outside general counsel

lelo advocates

Our Services

Legal, regulatory, governance and litigation support built around one goal: helping you act before a risk becomes a dispute.
how we work

Advice that holds up outside the boardroom, not just inside it.

Every service below is delivered with the same approach: understand your business well enough to give advice that is legally sound, commercially relevant, and actually usable. We don’t wait for a dispute, investigation or regulatory challenge to emerge, wherever possible, we work with you upfront to strengthen the documentation, contracts, policies and governance structures that protect your business, so that if a challenge does arise, you already have what you need to respond to it with confidence.

Corporate and Commercial Advisory
We help businesses establish sound legal foundations, structure their affairs effectively and make informed commercial decisions. Our corporate and commercial advisory practice covers company incorporation and structuring, shareholder and investment arrangements, corporate reorganisations, joint ventures and strategic partnerships, as well as general commercial advisory. We advise on corporate records and statutory compliance, board and shareholder matters, business acquisitions and disposals, and the legal considerations arising from market, product and geographical expansion. Our approach is designed to ensure that legal structures support commercial objectives while identifying and addressing potential risks before they become significant liabilities.
Strong corporate governance promotes accountability, responsible leadership, effective oversight and sound decision-making. We advise boards, directors, shareholders and management on board governance, including the development of board charters, committee terms of reference and governance frameworks. Our services extend to directors’ recruitment, induction and onboarding, training, duties and responsibilities, as well as board and committee processes. We also provide corporate secretarial support, governance audits and advice on conflicts of interest, delegations of authority, related-party transactions, and shareholder and board resolutions. We assist organisations in developing and implementing governance policies and reporting frameworks and provide advice on environmental, social and governance matters. Our objective is to strengthen governance systems in a manner that reduces exposure to regulatory, fiduciary and operational risk.
Effective contracts should clearly define expectations, allocate risk appropriately and provide a sound framework for sustainable commercial relationships. We advise clients throughout the contract lifecycle, from drafting and review to negotiation, renewal, variation and termination. Our work includes supplier and customer agreements, procurement and distribution contracts, agency and franchise arrangements, manufacturing agreements, service-level agreements, equipment purchases and leases, property and operational leases, construction agreements and financing documents. We also advise on sub-grant and implementation agreements, ensuring that contractual obligations, risk allocation, performance standards and remedies are appropriately documented and aligned with the client’s commercial objectives.
We help employers manage employment-related legal and operational risks in a fair, consistent and legally compliant manner. Our services cover the preparation and review of employment contracts, employee handbooks, workplace policies, procedures, templates and other employment documentation. We advise on disciplinary and grievance processes, workplace investigations, performance management, employee restructuring and redundancy, as well as employment disputes. We support clients in collective bargaining negotiations and the preparation of Collective Bargaining Agreements and provide advice on labour and regulatory compliance. Our practice also includes workplace training and employment law compliance audits designed to identify weaknesses in employment practices and address potential disputes before they arise.
We help organisations protect personal information, strengthen information governance and develop responsible and compliant data-handling practices. Our services include data protection compliance reviews, privacy policies and notices, data-processing agreements, records- management frameworks and data-retention policies. We advise on data-sharing arrangements, data-breach preparedness and response, employee privacy and information-handling obligations, as well as supplier and technology due diligence. We also conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments and provide privacy training and awareness programmes. Our approach focuses on integrating privacy and information governance into everyday organisational processes rather than treating compliance as a purely regulatory exercise.
We provide practical legal support across property transactions, helping clients manage ownership, documentation, due diligence and transactional risk. Our practice covers the sale and purchase of residential and commercial property, transfers and registration of interests in land, commercial leases and licences, and property development arrangements. We advise on construction and development documentation, joint ventures and real-estate investment structures, mortgages, charges and other security documentation. We also assist with landlord and tenant matters, easements, wayleaves and access rights, property management agreements and disputes arising from property transactions. Our objective is to ensure that property interests are properly documented, legally protected and aligned with the client’s wider commercial or investment objectives.
Our approach to disputes is principally preventative and seeks to identify and address legal exposure before it develops into costly or disruptive litigation. We assist clients with early assessment of potential claims, contractual risk reviews, dispute-resolution mechanisms, preservation of relevant records and practical measures designed to prevent escalation. Where disputes arise, we advise on contractual and commercial claims, negotiation and settlement, mediation and arbitration, commercial litigation, including employment disputes, regulatory investigations, debt recovery and insurance disputes. We also undertake criminal litigation where appropriate. Our focus is on achieving commercially sensible outcomes while protecting the client’s legal and strategic interests.
We help businesses identify, protect, commercialise and manage the intellectual property that supports their brands, innovation and competitive advantage. Our services include intellectual- property audits, trademark protection, brand-use and licensing arrangements, confidentiality agreements and copyright and content advice. We advise on intellectual-property provisions in commercial contracts, including employee and contractor ownership and protection arrangements, and assist clients in managing third-party intellectual-property rights. We also provide advice aimed at preventing intellectual-property disputes by ensuring that ownership, permitted use, licensing, confidentiality and enforcement rights are clearly established from the outset.
We provide tailored legal and risk-management support to organisations operating in sectors with distinct regulatory, commercial and operational considerations. Our sector experience and advisory capability extends to manufacturing, agriculture and agribusiness, consumer goods, logistics and transport, real estate and construction, financial services, technology, hospitality and health. We also advise non-governmental and not-for-profit organisations, labour-intensive businesses and organisations operating within the academic sector. In addition, we support businesses seeking to establish, expand or operate across African markets, providing practical legal guidance on the regulatory, contractual, governance and commercial considerations associated with cross-border growth.
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