Dynamic Zanzibar firm Sepia Attorney and Associates’ partnership with Rive & Co is an ideal fit that continues Rive’s focus on partnering with superb lawyers around the country and beyond to offer clients innovative service in a fast-growing region, says Sunday Ndamugoba.
Rive & Co was established earlier this year when ABC Attorneys and Stallion Attorneys joined forces, and is the only firm with offices in more than one region of Tanzania. By creating a new brand name, Rive has made a clear commitment to being future-focused, combining established trust and credibility with novelty.
“We’re a team of more than 30 people with offices in Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma and Arusha – and we are expanding,” explained Ndamugoba, partner and chief innovation officer at Rive & Co. “We’re expanding our departments, moving into mining, and adding new partners.”
Ndamugoba and fellow founding partner Shehzada Walli are licensed to practise in Zanzibar and already worked on matters involving this semi-autonomous part of Tanzania which has its own government and president. However, given the tremendous growth they’ve seen, the two looked to partner with a local firm.
“The country is opening doors for new investments, a lot of businesses are opening up, and there are a lot of infrastructure projects, especially in Zanzibar,” noted Ndamugoba. “The president of Zanzibar has been pushing to make Zanzibar a tourism hub, and with no big firms that can cater to the amount of work that is coming through, we felt it best to join a local Zanzibar firm that was doing very well.”
There was a ready synergy between Rive & Co and Sepia Attorneys, whose partner had been based in Zanzibar for ten years, explained Ndamugoba, so they felt it best to come together and treat Zanzibar as a strategic area given its rapid growth.
While Zanzibar has been part of Tanzania for 60 years, Ndamugoba noted that in key areas it has different laws to the mainland (Tanganyika). “The laws that cover investment on the Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar are different,” he explained. “Land laws are also different, and for investment we have the Tanzania Investment Centre on the mainland and Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority for Zanzibar. When it comes to trademarks, if you want to be protected you need separate registrations in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.”
Ndamugoba shared that there were some cultural differences to navigate when Sepia merged into Rive & Co, so Rive brought in consultants and held training sessions for staff, to develop and cement shared values and culture in this innovative firm that seeks to attract great talent, disrupt the traditional market, and outlast the original partners.
Beyond Tanzania and Zanzibar, Rive & Co also has an expanded footprint through its membership of Alliott Global Alliance, an elite coalition of top legal and accounting experts in 220 member firms in some 100 countries. “Having an alliance like this is a tremendous opportunity for our future growth. It provides invaluable resources and support, helping us expand and open new doors.” Ndamugoba concluded.
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