Isaac Rusiimwa
Legal Counsel
Summary
Dynamic legal advocate with a robust background in delivering comprehensive legal support and strategic counsel across diverse sectors. Proven track record of spearheading critical projects that ensure compliance and effectively mitigate risks. Expertise in contract negotiation and dispute resolution, consistently fostering collaborative environments that lead to favorable outcomes. Committed to leveraging legal knowledge to drive success and support organizational goals.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Legal Counsel
Lycamobile Uganda Limited
11.2024 - Current
- Regulatory
- Attending meetings on behalf of the company that involve the Bank of Uganda.
- Writing and responding to letters from Bank of Uganda to ensure that Lycamoney Uganda Limited is compliant.
- Responding to demand letters from Suppliers and third parties and escalating the risk to the management of Lycamoney Uganda Limited.
- Ensuring that the company documents such as board resolutions, annual returns and other company related documents are properly filed with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau.
- Identifying risk associated with failure to comply with the provisions of the NPS Act and Regulations and communicating to management of Lycamoney Uganda Limited effectively.
- Attending seminars and workshops organised by Bank of Uganda to ensure that Lycamoney Uganda Limited's interests are protected.
- Following up with Bank of Uganda to ensure that the Lycamoney Uganda Limited's letters are responded to in a timely manner.
- Providing legal advice to management of Lycamobile Uganda Limited on key regulatory matters to make informed decisions.
- Receiving and responding to letters from the UCC on key regulatory issues and ensuring that they are responded to on time.
- Escalating key regulatory issues to management to ensure that the matters are addressed on time to ensure that the business' interests are protected.
- Advising management on the key obligations under the National Telecommunications Operator (NTO) License.
- Tracking the key correspondences received by the business in respect to the NTO license.
- Following up with the different internal stakeholders to ensure that information requested from the Regulator is submitted on time.
- Submitting requests for approval to the Regulator and responding to any queries raised.
- Ensuring that the reports that should be submitted to the Regulator are submitted in a timely manner.
- Reviewing of key roaming and interconnection agreements to ensure that the business' interests are protected.
- Commercial legal
- Drafting commercial contracts on behalf of the Company.
- Management of the contract process by ensuring prompt issuance of contracts and renewal of the same.
- Negotiating both local and international contracts on behalf of the Company to ensure that the business interests are protected from a legal perspective.
- Drafting legal opinions and advising management of the Company to make informed decisions
- Reviewing Contracts and ensuring that the Company's interests are protected.
- Drafting letters and offering legal advisory to the Company
- Responding to customer queries that are legal related.
- Reviewing and formulating company policies of the Company.
- Advising the company on land transactions and ensuring that the company's interests are protected.
- Negotiating with landowners for tenancies that the Company has taken out on various areas in the country to ensure that its interests are protected.
- Advising the Company on the new laws that affect the Company from time to time.
- Advising the business on employee related matters pertaining to termination and attending disciplinary hearings
Manager Commercial Legal, Litigation and Dispute Resolution
MTN Uganda Limited
06.2018 - 11.2024
- As the Manager of Commercial Legal, Litigation, and Dispute Resolution, I was responsible for supervising two lawyers from January 2022 to November 2024. My role involved not only managing their welfare but also facilitating their understanding of the in-house legal counsel's responsibilities within a dynamic technology environment, while consistently delivering high-quality outcomes. I ensured they prioritized their assigned tasks, offered continuous constructive feedback for their development to ensure they could effectively perform their duties, and emphasized the importance of the Legal function in influencing the Company's strategic objectives.
- I also effectively managed the contract management process, during which I ensured the proper execution of all essential contracts, including Managed Services Agreements with technology vendors and other critical commercial agreements, to protect the business's interests.
- I was also responsible for overseeing the litigation for MTN Uganda, ensuring that external counsel effectively managed the cases while also protecting the organization from potential litigation. Additionally, I made certain that the litigation reports to both the Uganda board and MTN Group were consistently submitted punctually.
- Key duties and responsibilities included.
- Litigation
- Attending Court for any cases that involved the Company on its behalf.
- Deponing witness statements and affidavits on behalf of the Company depending on the facts of the case.
- Receiving Court pleadings and ensuring that they are responded to in time to comply with the deadlines.
- Managing external counsel to ensure that they attend court and share status updates of the cases they are managing on behalf of the Company.
- Preparing Litigation Reports for the Board, Exco and Group on all matters that involve the company.
- Preparing Litigation Assessment Reports in liaison with the Finance Division of the Company to determine the liability of the Company based on Litigation profile on a quarterly basis.
- Ensuring that External Counsel adhere to the Service Level Agreements for managing the litigation portfolio on behalf of the Company.
- Negotiating with External Counsel on the fees to represent the Company.
- Drafting Instruction Letters for External Counsel to represent the Company on matters where the Company has been sued.
- Attending disciplinary hearings that involve employees who have been charged with offences in contravention of the Company's Code of Conduct and Policy.
- Offering legal opinions on matters that the Company should settle after careful consideration and application of the law to the facts.
- Managing External Counsel to ensure that they settle cases that the Company believes should be settled and reduce the litigation portfolio of the Company.
- Responding to demand letters i.e., notice of intention to sue in time to avert potential suits.
- Assessing legal risk and ensuring that the company's interests are protected.
- Commercial legal
- Drafting key commercial contracts on behalf of the Company.
- Responding to audit points and queries of the commercial legal function
- Management of the contract process by ensuring prompt issuance of contracts and renewal of the same.
- Timely issuance of Standardized contracts to the respective divisions of the Company.
- Localization of group framework contracts to ensure that the Company benefits
- Negotiating both local and international contracts on behalf of the Company
- Drafting legal opinions and advising the Company based on its ever-changing needs.
- Reviewing Contracts and ensuring that the Company's interests are protected.
- Drafting letters and offering legal advisory to the Company
- Responding to customer queries that are legal related.
- Reviewing company policies on a yearly basis that affect the Company.
- Advising the company on land transactions and ensuring that MTN's interests are protected.
- Negotiating with landowners for leases that the Company has taken out on various areas in the country to ensure that its interests are protected.
- Advising the Company on the new laws that affect the Company from time to time.
- Responding to correspondences that the Company receives daily basis.
- Governance
- Preparing the Litigation report for the main board.
- Reviewing the Governance Report to be submitted by the General Manager, Corporate Services.
- Drafting minutes for the Foundation
- Organizing meetings for the Foundation Committees and Board.
- Attending the Foundation Board meetings to assist the Chairperson and the Board in drafting the minutes
- Undertaking appropriate pre and post meeting action with agreed timelines to ensure that the decisions of the Board are implemented.
- Preparing papers originating from the Senior Manager Foundation, coordinate the collection, review, and quality assurance of all documentation.
Legal Assistant
BNB Advocates
09.2015 - 01.2018
- In this role, I oversaw the Litigation function where I had to ensure that all the cases of the firm effectively managed to ensure that Clients got value for their money. I was also in charge of drafting pleadings and submissions in my role. I also managed junior lawyers and a clerk to ensure that they execute their duties in a timeous manner.
- Other Key duties and responsibilities included; representing clients in Courts of law in both civil and criminal matters, incorporating and registering new companies, representing clients in labour matters, interviewing clients, drafting pleadings, writing letters, property management, drafting land sale agreements and commercial contracts, offering legal advisory on land transactions, negotiation of settlements, contract negotiation, drafting and management and providing legal research.
- Achievements
- I won a civil case on behalf of a client and recovered Ug.Shs 35 M
Education
Post Graduate Diploma - Legal Practice
Law Development Centre
01.2015
Bachelor of Laws (LLB Hons) - undefined
Uganda Christian University Mukono
01.2014
Skills
- Excellent teamwork and people skills
- Result oriented with a can-do attitude
- Highly adaptable to change
- Dispute resolution
- Contract drafting
- Legal writing
- Litigation management
References
Zakumumpa, Ronald, Senior Manager, +256772121047, MTN Group, Dubai, Dubai
Accomplishments
- Reduced the litigation portfolio of MTN Uganda by a quarter (from 115 to 85 cases)
- Managing external counsel with a rigorous attention to detail to ensure they furnish the business with solutions that are both cost-efficient and of excellent quality.
- Developed a litigation tracker for the cases involving MTN Uganda to ensure proper management and reduce financial exposure to MTN Uganda.
- Effective management of the contracting process at MTN Uganda Limited. This diligence ensured that contracts are executed properly and issued in a timely manner, which ensured that the company's strategic business objectives are met.
- Updated the Services and Supply Agreement to ensure that MTN Uganda's interests are protected which in turn increased efficiency of the contract management process.
- Standardization of Enterprise Business Unit Agreements while at MTN Uganda to ensure timeous issuance of Agreements which led to increased sales.
- Drafting of essential Agreements, specifically Managed Services Agreements and System Interoperability Agreements to facilitate the launch of Lycamoney Uganda Limited in Uganda.
- Streamlining the Contract Management Process of Lycamobile Uganda to ensure efficient contract management.
- Providing legal and regulatory support to Lycamoney Uganda Limited for the successful launch in Uganda.
- Standardization of the key contracting templates at Lycamobile Uganda.
Timeline
Legal Counsel
Lycamobile Uganda Limited
11.2024 - Current
Manager Commercial Legal, Litigation and Dispute Resolution
MTN Uganda Limited
06.2018 - 11.2024
Legal Assistant
BNB Advocates
09.2015 - 01.2018
Bachelor of Laws (LLB Hons) - undefined
Uganda Christian University Mukono
Post Graduate Diploma - Legal Practice
Law Development Centre
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