MMAKS Advocates

Partners Profiles:

T. MASEMBE KANYEREZI 

Timothy Kanyerezi Masembe is the Managing Partner of the Firm and he heads the litigation department of the firm. His practice focuses mainly on commercial litigation, arbitration as well as corporate and commercial law. 

He is a Barrister-at-law and a Member of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, UK. He holds an LLB (Hons) (London) degree and was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1992. In addition he holds a Diploma in Legal Practice of the Law Development Centre in Uganda.

Timothy is one of the leading litigators in Uganda, and has appeared in many ground breaking cases involving banks. He was recently granted a special license to appear in the courts of Tanzania. Timothy has also been consistently ranked as a Band 1 commercial lawyer by the Chambers Global Guide. He has been an external lead counsel for the Bank of Uganda and has thus been at the centre of the reconstruction and improvement of Uganda’s entire banking sector.

In addition, Timothy has recently been appointed as a member of the Capital Markets Authority Board. 

APOLLO N. MAKUBUYA 

Apollo is a graduate of Cambridge University, UK. He holds a 1st Class Honors Bachelor’s law degree of Makerere University. In the past he worked as a legal advisor in a private bank as well as with the Central Bank of Uganda. In 1999, he founded a legal practice of M/s Central Law Offices. He has been a lead consultant on several assignments for DANIDA, the Uganda Human Rights Commission, UNDP as well as for the Uganda Law Reform Commission – where he was in charge of the reform of the law applicable to business associations in the country. He possesses specialized knowledge of corporate, commercial law, taxation and revenue law and international human rights law. He has been a law lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Makerere University. Mr. Makubuya is the Attorney General of the Buganda Government.

MOSES JURUA ADRIKO

Moses J Adriko is co- Managing Partner of the Firm and works with the Firm’s litigation department. He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree of the University of East Anglia Norwich and qualified as a solicitor of England and Wales. He is a leader in the fields of civil litigation, arbitration and intellectual property.

He has represented international and local banks, multinationals & local corporations in all areas related to litigation, corporate & commercial advisory and intellectual property.

Moses is a past president of the Uganda Law Society and current chair of the African Forum of the IBA.

Moses sits on a number of boards, both profit & non profits including, Standard Chartered Bank (U) Limited as a non executive director and the Government of Uganda Transitional Justice Issues Committee. Moses was recently appointed by the Government of Uganda to chair an inquiry into an air accident as Investigator-in-Chief. 

PHILLIP KARUGABA 

Phillip Karugaba is the Partner in charge of Corporate & Commercial transactions. This includes banking, company & property acquisitions, and capital markets. He has been named as a leading commercial lawyer by the Chambers Global Guide. Recent experience includes acquisitions in the telecommunications sectors, and advising on listings on the Uganda Securities Exchange.

Phillip also played a key role in advising the Uganda Banker’s Association in its lobbying for a revision of the Government’s Mortgage Bill.

He is the spokesperson for The Environmental Action Network (TEAN) a public interest litigation group promoting and protecting the constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment. TEAN is also involved in tobacco control. 

Phillip served as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Makerere University.

He holds a First Class Bachelor’s Degree in Law from Makerere and a Master’s Degree in Law from Queens College Cambridge. 

MATHIAS V. SSEKATAWA 

Mathias has distinguished himself in the fields of Intellectual property law as well as criminal law. He holds an LL.M (Lond) degree in Corporate & Commercial Law, and an LL.B (Hons) of Makerere University. He is a prominent Member of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (London), amongst others. Mathias has a wealth of experience in litigation, conveyance and intellectual property law. He works with the litigation department of the firm.

He is a practicing Advocate of the High Court of Uganda and Courts subordinate thereto and a member of the Uganda Law Society and the East African Law Society. 

RACHEL MWANJE MUSOKE

Rachel has been with MMAKS Advocates since its inception in May 2005. Before that she was with one of the legacy firms, Mugerwa & Masembe Advocates since 2002. She works in the Corporate department of the firm specializing in corporate and commercial law generally, with specific emphasis in banking, finance and acquisitions. 

She is involved in the preparation, registration and perfection of security documents including mortgages, debentures, guarantees and indemnities for the majority of the country’s financial institutions and has also represented numerous International entities in their lending transactions and cross-border acquisitions. She has been named by IFLR 1000 as a leading corporate and finance lawyer.

Rachel also actively advises in the area of employment law and represents several corporate entities in this regard.

In 2008, she was selected as a Uganda candidate under the International Lawyers for Africa (ILFA) scheme and was placed with London magic circle firm, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LL.P for a 3 month work experience. She is now a member of the ILFA in-Country Committee. Rachel is a member of the Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA).

ERNEST SEMBATYA KAGGWA 

Ernest has been with MMAKS since May 2005 and prior to this with one of the legacy firms, Mugerwa & Masembe Advocates. He has recently been appointed a Partner in the Firm. Ernest specialises in corporate debt recovery including handling the related litigation, and in this regard has handled matters for several banks and corporate entities. 

He also handles tax advisory issues, employment issues, land transactions and product liability issues. In addition, he handles company secretarial matters and acts as company secretary to a few companies.

Ernest works with the litigation department of the firm and is a practicing Advocate of the High Court and all Courts subordinate thereto and a member of the Uganda Law Society and the East African Law Society.