W. Katende is widely regarded as a doyen of Ugandan law. Co-founding partner Professor Frederick E. Ssempebwa’s advice is sought on Uganda’s constitutional matters and on regional mandates too.[5] Over the years, the firm has advised governments, non-governmental organizations, multinationals and other business entities. One of the noteworthy big deals saw the firm give a hand to Warid Telecom Uganda on its $500 million merger with Bharti Airtel in 2013.[2]
The firm played a pivotal role in Uganda’s U-turn on the death penalty in 2007 by helping to prove to the Constitutional Court that the death penalty for murder and other offences was unconstitutional.[6] Katende Ssempebwa had earlier on played a fundamental role in erasing all Sub sections of the constitution of the Republic of Uganda that had in 1966 abolished traditional institutions from the country. Simultaneously, the firm also managed to come up with relevant laws that enabled the return of all the properties that had been forcefully confiscated from Buganda and other Kingdoms by former Ugandan regimes. These constitutional amendments eventually led to the coronation of Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II and other traditional rulers in 1993.[7]
Membership
- Uganda Law Society (ULS)
- East African Law Society (EALS)
- World Services Group (WSG)[1]
- Lex Africa Network[4]
- International Trademark Association (INTA)[8]
History
Katende Ssempebwa was founded by John W. Katende and Frederick E. Ssempebwa in 1969. Over the four decades, the firm has grown into a limited liability partnership of ten (10) Partners, fifteen (15) Associates and thirty five (35) Support Staff and Interns.[9] Although the firm’s primary offices are located in the heart of Kampala’s city centre, Katende Ssempebwa maintains a presence in all the major capitals, tax havens and financial centers of the world through its international legal networks.[1][4][8] The firm as of 2014 has seventy five (75) Associate Offices globally.
Notable Clients
The firm has provided legal advice to the following notable entities;
- Government of the Republic of Uganda[3]
- Total
- Puma
- American Tower Corporation (ATC)
- The African Development Bank (ADB)
- Warid Telecom[3]
- Government of the Republic of South Sudan
Practice areas
Katende Ssempebwa specializes in the following disciplines:
Solicitor & Transactional work[10]
This involves legal practice in the following areas;
- Aviation Law
- Banking & Finance
- Bankruptcy & Liquidation
- Class Actions
- Commercial Law
- Competition Law
- Compliance Law
- Constitutional Law
- Construction Law
- Contracts
- Conveyancing & Land Transactions
- Corporate Governance
- Corporate Law
- Corporate Restructuring
- Criminal Law
- Debt Recovery
- Employee Benefits
- Employment & Labour Law
- Environment Law
- Family Law
- Foreign Missions
- Insurance
- Intellectual Property
- International Business & Investment Law
- Media & Entertainment
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Non-Profit & Charitable Organisations
- Oil & Gas Law
- Patents & Product Liability
- Probate
- Property
- Public Private Partnerships
- Real Estate
- Receivership
- Revenue Law & Taxation
- Securities & Capital Markets
- Telecommunications & Utility Law
- Trademarks
- Trusts & Estates
Litigation & Dispute Resolution[10]
The firm has a proven track record in litigation and has been involved in several ground breaking, law making and landmark litigation cases that have shaped the laws of East Africa and many of which are compulsory reading at all East African law schools.[7][11]
Associate UK firms
- Simons Muirhead & Burton Solicitors[6]
- Doughty Street Chambers[6]
Awards & rankings
- The 2014 IFLR1000's financial and corporate law rankings for Katende Ssempebwa indicate that it is a Tier 1 financial and corporate law firm.[2]
- Katende Ssempebwa is ranked as a Band 1 Ugandan law firm in the 2014 edition of Chambers & Partners.[5]
- The firm’s founding partners; John W. Katende and Professor Frederick E. Ssempebwa, are ranked as the only Ugandan Senior Statesmen (lawyers who no longer work hands-on with the same intensity but who, by virtue of close links with major clients, remain pivotal to the firm’s success) in the 2014 edition of Chambers & Partners.[5] Sim K. Katende, one of the firm’s partners, is ranked as a Band 1 transaction lawyer in the same publication.
- Also,the firm’s senior partners John W. Katende and Professor Frederick E. Ssempebwa plus partner Sim K. Katende are ranked as leading transactional lawyers by IFLR1000 – Guide to the World’s Leading Financial Law Firms.[2][7]
See also
- Law Development Centre
- Uganda Law Society
- Sebalu & Lule, another top Ugandan law firm
References
- 1 2 3 "Katende, Ssempebwa & Co. Advocates,, One of the Most Prestigious Law Firms in Uganda, Joins WSG". World Services Group.
- 1 2 3 4 "Katende Ssempebwa & Co". IFLR1000: The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms.
- 1 2 3 "Katende,Ssempebwa,Sebalu & Lule, MMAKS and AF Mpanga named Uganda's top law firms". The CEO Magazine.
- 1 2 3 "Uganda: Katende Ssempebwe & Co Advocates". Lex Africa: Network of Law Firms in Africa.
- 1 2 3 "General Business Law - Uganda". CHAMBERS & PARTNERS: Your guide to the world’s best lawyers.
- 1 2 3 "UK lawyers aid Ugandan U-turn on death penalty". THE LAWYER.
- 1 2 3 "John W. Katende". Buganda Kingdom.
- 1 2 "Welcome New Members". International Trademark Association.
- ↑ "Personnel: Katende Ssempebwa & Co Advocates". Katende Ssempebwa & Co.
- 1 2 "What We Do". www.kats.co.ug. External link in
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(help) - ↑ "SPECIAL REPORT: Restore term limits, Ssempebwa insists". The Observer.
External links
- Official website
- CHAMBERS & PARTNERS: Your guide to the world’s best lawyers
- IFLR1000: The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms
- Lex Africa: Network of Law Firms in Africa
- World Services Group