Kenna Partners is a leading multi-service law firm that offers bespoke and innovative solutions to clients’ most challenging legal needs. A limitless enthusiasm to contribute to the law beyond the practice of Law has driven us over the past 30 years to work on several significant assignments of national importance and milestone essence. We have been privileged to witness the growth that has taken place throughout that time.
We take pride in our ability to provide tailored solutions to our Client’s specific needs. The Firm provides function-specific professional services in various areas including Dispute Resolution, Energy and Natural Resources, Corporate and Commercial Law, Banking and Investment, Intellectual Property and Technology, Media and Communications.
The collective experience and knowledge of our Counsel across several practice areas contributes to ensuring that we are able to fulfill our promise of excellent service and client satisfaction. We combine our extensive market and local knowledge with an innovative approach to ensure our Clients get the best solutions.
We are distinguished not only by the depth and scope of our specialised legal services but also by our expertise in corporate set-ups and restructuring, as well as foreign direct and private equity investments. With the benefit of our experience in cross-border trade and commerce and dispute resolution, we support and provide guidance to our diverse Client base on their most significant and challenging business transactions.
Our commitment to excellence drives us to continuously seek new ways to improve the solutions we provide through quality service. Through diligence in legal research, an understanding of business trends and cutting-edge information technology support systems, we are able to consistently provide solutions to our Clients in ways that create value for them.
Our core value of ‘Client-First’ is reflected in the dedication that is shown in every assignment. Our Client-centred approach has helped us sustain Client communication and relationships. Continuous communication, an understanding of our Clients’ business combined with legal expertise and specialised knowledge have been crucial in helping our Clients realise their objectives.
As professionals, we act with integrity, maintain confidentiality within the Client-attorney relationship and hold ourselves to the highest ethical and professional standard. Therefore, our Clients can trust us with their most complex matters and sensitive information
We deliver a full spectrum of services in the energy sector covering regulatory, transactional and risk management issues amongst others. Our Clients include a number of International Oil Companies (IOC's), financiers and investors, market operators, contractors, new entrants, governments and regulators in oil and gas and power and utility industries who rely on us for commercially pragmatic solutions including assistance in navigating associated environmental challenges.
Our understanding of the industry and contacts at the government levels enables us provide assistance to our Clients in contract negotiations, tenders, joint ventures, outsourcing, and strategic alliances. Kenna Partners has extensive experience in oil and gas, coal and power matters. Our industry expertise cuts across a broad range of multimillion-dollar energy projects including joint ventures, strategic alliances, and asset acquisitions.
Our integrated approach ensures that our team is able to deliver on the transactional aspect of projects and other related issues including dispute resolution. We have advised and provided feedback on public consultations for several regulations in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the industry. We have also advised on drafted regulations pursuant to the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act.
Our labour and employment team is proficient in anticipating, preventing, handling and mitigating employment issues. We advise our Clients on redundancy procedures, workplace disputes and pension matters.
We are adept at managing HR crisis situations including sensitive terminations and severance/compensation claims, employment discrimination and industrial actions. We also advise employers on compliances issues under various local employment laws and international conventions and best practices.
As disputes become increasingly complex, especially in emerging markets where regulations are tightening and the stakes are getting higher, we have the confidence of our Clients to proactively mitigate their risks and bring disputes to a close in the most time efficient and cost-effective way.
We have earned our reputation for being one of the leading dispute resolution firms in Nigeria with an innovative and Client focused practice. We have represented indigenous and multinational corporations, governments, financial institutions, foreign investors, regulators and high net-worth individuals on sensitive and high profile commercial and regulatory disputes.
Litigation
We manage litigation and regulatory enforcement actions by drawing on the extensive and varied experience of our team to give our Clients strategic and creative solutions within the legal system.
Our team comprises Senior Advocates of Nigeria (QC equivalent) and lawyers with decades of courtroom experience on disputes across highly regulated industries like banking and financial services, telecommunications and energy. We have represented a wide range of clients in several disputes of national importance leading to landmark decisions at the Appellate Courts.
Our goal is to help our Clients avoid disruptive litigation where possible; but when inevitable, they can trust us to marshal our resources to achieve the best possible representation.
Arbitration
We assist our Clients make informed decisions about pursuing arbitration or other alternative procedures to resolve their disputes.
Our team is comprised of Fellows, Members and Associates of leading arbitration institutions including the Lagos Court of Arbitration and London Court of International Arbitration. We are proficient in handling all phases of the arbitration life cycle, including pre-arbitration and post-award litigation proceedings.
Kenna Partners has a wealth of experience and a hard-earned track record of providing bespoke and innovative legal representation and advice in Intellectual Property law. We understand the immense value attached to the intellectual property of an organisation and find the utility of Intellectual Property as a veritable source of wealth generation.
Our diverse Client portfolio includes banks and financial institutions, technology companies, manufacturing giants, telecommunication companies, Non-Governmental Organisations, High Net Worth individuals, institutional investors, Media personalities, as well as regulators.
We have proven expertise and insight in advising on all aspects of the Intellectual Property Law, regulation and compliance. We thus provide commercially aware advisory services in this space as well as defend our Clients interests by exploring the best in litigation techniques.
Copyrights, Trademarks, Trade Secrets, Patents and Designs: Cores of Intellectual Property Protection
Kenna Partners is a leading multi-service law firm in Nigeria, known for providing bespoke solutions to the specific needs of the Client. Our Intellectual Property Practice Unit deals with the legal issues relating to the protection of intellectual property rights, and the commercial exploitation of such rights through registrations, licensing, assignments and litigation when necessary.
Our intellectual property lawyers have, substantial experience in diverse areas - Trademark, Copyright, Patent, and Trade Secrets. We provide indigenous and foreign Clients with trademark, copyright and patent registration, counselling, and transactional services, with a strategic focus aimed at enabling the Client to achieve its business objectives and maximise its potential. We also assist Clients in protecting intellectual property rights from infringement, counterfeiting, misappropriation and unfair competition.
We have an excellent intellectual property practice comprising experienced and highly competent lawyers: Kenna Partners is the leading firm in the protection of intellectual property relating to the arts and the Principal partner iS a co-founder of the Society for Art Collection of Nigeria.
Trademarks
Our lawyers in the Intellectual Property Practice unit have extensive experience in all aspects of Intellectual Property including trademark registration/renewals, opposition proceedings, trademark infringement and passing off. We also provide general trademark portfolio consultancy and management services to our Clients for their specific business needs.
Copyright Protection
We understand the importance of protecting proprietary/ property rights that subsist In certain specified types of work as provided by the Copyright Act Cap C23, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2010. With an appreciable knowledge of the economic rights accruing to owners of copyrights, we are well-positioned to recommend favourable means to ensure the protection of these nghts. We have handed copyright matters for a number of award winning musicians artists, and authors.
Patent
Our experts understand the technical intricacies in invention and the grant of patents. We are therefore able to guide Clients on the conditions which must be fulfilled before such inventions can be patented. Our advice covers intellectual property rights of a patentor, licensing inventions, general protection of all rights in respect of Patent, setting up a business around the invention, etc.
Industrial design
We facilitate the registration of industrial designs which are any combination of lines or colours or both, and any three-dimensional form, whether or not associated with colours, if it is intended by the creator to be used as a model or pattem to be multiplied by industrial process and is not intended solely to obtain technical result.
An industrial design must be registered in order to be protected under the Patent and Design Act. Cap P2, LFN 2004.
Trade Secrets
We provide advisory services to Clients who intend to keep information relating to their business as trade secrets. We provide insight into the law of confidentiality, which protects trade secrets and ways to secure the trade secret.
Intellectual Property Watch
This is a complimentary service to all our Clients to keep them abreast of all developments in the intellectual property space. We also provide Clients with a periodic compliance report tailored to meet the Client's business needs and highlight specific or potential violations of their intellectual property rights.
Dispute Resolution
Our lawyers in the dispute resolution department advise Clients across various practice areas including intellectual property. We litigate at the Federal High Court and appellate courts and represent Clients in licensing disputes, often successfully avoiding or settling litigation. In doing this, we form and continue to sustain close working relationships with Clients' staff, attorneys and legal assistants in order to establish flexibility and efficiency in maximising available skills and minimising the expense of litigation. We bring an exceptional combination of technical and trial skills to litigation.
Kenna Partners track record of providing bespoke and innovative legal advice positions us to help you grow and effectively navigate this emerging sector. Our diverse client portfolio in this regard includes banks and financial institutions, tech companies, Fin Tech companies, insurance companies, individuals and institutional investors as well as regulators. We have proven expertise and insight in advising on all aspects of the Information and Communications Technology industry, including regulatory compliance.
We advise large corporations and service providers in the telecommunications and technology industries including mobile payment and lending service providers, as well as other players leveraging on this disruptive technology. Furthermore, our relationship with leading traditional financial institutions and regulators enables us
-to assist our Clients in forming rewarding partnerships, interfacing effectively and growing their businesses.
We provide our clients with a full range of legal services in their complex commercial transactions and commercial dispute resolution matters. Our excellent and flexible service delivery enables us to serve the multijurisdictional needs of our clients. We are also skilled in servicing new (foreign) entrants into the Nigerian business landscape. Our clients come first and we are always ready to support them expand and grow their businesses, We offer regulatory compliance services in Technology Innovation, Banking, and Finance, and insurance amongst others.
ICT is revolutionising many sectors particularly the finance industry as seen in the rise of Fintechs in recent years. It has been introduced into payments, remittances, lending, financing insurance, digital banking, asset management, and cryptocurrencies - areas that Kenna Partners has enormous experience in.
Managing Partner
Ituah Imhanze is the Managing Partner at Kenna Partners. He co-ordinates the various practice areas of the Firm whilst driving the Dispute Resolution and Energy practice areas. He has a thorough understanding of the Nigerian judicial system and business landscape with extensive experience in Commercial Litigation and Arbitration.
Ituah Imhanze has successfully represented financial institutions, regulators, governments and multinationals, in several high profile disputes. He continues to represent oil majors and indigenous oil companies in a wide range of disputes, including oil spill matters and compensation claims, at the Appellate and ECOWAS courts. His experience in Commercial Arbitration in several jurisdictions has led him to sit as arbitrator on different panels over various disputes. He has also successfully mediated settlements in company disputes in Nigeria and abroad.
Deputy Managing Partner
Charles Nwabulu is the Deputy Managing Partner at Kenna Partners. He manages a portfolio of blue-chip corporations in banking, investments and financial services, oil and gas, infrastructure, and property development, as well as regulators in several industries. With extensive experience in the Nigerian court system at all levels, he advises Clients on a wide range of areas including Dispute Resolution, Energy and Natural Resources, Maritime, Environmental Law, Intellectual Property, Insolvency, Tax, and Corporate Law and Governance. His recent cases have bordered on cross-border litigation and enforcement of securities arising from financing transactions.
Charles Nwabulu has undertaken teaching engagements at the National Open University of Nigeria in various areas of law. He also taught at the University of London External System.
