Mercia
PERSONAL PROFILE
In September 1994, she co-founded Chibanda Makgalemele and Company. She is a Partner heading the Commercial and Corporate Law Division, as well as serving as the Business Development Manager. She specifically handles the Intellectual Property division, that is, Trade Marks and Patent protection. Furthermore she provides legal advice to blue-chip companies and State Owned Enterprises on company law, and corporate governance issues. She plays a key role in procuring business for the firm, and has expanded the firm’s foot prints. Delivered exceptionally high value work and surmounted cultural and market difficulties to achieve market position for the firm. She appreciates and honours deadlines, is methodical in approach and achieves tasks.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Admitted as an Attorney, Conveyancer and Notary in May 1991 in the High Court of Botswana,
Admitted as an Attorney of the Supreme Court of South Africa on the 14th January 1999
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Law Society of Botswana
Law Society of the Northern Transvaal
Women Renaissance Investments (Pty) Ltd (Present)
Ladiva (Pty)Ltd (Present)
EDUCATION
1990 University of Botswana Bachelor of Law (LLB)
2005 University of South Africa Postgraduate Certificate in
(UNISA) Advanced Corporate Law and Securities Law
2005 Johannesburg Stock Exchange/ Presentation on JSE Listing
KAR Presentations Requirements – Toolkits
2006 Institute of Public Private Certificate in Infrastructure
Partnership (Washington) Project Finance
Pepsi
Patient Samukelo Chibanda Thuto is a founding Partner of Chibanda Makgalemele & Company. The firm was established on 1st September 1994 and is based in Gaborone. She has over 29 years’ experience in private practise in Zimbabwe and Botswana having been first admitted to practise in January 1988 in the High Court of Zimbabwe. For the period December 1987 to March 1991, she worked for Atherstone & Cook, which is one of the top four law firms in Zimbabwe as well as the leading insurance law firm in the country regarded as the quintessential training ground for insurance law specialisation. There she gained a wealth of experience in specific areas like insurance law, conveyancing and sectional title and corporate transactions.
Her experience in legal practice is exclusively in the realm of civil law with a particular emphasis on corporate law (preparing commercial agreements, security documents, reviewing of commercial agreements in cross border/international transactions, setting up of commercial vehicles, shareholders agreements, resolution of shareholders disputes, advises on tax implications in local and international service agreements, banking, divestitures); insurance and motor vehicle accident law, construction industry arbitrations and very recently in privatisation and public private partnerships. She is the head of the Litigation and Family Law divisions of the practice and is without a doubt one of the fiercest litigators the country has.
Since 1998 she has been and remains involved in numerous shareholder disputes many of which have ended up in the courts and others of which she has been instrumental in resolving amicably with a resultant increase in shareholder value and benefit. The most notable of these are shareholder disputes in the information and communication sector companies.
She is in addition very conversant with the Botswana Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, having been involved in various litigation matters revolving around the processes and procedures of the Procuring entity, the interpretation and application of the Act and the principles surrounding implementation of the Act. One of these matters has been argued at the Court of Appeal level.
She is also one of the lead attorneys in various business and financial transactions handled by the firm involving acquisitions, mergers, debenture agreements and cross border registration of securities.
She has acted and continues to act as an arbitrator for various disputes arising mainly from contract disputes in the constructions and commercial fields.
She is very conversant with liquidations and insolvencies and has been involved in a large number of liquidations over the years acting as Counsel to the liquidators in some instances and as Counsel to major creditors in other instances.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Admitted as an Attorney, Conveyancer and Notary in September 1993 in the High Court of Botswana,
Admitted as an Attorney of the Supreme Court of South Africa on the 14th January 1999
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Member of the Botswana Law Society;
Chairperson of Broadhurst Primary School Council
Board member of Botswana Life Insurance Limited
Board member of BIFM Unit Trusts (Pty) Ltd
Board member of Flying Missions Services (Pty) Ltd
Board member of Botswana Substance Abuse Support Network (BOSASNet)
EDUCATION
BL Hons University of Zimbabwe Harare 1984 – 1986
LL.B University of Zimbabwe Harare 1987
Independent Mediation Service of South Africa (Arbitration Skills Course) 1995
Independent Mediation Service of South Africa (Joint Negotiation & Dispute Resolution) 1995
Registered Facilitator for National Institute of Trial Advocacy and have acted as such in Gaborone, Botswana, Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya, Kampala, Uganda 2001
Bonolo
PERSONAL PROFILE
Bonolo Omphile Selelo joined Chibanda Makgalemele and Company in 2013 and is currently an Associate Attorney at the Firm.
Bonolo is experienced in various aspects of civil litigation such as tender and procurement procedures and dispute resolution, drafting and reviewing commercial agreements, administration of estates, delictual claims, labour relations matters as well as the conveyance of immovable properties and registration of various securities. Her main practice areas are Conveyancing and Notarial practice which encompasses the preparation of agreements of sale and transfer of property as well as the registration of hypothecation instruments such as Mortgage bonds and Notarial Bonds, Commercial contract drafting and review, debt collection, property development, family law, Administration of Estates (the registration of Wills as well as Dissolution of Deceased’s estates) and civil litigation generally.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Admitted as an Attorney of the Courts of Botswana 2013
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Member of the Botswana Law Society
EDUCATION
LL.B University of Botswana 2013
Certificate in Trial Advocacy (Justice Advocacy Africa)
PRACTICE AREAS
Conveyancing and Notarial Practice
Labour and Employment Law
Wills and Administration of Estates
Commercial Transactions
Family Law
Debt Collection
General Civil Litigation
Girlie
PERSONAL PROFILE
Girlie Maipelo Tobedza joined the firm in June 2016. She graduated with an LLB from the University of Botswana in October 2016 and attained a certificate in Trial Advocacy in November 2016. In addition to that she has obtained a Post Graduate Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management at Botswana Accountancy College in June 2017.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Admitted as an Attorney of the Courts of Botswana 2016
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Member of the Botswana Law Society
EDUCATION
LL.B University of Botswana 2016
Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management (Botswana Accountancy College)
Certificate in Trial Advocacy (Justice Advocacy Africa)
PRACTICE AREAS
Intellectual Property
Family Law
General Civil Litigation
Debt collection
Labour and Employment Law
Wills and Administration of Estates
Commercial Transactions
Julius
PERSONAL PROFILE
Julius Mwaniki Kanja specialises inAccounting, Banking, Systems Administrator and Intellectual Property and Company Registrations.
EDUCATION
MBA Finance 1989, Bcom Accounting & Audit (Pune) India 1987, Cert In IP (Unisa) 2008
PRACTICE AREAS
Finance and Accounting
Intellectual property
Mitchel
PERSONAL PROFILE
Mitchel Mapete Joined the firm in July 2017. She graduated from the University of Botswana with an LLB in October 2017, she is currently doing her pupillage under her pupil master Ms. Makgalemele.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Admitted as an Attorney of the High Court of Botswana in 2017
EDUCATION
LL.B University of Botswana 2017
Certificate in Trial Advocacy
PRACTICE AREAS
Intellectual Property
General Civil Litigation
Debt collection
Labour and Employment Law
Wills and Administration of Estates
Commercial Transactions
Moatswi
PERSONAL PROFILE
Moatswi John Ntakhwana Joined the firm in September 2015. He Graduated from the University of Salford (UK) with an LLB (hons) Law with Finance in June 2014 and Obtained an LLM from Florida State University (US) in May 2015. He has also attained a certificate in Trial Advocacy in April 2016.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Admitted as an Attorney of the High Court of Botswana in 2017
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Member of the Law Society of Botswana.
EDUCATION
LL.M. in American Law for Foreign Lawyers – Florida State University College of Law (US)
L.L.B (Hons) Law with Finance – University of Salford (UK)
Certificate in Trial Advocacy (Justice Advocacy Africa)
PRACTICE AREAS
General Civil Litigation
Debt collection
Labour and Employment Law
Wills and Administration of Estates
Commercial Transactions
Neelo
PERSONAL PROFILE
Neelo Michelle Oppedal joined the firm in November 2016. She graduated with an LLB from the University of Botswana in October 2016. She attained a certificate in Trial Advocacy in November 2016. In addition to that she has obtained a Post Graduate Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management at Botswana Accountancy College in June 2017.
Neelo was admitted as an Attorney of the High Court and Court of Appeal in November 2016
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Admitted as an Attorney of the High Court of Botswana in 2016.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Member of the Law Society of Botswana.
EDUCATION
LL.B University of Botswana 2016
Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management (Botswana Accountancy College)
Certificate in Trial Advocacy (Justice Advocacy Africa)
PRACTICE AREAS
Conveyancing and Notarial Practice
General Civil Litigation
Debt collection
Labour and Employment Law
Wills and Administration of Estates
Commercial Transactions
Oreofe
PERSONAL PROFILE
OreofeOluwa Motunrayo Olatunji joined Chibanda Makgalemele and Company in 2013 and is currently an Associate Attorney at the Firm.
Oreofe is experienced in various aspects of civil litigation such as tender and procurement procedures and disputes, enforcement of commercial agreements, administration of estates, delictual claims and labour relations matters. She holds post graduate certificates in pension funds law and in finance for non-financial managers respectively. Her main practice areas are family law, commercial transactions, debt collection and general civil litigation.
She is involved in the Trial Advocacy Training programme organised by the Law Society of Botswana in conjunction with Justice Advocacy Africa (JAA) and has served as one of the programme facilitators from January 2015 to date. She also serves as a Board Member of Botswana Substance Abuse Support Network (BOSASNet).
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Admitted as an Attorney of the High Court of Botswana in 2014
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Member of the Law Society of Botswana
EDUCATION
LL.B University of Botswana 2013
Finance for Non-Financial Managers (Botswana Accountancy College)
Certificate in Trial Advocacy (Justice Advocacy Africa)
Certificate in Pension Fund Law (UNISA)
PRACTICE AREAS
Family law
Debt collection
Labour and Employment Law
Wills and Administration of Estates
Commercial transactions
General civil litigation
Seranne
PERSONAL PROFILE
Seranne Junner-Beale is an Associate Attorney, at Chibanda Makgalemele and Company, having joined the Firm in 2012.
Mrs. Junner-Beale obtained her undergraduate LLB degree at the University of Cape Town in 2006, with her undergraduate thesis being in the area of Intellectual Property Law. She then went on to complete a post graduate course in Practical Legal Training with a component of Trial Advocacy graduating in the top 10 of her class. Mrs. Junner-Beale sat and successfully passed the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa Attorneys Admission exams in 2007 and was admitted to practice in the Courts of Botswana as an Attorney in 2009.
Her main areas of experience/practice include family law, debt collection, labour / employment law, administration of estates and general litigation. She also has experience in Constitutional and Human Rights challenges.
She was recognised as an upcoming leader in the profession through invitation to participate in an International Leadership Visitation Program for Women and Justice by the Embassy of the United States in 2012 and has continued to grow in strength through her years in practice.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Admitted as an Attorney of the High Court of Botswana.
Member of the Law Society of Botswana Sub-Committee for Pupilage and Continuous Legal Training.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Member of the Law Society of Botswana.
EDUCATION
LL.B [University of Cape Town – 2006]
Post Graduate Practical Legal Training [University of Cape Town 2007]
PRACTICE AREAS
Civil litigation
Family law
Debt collection
Labour and Employment Law
Wills and Administration of Estates
We-bathu
PERSONAL PROFILE
We-bathu Kwele attained his LLB at University of Botswana in 2016, having been with Chibanda Makgalemele and Co for several years, he now heads the Intellectual Property Department. He attained a Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management at Botswana Accountancy College and certificate in Trial Advocacy in April 2016.
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PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Admitted as an Attorney of the High Court of Botswana in 2016.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Member of the Law Society of Botswana.
EDUCATION
LL.B University of Botswana 2016
Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management (Botswana Accountancy College)
Certificate in Trial Advocacy (Justice Advocacy Africa)
PRACTICE AREAS
Intellectual Property
General Civil Litigation
Debt collection
Labour and Employment Law
Wills and Administration of Estates
Commercial Transactions