TBeST Law LLP

Our lawyers possess the most relevant experience in advising and representing corporate clients in M & A transactions, equity and debt financing, corporate governance, corporate restructuring and regulatory compliance. Our Corporate practice group has a well-honed knowledge and experience in assisting clients in all aspects of commercial law and corporate governance, including in optimizing the entity forms, conversions of business entities and ensuring that groups and affiliated companies are fully compliant with commercial laws of Ethiopia.

Our services include assisting clients on:

• Regulatory issues relating to equity and debt financing;
• The form of optimal business entity taking into account commercial and tax laws of Ethiopia and other objective considerations;
• Corporate governance matters, such as advice on board of directors and supervisory boards;
• Capital market regulations and directives;
• Capital structures of companies, including structuring of premium capital accounts;
• The structures of shares and dividend distribution policies;
• Conversions of entity forms, including conversions of private limited companies into one-person companies;
• Regulations concerning groups of companies, parent-subsidiary relationships, and holding companies;
• Corporate reorganizations including mergers, acquisitions, splits and spinoffs;
• Regulations concerning branches of foreign business organizations, including the setting-up of foreign representative offices;

Businesses, non-profit organizations, embassies and international organizations, new or established, require practical legal guidance on local labor law and immigration matters.

Our team of highly experienced lawyers is known for providing proactive and solution focused legal counsel on wide range of labor law matters which help clients avoid or minimize costly and time-taking employment litigations.

Our services include:

• Drafting employment contracts (for managerial and non-managerial employees);
• Drafting and reviewing collective agreements and work rules;
• Preparing different types of notice letters and separation agreements;
• Assisting clients with collective bargaining and agreements;
• Counseling on employee benefits, occupational health and safety, and employee layoff or reduction of work force;
• Advising on grounds for termination and applicable termination payments including severance, compensation, etc
• Undertaking employment law due diligences in relation to transfer of businesses.
• Advising on Ethiopian immigration requirements;
• Processing and renewing work and residence permits to expats;

Businesses, non-profit organizations, embassies and international organizations, new or established, require practical legal guidance on local labor law and immigration matters.

Our team of highly experienced lawyers is known for providing proactive and solution focused legal counsel on wide range of labor law matters which help clients avoid or minimize costly and time-taking employment litigations.

Our services include:

• Drafting employment contracts (for managerial and non-managerial employees);
• Drafting and reviewing collective agreements and work rules;
• Preparing different types of notice letters and separation agreements;
• Assisting clients with collective bargaining and agreements;
• Counseling on employee benefits, occupational health and safety, and employee layoff or reduction of work force;
• Advising on grounds for termination and applicable termination payments including severance, compensation, etc
• Undertaking employment law due diligences in relation to transfer of businesses.
• Advising on Ethiopian immigration requirements;
• Processing and renewing work and residence permits to expats;

Our lawyers have breadth of experience undertaking a wide range of contentious and non-contentious intellectual property work. We register, manage and enforce IP rights in Ethiopia. 

In the area of technology law, we help clients understand jurisdictional issues and ensure the operation of their businesses in a legally compliant manner. 

Our services include:

• Trademark, copyright and patent registrations, renewals and recordals;
• Advising on and registering trademark licensing and assignment agreements;
• Trademark and copyright litigations before the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Authority’s Tribunal and Federal Courts;
• Advising clients on Ethiopian Telecom laws;
• Advising on the emerging E-commerce laws of Ethiopia;
• Data protection, privacy and security;
• Drafting, reviewing and registering technology transfer agreements;
• Drafting and reviewing franchising agreements;

Companies facing financial difficulties can now use the new Commercial Code rules of preventive restructuring and reorganization proceedings to forestall liquidation, and if successful, rehabilitate their businesses. Having been involved in the drafting of the insolvency, restructuring and reorganization provisions of the New Commercial Code of Ethiopia, our lawyers will work with clients in developing workable restructuring or reorganization plans, negotiating with creditors and obtaining the qualified votes as well as securing confirmation from the bankruptcy court. Our lawyers also have the most relevant knowledge in getting the required approval for sale of business as a going concern, leveraging their lateral knowledge in mergers and acquisitions.

Our services include:

• Applying to bankruptcy court for opening restructuring, reorganization or bankruptcy proceedings, whichever is most appropriate;
• Seeking the appointment of experts in restructuring, supervisor in reorganization or trustee in bankruptcy proceedings;
• Together with debtors, developing restructuring or reorganization plans, and/or a plan for sale of business as a going concern most likely to secure the qualified majorities for approval and confirmation of the plans;
• Taking all actions necessary to protect the interest of clients in restructuring, reorganization or bankruptcy proceedings, including representing clients in negotiations and approvals of restructuring or reorganization plans, obtaining stays of executions (where appropriate), new or interim insolvency finance, and drafting the business sale agreements in sale-of-business as a going concern.

TBeST law gives the highest priority to preventing disputes from happening by protecting clients through effective planning, conducting careful preliminary investigations and tactful legal drafting. But when disputes arise, our lawyers are experts at finding best negotiated solutions or guiding clients through effective mediations. Where arbitration and litigation is involved, our lawyers help clients in successfully navigating the complex arenas in each specialized area of the law.  We also represent our clients in litigation, particularly in the areas of tax, intellectual property and competition laws. In addition to our winning strategies of litigation in our core competence areas, our ‘Valuable Clients’ Care Program (VCCP)’ has a raft of off-counsel services which we make available to our clients to make good on our promises of going the extra-lengths to satisfy our clients. 

Our services include:

• Identification of clients’ particular disputes and advising on the appropriate course of action including applicable dispute resolution mechanisms;
• Drafting effective notices to be delivered on behalf of clients;
• Negotiating on behalf of clients and assisting on their mediations;
• Writing up expert opinions on various areas of the law on clients’ international arbitration proceedings;
• Representing clients on ad-hoc and institutional arbitration proceedings and court litigations on our core competence areas;
• Facilitating off-counsel services on specialized arbitrations and litigations and following up the service provision to our clients.