Maureen Mudong

Background  

Maureen is an Associate with the Banking and Finance Team. Maureen has a strong background in corporate and commercial practice, advising both international and local entities on a wide range of transactions across diverse sectors, including finance, manufacturing, power, telecommunication, trade, real estate, and non-governmental organizations. 

She advises clients on compliance matters, mergers and acquisitions, registration of corporate vehicles, drafting and review of transaction documents, including day-to-day commercial contracts, share purchase agreements, tenancy agreements, and employment agreements.

Maureen has gained considerable experience in banking and finance practice, commercial arbitration, and litigation. Her work includes drafting finance documentation, preparing legal opinions, conducting due diligence, and securitization. She also provides company secretarial support to several entities and advice on corporate governance matters.

She interacts with various government and regulatory bodies, including the Capital Markets Authority, the Ministry of Lands, Housing & Urban Development, Uganda Communications Commission, Uganda Revenue Authority, and Uganda Securities Exchange, among others.

Maureen holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) degree from Makerere University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre, Kampala.

Membership in Professional Societies

Advocate, High Court of Uganda

Uganda Law Society

East Africa Law Society

Professional Qualifications

2021       Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, Law Development Centre, Kampala

2020       LL.B (Hons.), Makerere University

Career Summary

2024 - Date                         Associate, MMAKS Advocates, Uganda

2021 - 2024                        Associate, SM & Co. Advocates

Dec 2020- April 2021       Clerkship, Muwema & Co. Advocates

May 2018 - Aug 2018      Legal Intern, Ligomarc Advocates

Areas of Expertise

• Banking and Finance
• Corporate & Commercial Advisory
• Corporate Governance
• Commercial Arbitration & Litigation

Language

• English

Top Matters

Banking & Finance

• Advising an international lender on the proposed refinancing of a vendor loan and the financing of a CAPEX investment of approximately EUR 16,500,000. The transaction involved conducting a high-level due diligence on the Ugandan subsidiary of the borrower, including verification of the status of its assets in Uganda and advising on the regulatory and corporate requirements applicable to the transaction under Ugandan law.

• Advising HSBC Holdings plc on the regulatory and exchange control restrictions relating to the Uganda Shilling (UGX).

• Involved in the preparation and registration of securities on a day-to-day basis for some of the top commercial banks in Uganda and Kenya and keeping the banks updated on the status of their matters.

• Advising various local commercial banks, including KCB Bank Uganda, Absa Bank Uganda, Diamond Trust Bank, and DFCU Bank Uganda, in their financing of individual and corporate borrowers.

• Conducted a comprehensive review of securities and transaction documents in support of the loan portfolio of Equity Bank Limited and KCB Bank Uganda Limited. This involved reviewing loan and security documents to align with prevailing market standards and address legal gaps and risks.

Corporate Advisory

• Advised and developed a comprehensive regulatory compliance universe for the Abacus  Group of Companies, comprising four (4) pharmaceutical companies engaged in the manufacture and distribution of pharmaceuticals in Uganda. This involved conducting a regulatory analysis across the Group’s operations, mapping applicable legal and regulatory requirements, and developing a structured compliance universe highlighting the key regulators, licensing, manufacturing standards, distribution controls, import and export requirements, pharmacovigilance obligations, and internal compliance governance, with a view to mitigating regulatory risk and ensuring ongoing compliance across the group of companies.
• Part of the team that carried out a comprehensive asset verification for Umeme Limited of all its land and properties in Uganda. Umeme Ltd was the main electricity distributor in Uganda for 20 years under a concession with the Government of Uganda. The transaction involved verifying the ownership, tenure, registration status, and occupation status, reviewing titles and related documentation of the property held by Umeme on behalf of the Government of Uganda across Uganda. The work further involved assessing and highlighting gaps in the records obtained and the recommendations.
• Advised a company listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and cross-listed on the Uganda Stock Exchange on the legal and regulatory implications of its cross-listing in relation to a proposed sale of the Kenyan company under Uganda law.
• Advised Microsoft Corporation on the Ugandan law enforceability and risk profile of a proposed Carbon Removal Unit (CRU) purchase structure, including the review of carbon credit arrangements and underlying farming agreements with local planting partners. This involved assessing contractual enforceability, land and farming arrangements, regulatory and project implementation risks, and providing risk-mitigation recommendations in support of the proposed carbon removal transaction in Uganda.
• Advising Willis Towers Watson Insurance Brokers Limited on a range of corporate governance matters, including company secretarial support and advisory on convening Annual General Meetings and board meetings, preparation of meeting minutes, filings, regulatory compliance matters, and review and updating of company policies. 
• Advised the Walt Disney Company on the legal and regulatory implications of the proposed rollout of its content-on-demand streaming services (Disney+) in Uganda. The work involved providing advice covering licensing requirements, broadcasting, and data protection matters.
• Advised an insurance company with a regional presence in East Africa on structuring a share acquisition transaction and the compliance requirements with the Regulator.
• Advised Louis Dreyfus Company Uganda Limited on a property purchase transaction. The transaction involved conducting due diligence on the vendors to verify ownership, tenure, registration, and occupation status of the property. It also involved verifying the registration and corporate status of the vendors at the Companies Registry.
• Part of the team that advised on the restructure of Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC).

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Part of a team that conducted a red flag due diligence on behalf of a consortium of financiers in connection with a proposed investment of over USD 80M in a group of energy companies. The due diligence involved carrying out a compliance audit of the investee companies and providing risk-based recommendations to ensure compliance with the laws and regulations governing the energy sector in Uganda.
• Advised Top Finance Bank Uganda Limited in the sale of its business to Salaam African Bank.

• Represented Shoal Company Limited in the acquisition of a portfolio of real estate businesses in Kampala and Jinja.

Commercial Arbitration and Litigation

• Successfully represented I&M Bank, a top commercial bank in Uganda, in a commercial dispute at the Praxis Conflict Centre.
• Advising international and local clients on arbitration agreements and the enforceability of arbitration contracts in Uganda.
• Successfully represented various clients in tribunals and courts of law, including I&M Bank Uganda Limited, MTN Uganda Limited, Intrasoft International, and Umeme Limited.