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This week, we further shine a light on Greystone Advocates to understand who they are and what is it that makes them stand out from a myriad of upcoming law firms. Founded in 2013, Greystone Advocates describes itself as a “full-service corporate and commercial law firm.”
The firm, according to its profile, boasts of professional staff, now, with a combined legal, judicial and practice experience of over 180 years.
Over and above corporate and commercial law, the Bukoto-based firm also provides other services that include civil, estates, trusts and family, labour and employment, criminal defence, and alternative dispute resolution amongst other legal specialities to local and international private, public and non-profit entities.
The firm’s services are offered across five distinct practices/divisions, namely corporate and commercial, civil, labour and employment, trusts, estates and family as well as arbitration and mediation (alternative dispute resolution).
The corporate and commercial practice is the firm’s largest and busiest department and offers services that include banking, capital markets and securities company secretarial services; corporate finance; corporate statutory and regulatory compliance; debt management and recovery; due diligence checks; floatation and acquisition of companies, insurance and taxation. Others are intellectual property including copyright, trademarks, patents, trade secrets and industrial design; legal audits of business and commercial operations; licensing; liquidation and insolvency; local and international joint ventures; local and international trade transactions; mergers and de-mergers as well as NGOs registration and regulatory compliance.
The civil division reinforces other divisions through the provision of civil litigation services, civil rights protection; enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards; enforcing and recovering under security documentation; immigration, land transactions, conveyancing and real estate and torts.
The labour and employment division offers a broad spectrum of labour-related legal services that include regulatory compliance, and rights enforcement. industrial court litigation, labour office liaison, labour audits and the setup and execution of disciplinary hearings.
The trusts, estates and family division, on the other hand, handles, among others adoption; affiliation; alimony; custody and maintenance; parentage matters; preparation of wills, codicils and testamentary dispositions; procurement of probate and administration of estates; registration of marriages facilitation; separation and divorce; as well as creation, management and administration of trusts.
The arbitration and mediation (alternative dispute resolution) division offers a wide range of services that include acting for clients at as mediators and arbitrators at local, regional and international mediation bodies, fact-finding and mini-trials, negotiation, and settlement conferencing as well as drafting dispute resolution and arbitration clauses.
Over and above the above five main practices, the firm also offers representation, advice and legal consultation on a wide range of issues including criminal defence, legislative drafting and lobbying as well as general legal consultancy.
The firm’s diverse portfolio of clients covers various industries, namely: banking, construction, finance, insurance, intellectual property, investment, local government, medical (general and specialist), non-governmental organisations, professionals (advocates, auditors, architects, consultants, and marketers among others), and real estate.
Although midsized, the firm boasts of rich expertise in key areas, that “enable it to provide a complete suite of legal services to support the businesses of its clients along with the personal touch and involvement of the partners, who apply a hands-on, professional and comprehensive approach.”
Emmanuel Angwella, a corporate lawyer, heads the firm as Managing Partner. He as well heads the Corporate and Commercial Division. Bill Mamawi (Head of Litigation) and Kenneth K. Tumusiime, (Head of Business Development and IT, Joint Head Employment and Labour) double as Partners as well.
“Greystone is a young firm with a strong vision and a high-powered team of professionals, all ready to meet and exceed expectations, whether from our clients, adversaries, professional colleagues or stakeholders,” Angwella told CEO East Africa Magazine in an interview at the firm’s new offices at Bukoto Street.
“We are committed to understanding our clients’ needs and objectives and working with them to achieve effective and creative solutions that advance their business and other priorities and provide good value for money,” he says.
Asked how the firm plans to position itself in the heavily competitive corporate and commercial law space, Angwella said that by virtue of its small size and rich experience, its competitive advantage lies in being nimble and swift.
“From day one, our focus and strength have always been in our personal touch, innovation, meticulous attention to clients’ needs, willingness to learn and creative networking. Daily, we pursue, establishing an exceptional reputation for timely, high-quality, result-oriented and efficient legal services, which keep pace with the demands of the growing business community in Uganda,” he says and adds that the addition of the two renowned ex-judges amplifies the firm’s vision.
Over 180 Years Of Expertise
Kenneth Tumusiime, says this deliberate strategy is reflected in the firm’s recruitment strategy that has resulted in the putting together of what he calls “experienced, trained, tested and well-regarded professionals, either already at the very top of their professions or young dynamic individuals with fresh and vigorous ideas coupled with new energy to succeed in a competitive business environment.”
“We are hands-on and we proactively assess our client’s needs, so we are always a step ahead,” he said, adding: “Understanding our clients’ needs and tailoring solutions to those needs to meet client expectations and preferably to exceed those expectations, lies at the heart of our strategy to differentiate ourselves in this market.”
Speaking of legal expertise, for example, Angwella, who also heads the corporate and commercial division, has 17 years of experience in capital investment, conveyance, and real estate development. He also wields a strong background in commercial practice and litigation in the same areas. He has worked on the development of schemes for the private financing of major real estate development and infrastructure in Uganda as well as advised bidders on various construction and development projects. He has also participated in high-level negotiations on the implementation of various industry privatization schemes, major mining and resource enterprises, large-scale industrial networks and large-scale finance and real estate development.
Bill Mamawi, who heads the Litigation practice possesses over a decade of high-level courtroom experience. His areas of speciality are corporate commercial law with a key focus on intellectual property and conveyancing. He is also a tax attorney with a rich experience in banking, investment, and finance law, as well as Alternative Dispute Resolution. Despite not being ranked amongst his favourite areas of law, CEO Magazine has discovered that he is a well-regarded criminal law practitioner. He holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree (Hons) from Makerere University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre.
Kenneth K. Tumusiime, who co-heads the Employment and Labour division and according to the firm’s profile, is an experienced and goal-oriented advocate with “a demonstrated record of accomplishments, especially within the insurance and medical industry”. He specialises in corporate and commercial law; labour and employment; trusts, estates and family law; and regulatory compliance among others. “He excels at leading the preparation, analysis and execution of high-value interparty and multiparty contracts. He has tested expertise in contract negotiations, He is a talented manager, directing highly skilled professional teams to support the achievement of overall institutional goals and objectives,” the firm further describes him.
Kenneth previously had a stint at the Uganda Law Reform Commission (ULRC) and that experience has enriched his legal interpretation, drafting, bill tracking and legislative lobbying abilities.
He holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from Makerere University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre and recently completed his MBA from the University of Suffolk, which his colleagues believe, will add a new dimension to his skills. He is a member of the Uganda Bar Association and the East African Law Society.
Justice Wangutusi (Rtd) is a seasoned judicial officer with close to 40 years of judicial experience. The Makerere University and Law Development Centre trained lawyer rose from a Magistrate straight out of law school to head the Commercial Division of The High Court of Uganda from whence he retired in 2021. In between, 38 years of distinguished service, he has served in key roles, including the deputy head of the Anti-Corruption Court, Executive Director of the Judicial Studies Institute, and member of the Judicial Law Reform Committee. He is a member of both the Uganda and East African Bar Associations among his diverse professional memberships.
Justice Kwesiga (Rtd) is as well, a seasoned and veteran legal practitioner both in private practice and as a distinguished member of the Bench. Having graduated from Makerere University and after passing his bar course at the Law Development Centre, he in 1983 became a state prosecutor until 1989, when he voluntarily joined private practice under Kwesiga & Company Advocates. In 2008, he was appointed judge. Amongst other roles, he headed the High Court circuits first in Arua, West Nile and then in Kabale from 2008 to 2013. He was then appointed to head the High Court Land Division from 2013 to 2017 and from where he was moved to head the High Court Criminal Division from 2017 to 2021 when he retired.
Justice Kwesiga is a holder of the Distinguished Service in the Administration of Justice Award and Best performing Justice of the High Court amongst other accolades. He has diverse legal interests and expertise including Mediation, Human Rights, Advocacy and regulatory compliance. He is also a member of both the Ugandan and East African Bar Associations.
Over and above retired Justices Wangutusi and Kwesiga, the firm also maintains the services of Joseph H. Mwambala and Dwight Bigala as a consultants.
Joseph Mwambala is a lawyer and social scientist and was also one of the first media planners in Uganda. Joseph is currently passionate about employment and labour and is consulted by some of the most renowned lawyers and legal practices in the country. His knowledge of labour and employment trends is nothing short of encyclopaedic. Joseph is also, of course, highly skilled in the areas of advertising and media planning. He has an extensive network of contacts in this area, both domestically and internationally.
Joseph also volunteered with the Uganda Law Reform Commission’s Law Reform Division. In this capacity, he was involved in several important reforms, particularly in the areas of children’s rights, domestic relations, and contract law.
He holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from Makerere University and a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) from Makerere University.
Dwight has at least 8 years’ experience in the intersection of law, science & technology through formal education and working in interdisciplinary professional teams to collaboratively develop and implement technologies, policies and laws in diverse fields such as Legal Tech, Fintech, Insurance, Health, Education and BPO/ITES in emerging markets on both public and private projects including those under the auspices of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), World Bank and other inter-governmental bodies.
Dwight has a Master of Laws (LLM) Degree in Law, Science & Technology from Stanford University. Dwight honed his business and management skills at Stanford Graduate School of Business under its Ignite Business Certification Program. Dwight also has certifications in Intellectual Property, IT Networks, Cyber Security, Computer Forensics, Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning and Designing & Executing Information Security Strategies undertaken under various specialized programs with reputable organizations including the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Dwight is an active Rotarian who is deeply rooted in social justice and environmental conservation. He has devoted his time and resources to working with local nonprofits in the Bay Area in California committed to preventing and ending homelessness for good by creating communities that have hope, stability, and a path to living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Dwight is a recipient of the Youth Leadership Award 2012 and the Youth Peer Support Award 2014 – from Incredible Youth International.
“In today’s crowded professional marketplace, it is crucial to have a savvy, well-seasoned team working with you as you strategize, coordinate, and implement your ideas and goals. All of our energy and focus at Greystone is built on that foundation: innovation; meticulous attention to clients’ needs; and creative networking. We, strive to be the pillar of strength and wise counsel, Clients need to create, implement and execute the ideas aimed at giving our clients that crucial edge where such is the key to being a cut above the rest,” Angwella says.
“Our mission is to provide quality services with an emphasis on client requirements without compromising on prudent legal practices. We aim to achieve this with our superior knowledge of the law and its dynamics, a material understanding of the issues that affect our clients, and a genuine enthusiasm for what we do. We aspire to perform like a trusted extension of our Clients’ will and vision, producing results that directly and positively impact our client’s business objectives,” Angwella adds.