Interview with: Sarada Nya, Managing Partner

What do you see as the main points that differentiate NYA & Co. LAW FIRM from your competitors?

The team holds an expertise in multiple jurisdictions (French, Luxembourg, Rwanda and Cameroon Bars) and on really technical areas of Business law (Banking and Finance, Capital Market, Corporate/M&A, Private Equity, Oil & Gas and Mining and PPPs). The team comes from these different backgrounds and is therefore, the International Business Law Firm by excellence in its market (Central Africa).

Besides, Accessibility, which, as you know, is a major element in our vision, is in large part what sets NYA & Co. apart in the legal services market. It is this concern for accessibility that underlies our openness to an extremely composite community of clients and prospects, made up of companies and individuals of extremely varied nature, size and scope, in a wide range of sectors of activity, for the provision of high-quality legal services, in accordance with international standards. Our offer thus reconciles diversity and multidisciplinary, in a client approach that combines proximity and efficiency. We distinguish ourselves by our reactivity to the needs of our clients, by our flexibility, our availability, and by being particularly attentive to their interests. Our offer reconciles diversity and multidisciplinary, being equipped to provide high quality legal services, in accordance with international standards, to companies and economic operators of extremely varied dimensions and scope, in all areas of law and in a wide range of sectors of activity.

Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

We can already tell, based on the cases and prospection we have today, that the following practices will grow considerably;

Private Equity: one of the main requests of local companies is the research of relevant technical partners which we believe we can provide.

Banking & Finance: which is a solid practice in our market, especially regarding the regulatory requirement that compels the banks and financial institution to collect legal opinions in certain types of credit or financing. Besides, like for Private Equity, local companies are always in the search of financing for which we are capable of assisting them.

Energy law/Oil & Gas Law/ Renewable Energies law: with the global macroeconomic context, the inquiries in theses sector have considerably increased. We believe the cases in this sector will increase too.

What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

Since we are young, no big change has been yet implemented. We have just lately equipped the firm with an internal network, an information system facilitating the filing, conservation and storage of information. We believe it will ease up and fluidize the interactions with clients and therefore ensure a better assistance.

Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

We are a very modern Law Firm. As said in the previous answer, we definitely believe technology facilitates communication with our clients and prospects, especially since COVID season. We interact with most of our clients by distance without having to see them face to face. Our network services help us through it. Technology, especially the new information and communication techniques, greatly facilitates exchanges with clients as well as meetings and work sessions that not everyone can attend physically. By these means, we are able to provide an effective cutting-edge assistance with results as good as if we had met physically.

Likewise, a few of our clients find us via internet, Linked in and soon Legal 500 as well as many other legal Platforms. Not only digital platforms change the way we interact with our clients but they are at the core of our development and communication.

Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

We are currently assisting one of our clients in a major restructuring operation, with a particular configuration that involves several jurisdictions outside Cameroon. The structuring we are putting in place will allow the client to raise private equity financing of approximately three million USD.

Adding value to the business of our clients is the main reason of our enterprise. We assist for example 2 companies in two massive projects requiring a certain amount of funds. We have been able to restructure the companies so that their application can be received and reviewed by funders. Only by the corporate secretary and the review of the corporate structure, we have been able to give added value to our client company. The lawyer always provides added value through his services, even when it is not noticeable for the client. We have no merit on that. This is our job.

Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

Definitely. Law firms are accompaniers of change in companies. They ensure the legal security and compliance of strategic decisions and assist clients in their implementation. In the medium/long term.

As corporate counsels that we mostly are, we position ourselves more as day-to-day assistant to our client on legal aspects of their projects or businesses than curators of their issues. It is not yet common in our market to require for these kinds of services although it expands, but we try to educate our environment towards it by showing them the added value of our services on their businesses. I guess that is why we have been very busy all this year.

In three years, we see our firm bigger, with lawyers of other jurisdictions (USA, London, etc.), well established within a robust Pan African network of business lawyers for more impact upon our market and in cross border transactions implying Africa, African countries, jurisdictions, companies or individuals.