Practice Areas
Gulf Consulting LLP
Energy, Mining & Environmental Law & Policy
The energy sector is constantly evolving (such as current developments relating to energy transition - net zero, battery, hydrogen, etc.). With robust relevant academic qualifications, national/international certifications and several years of cognate work expertise and experience, our Co-Founding Partners lead other equally highly resourced energy professionals to advice companies and other organisations which explore and develop energy and natural resources. We are well-versed and deeply knowledgeable in the entire breadth of the energy sector, including oil and gas law, policy and regulation; energy economics; energy infrastructure finance; environmental law, policy & regulation; solid minerals law, economics, finance, policy & regulation; power projects (including renewable energy), etc.
- Legal drafting.
- regulatory and policy framework.
- Sale & Purchase Agreements and assets acquisitions.
- Litigation, Arbitration and ADR.
- Awards, grants, farm-in and farm-outs.
- Structured products and foreign investment advisory services.
- Regulatory compliance.
- Oil and gas tax advisory.
- Government and public policy.
- Mining.
- Legislative Drafting (Bills, Permits, Licences, Regulations, etc.).
- Infrastructure/Project Finance.
- Petroleum & Mining Taxation/Tax Administration.
- Negotiating and drafting industry commercial agreements, such as Joint Operating Agreements, Production Sharing Agreements, Power Purchase Agreements, Service Agreements, etc.
International and Internal Land & Maritime Boundary Resource & Dispute Management
We assist International Oil Companies and host governments in structuring institutions and instruments for the effective management of maritime boundary disputes and exploitation of cross border straddling oil, gas, solid minerals and fisheries resources. Our Practice Areas include:
- Joint Development Treaty Negotiations & Drafting.
- Unitisation Treaty Negotiations & Drafting.
- Drafting of Model Regulatory Instruments, such petroleum regulations, tax regulations, environmental regulations, etc.
- Advice on structuring, setting up and administering of joint development zones and authorities.
- Diplomatic and inter-governmental liaison, etc.
Corporate and Commercial Law
We work with our clients across the full spectrum of Corporate and Commercial Law,
including but not limited to complex commercial agreements, regulatory compliance, real
estate transactions and documentation, digital and innovation, intellectual property
protection, etc.
In addition, our transactional and regulatory capabilities attract clients for whom
we tailor our advice to meet their needs in a way they value. For our international
audience, if you or your company is thinking of investing in Nigeria or setting up a
business operation in Nigeria, we have what it takes to offer you the appropriate legal
advice. We combine deep regulatory understanding, industry knowledge, professional and
institutional network, and a practical problem-solving approach to deliver new,
innovative, and practical solutions.
We focus on the issues and leverage on the expertise and experience as well as
networking clout of our Co-Founding Partners, in-house counsel, and those of our
carefully chosen strategic resource persons (individual and corporate) to provide the
speciality solutions needed to support our top-tier corporate and commercial practice
for the benefit of our clients. Having successfully handled highly complex and
contentious transactional matters, we can advise on a range of issues including
international and domestic commercial arbitration, shareholder arrangements and
effective tax planning. Specific areas of our practice include but are not limited to:
- Company formation and other transactions at the Corporate Affairs Commission.
- Mergers and Acquisitions.
- Corporate and personal Legal due diligence and searches.
- Land/real estate documentation (drafting of instruments such as sale agreement, power of attorney, deed of assignment, etc.).
- Perfection of title/interest in land (multi-jurisdictional, i.e., FCT and States).
- Intellectual Property and Innovation Protection (Licensing/Management), etc.
Corporate Governance and Compliance
Government’s regulatory initiatives have continued to evolve, and companies must increase
their compliance levels to avoid the risks of being penalised for non-compliance with
relevant rules and regulations. We operate across a diverse range of sectors of the
Nigerian economy advising corporate clients, board members, senior management, and
institutional investors on best practices regarding corporate governance.
We can advise business leaders on various corporate matters in areas like:
- Crafting bespoke corporate governance frameworks and monitoring compliance with the frameworks.
- Enterprise risk identification, analysis, and management.
- Crisis management in high-risk situations.
- Managing correspondence with regulators and other stakeholders.
- Evaluating and assessing corporate governance frameworks and policies in line with prescribed codes provided by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and other sector-specific regulators.
We can also advise members of the board of directors and senior executives of public and private organisations on the full range of corporate governance issues that relate to them, including:
- Board structure and composition, including diversity.
- Independent Directors and their duties as board members.
- Board committee structure and composition.
- Board committee charters.
- Senior executive and director succession planning
- Enterprise risk identification and risk management
- Senior executive and director compensation policies and planning.
- Representation of boards and board committees.
- Evolving trends and best practices for corporate governance.
- Conflict of interest and related party transactions.
- Board Secretaryship (including organising and attending board meetings).
- Directors’ election and re-election.
- Federal, State, and foreign law compliance issues.
- Asset tracking/tracing and recovery.
- Government investigations.
- Shareholder governance.
- Special board committee investigations and reports.
- Corporate Governance Audit.
- Public policy analysis, formulation, and implementation.
- Corporate Social Responsibility, etc.
- Corporate governance training (including board members induction).
- Board and board committee evaluation and self-evaluation processes.
Tax Policy & Administration
In their quest to accommodate the ever-increasing pressure from governments at all levels
to raise additional revenue, tax authorities have become more aggressive than ever
before. In collaboration with our tax partners, BAYCO Professional Services – Chartered
Accountants and Chartered Tax Practitioners, we assist public and private sector
entities as well as individuals to navigate and comply with the ever-increasing scrutiny
by tax authorities. We advise clients in corporate and financial transactions and
commercial arrangements.
We are also active in aspects of tax that are typically not the focus of tax accountants
-- for example, tax litigation and arbitration, advice on the constitutional aspects of
taxation, the actual drawing up of agreements to achieve given tax goals and assessing
and working around taxes payable to company and land registries. As lawyers, our
communications with our clients enjoy unique legal privileges against disclosure. We can
advise and represent clients of every hue regularly in respect of Federal (mainly
income, capital gains, import duty, value added tax and stamp duty), State and Local
Government taxes, especially in the following areas:
- Constitutional authority to impose, assess and collect taxes.
- Tax litigation, arbitration, and administrative proceedings.
- Tax law opinions and advice.
- Tax investigations and audits.
- Filing applications and securing tax exemptions and relief.
- Tax law reform.
- Taxation of foreign investors and investment.
- Tax structuring of mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions.
- Tax aspects of perfecting security for debt.
- Tax structuring of commercial contracts for goods and services.
- Taxation of expatriate remuneration.
- Tax aspects of securitization structures and debt transactions.
- Tax regulations for withholding tax.
- Transfer pricing issues and taxation of cross border digital operations.
- Tax structuring of petroleum acreage and real estate asset acquisitions.