Asafo & Co. – A Unique Global Alternative Dedicated to Africa
Posted on Oct 22, 2019
In order to provide a unique and truly innovative integrated offering of top-tier legal services exclusively dedicated to the African continent, the Asafo & Co. team is based in different offices, with a balanced presence in France and in major the African business hubs of Casablanca, Abidjan, Nairobi and Johannesburg.
Visionary founders
The foundations of the new firm were laid when a number of former Orrick partners, including Asafo & Co. cofounder Agboyibor, established a presence spanning Paris and the Côte D’Ivoire. They were soon joined by a dozen-odd Dentons lawyers based in Morocco and South Africa and, most recently, a team in Kenya.
“More and more international firms are developing practices orientated towards the African continent,” explains the Togolese, “but the strength of our organization lies in the fact that we have an effective presence on the continent, with offices opened by us and staffed by high-level teams.” To which Asafo & Co.’s complex-litigation specialist Emmanuel Avramesco adds, “This allows us to handle major, complex cases and to be in a position to offer clients a rapid, integrated, value-added service.”
From Paris to Johannesburg
At the Paris office, a team of 20 are entirely devoted to the African continent, while in Abidjan the firm’s 13 qualified lawyers make up one of the best teams in town. At present the firm has a 19-lawyer team in Casablanca – including many called to the Paris bar – and is the number two international law firm in Morocco. And with the arrival of Patrick Larrivé, the firm is now a leader in M&A and private equity on the continent.
And as for Johannesburg, Asafo & Co. put the opening of its branch there in the highly capable hands of Philip Webster, ex of White & Case, who is in the process of putting together a first-class team. “Johannesburg is an important hub for central and southern Africa, therefore it is of vital importance that we have an effective presence in the city,” added cofounder Bob Bastos.
With the addition of the 40-lawyer MMC Africa Law, based in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, Asafo & Co. now covers all the regions of the continent and has almost doubled its total number of legal staff.
“Every time we carry out such an expansion, we want to make sure that the firm targeted is a leader in its own market and is run by top-tier lawyers," adds Agboyibor.
Asafo & Co. is recognized for its international legal expertise in all sectors key to Africa’s economic development, spanning power and infrastructure, natural resources, banking & finance, ITC and beyond.
Top-tier teams
A measure of the firm’s high-quality recruitment is that Asafo & Co. was one of the few international law firms for whom multiple partners were ranked in the top 50 most influential lawyers for Africa list, published by Jeune Afrique magazine in June 2019; Asafo & Co. partners accounting for five of the top 50 slots.
“Our name, Asafo, derives its origin from the elite groups of traditional West African warriors of the same name, which were dedicated to the defense of cities and states in the region," continues Agboyibor. "The name underlines our commitment to defending our clients’ projects in Africa, with military discipline, rapid response and a high level of coordination.”
It's been a whirlwind start to life, but the story of Asafo & Co. is only just beginning, “Our growth is well thought out and mastered in advance. It’s in our DNA to consider all locations where our clients are present or have interests,” concludes Bastos.