Mesfin Tafesse & Associates Law Office (MTA)

Mesfin Tafesse and Associates is a leading law office in Ethiopia providing high quality legal advisory services. MTA's legal practice spans corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, manufacturing and industries, banking and finance, power and energy, mining, taxation, construction and real estate, IT and Telecom, employment and immigration, and dispute resolution.

MTA is a dynamic and rapidly expanding law office dedicated to and with the aspiration to providing its clients with world class services. MTA offers a one-stop shop service to its domestic and global clients by providing a package of services from initial legal advisory on Ethiopian law considerations, facilitating the incorporation of companies including corporate and tax registration, business licensing, to employment and immigration services. MTA has gained substantial experience handling domestic and cross-border transactions including, preparation of legal due diligence opinion relating to complex transactions, conducting business negotiations on behalf of clients, drafting legal agreements and representation of clients in judicial and non-judicial forums.

MTA’s team of attorneys operate with the objective of assisting clients in making legally sound decisions by providing services that exceed client’s expectations in terms of high quality, timely delivery, and utility.

MTA’s client base includes small businesses, national and global multinational corporations, private equity and strategic investors, banking and development institutions, professional firms, as well as public organizations.

MTA has assisted a number of clients with corporate and investment advisory services. MTA’s services typically begin with assisting clients in understanding the Ethiopian legal and investment regime by providing general Ethiopian law related legal memos, opinions, and completing jurisdictional questionnaires relevant to the client’s investment sector. MTA brings its many years of experience and deep knowledge of local law to provide clients with realistic and feasible approaches to doing their business in Ethiopia.

MTA assists clients entering the Ethiopian market by:

• Providing general advice on foreign investment laws and applicable legal framework for doing business, optimal corporate structuring modalities, key Ethiopian law considerations in relation to tax, customs, minimum capital requirements, foreign exchange rules with regards to repatriation of profits and dividends, land ownership and property rights, and rules on access to and use of industrial
• Drafting and reviewing company documents such as term sheets, shareholder agreements, investment agreements, share subscription agreements, memorandum and articles of association, shareholder resolutions, office lease agreements and power of
• Facilitating the incorporation of companies by interfacing with relevant regulatory bodies, including authentication and notarization of offshore documents, commercial registration, tax registration, bank accounts (both local and foreign currency accounts), competence certification, and business licensing, work and residence
• Facilitating trademark and patent registrations with the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office.
• Providing on-going legal and operational advice such as: drafting and reviewing employment contracts, sale-purchase agreements, distribution agreements, loan, guarantee and security agreements, and land lease.

MTA’s values are integrity, teamwork and excellence. It strictly adheres to what is permissible under the law as well as the accepted rules of the legal profession. It is committed to pool together and make available the best expertise from each of the professionals in MTA to provide a high quality of work that is aimed at exceeding clients’ expectations.

Areas of practice: Mesfin Tafesse & Associates is a corporate law office that provides a one-stop shop legal service including legal advisory services, representation, drafting legal documents, assisting in business negotiations, facilitation of local presence, facilitation of liquidation and legal research.

In particular, the office has a well-advanced expertise in the areas of Mergers and Acquisitions, Mining, Power and Energy, ICT and Telecom, Banking and Finance, Taxation, Manufacturing and Industries, Construction and Real Estate, Employment and Immigration and Dispute Resolution.