Can you tell us about your early years? Your childhood, where you were born and raised, earliest memories, that sort of thing?
I was born in Mulago Hospital, Kampala. I am the 6th of 9 children. I spent part of my early years in exile, though, in Kenya. My family was forced by Uganda’s political situation at that time to move there in 1976.
What kind of family environment did you grow up in?
My parents brought us up without a shred of entitlement. We were taught to work hard for everything we got, and the importance of merit was etched into our brains almost every day.
That generation of parents always used practical situations as learning opportunities.…
(Laughs) Yeah. We were also taught the importance of integrity, which is one of the pillars of my professional life. And we were taught the value of grit … to never give up.
You went through that, too? My dad loved quoting Winston Churchill at me: never, ever, ever, give up.
That’s the environment my siblings and I grew up in.
Before you thought of becoming a lawyer, what did you dream of becoming as a child?
This might even sound odd. I always wanted to be a soldier. That’s the first thing I fantasised about as a child…
Well, that came out of the left corner…
Think about it. We romanticised soldiers’ lives. There were brave heroes, feared, respected even, and came and went as they pleased, especially back then. And the occasional movie we watched really romanticised them. So, yes, I wanted to grow up to be a soldier. As I got older, of course, reality and the environment shaped my dreams more. In my pre-teen era, I wanted to be an engineer. Talking to my parents and siblings in the living room one day, debating over something or other as we watched television, my mother turned to me and said, “You will be a lawyer.”
And so it came to pass…
Not quite yet. In secondary school, I still wanted to be an engineer. I went to King’s College Budo for my secondary education after completing my primary education at Buganda Road Primary School. And in secondary school, I was fascinated by physics and chemistry.
In my Senior three, I disagreed with physics teacher one afternoon over a calculation he made on the blackboard. He had a different method from mine with regard to how I arrived at an answer. When I brought this up with him, his response was that I should “Take it or leave it, his method was the right one.” This disillusioned me and killed my passion for the subject. I slowly started to let my dream of being an engineer float away.
I am with your mum on this. During all those wild debate nights at school, the entire school was certain you wanted to do law. You were something of a debating star in Senior Four.
By the time I got to A-Level, I knew I wanted to study law. The context got much more nuanced as I got older, and I went through Makerere University and the LAW School at LDC.
Were there any teachers, mentors, or early figures who inspired or pushed you toward the law?
The person who most inspired me in that particular regard was a late uncle of mine, Mr. Tom Ogwal, a lawyer by profession, who worked with the Ministry of Justice and later served as a Permanent Secretary in Government. He was brilliant and well spoken, always calm, thorough and very approachable. He energised me and was someone to look up to.
When did you start figuring out what your speciality would be?
After I was done with University and LDC, my parents really wanted me to get started with my master’s. I didn’t want to; I had done my research and wanted to wait it out. I needed to identify what I was good at and what I would enjoy. And I needed to get some miles under my belt as far as my career was concerned.
It was only after about five years of practice that I decided I wanted to specialise in Financial Law.
Describe your earliest experiences entering the legal profession. What was your first job like?
I first joined Odere and Nalyanya Advocates (now Lex Advocates) as an associate in 1999. My first salary was UGX. 200,000. It was a survivor’s world at the time. And perhaps that is what one expects when they are starting out. Thankfully, my salary was increased periodically, and I was earning UGX. 500,000 by the time I left the job.
I was very lucky in my first job –I enjoyed significant favour with my bosses, who let me sit in on high-profile cases. I genuinely enjoyed my time there. The quality of work and the learning I was receiving helped me understand how unique an opportunity it was that I was enjoying.
However, during one of these cases, I was spotted by dfcu Bank, who then reached out regarding joining them. And so I joined DFCU as a Legal Officer in 2002. While I was at DFCU, I commenced a Master’s in Finance and Financial Law, which I still think is the best educational experience I have ever undertaken.
I eventually left DFCU at the very end of 2007 and joined East African Development Bank, where I was exposed to Project Finance transactions. My involvement in the banking sector further cemented my focus and love for Finance.
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Did you have a mentor or senior lawyer who particularly influenced your early career development?
Two lawyers shaped my legal career. Charles Odere was my first boss. He was brilliantly business-minded and taught me that the client comes first. He also taught me to always focus on the commercial aspect of the dispute at hand. He would look at settlement as a way to seek an early win and reduce costs for the client.
The second lawyer was the late Willy Ogule. He was probably the most brilliant lawyer I have ever encountered. He was the definition of excellence. He also had a strong grasp of finance and inspired me to focus my career as a financial lawyer.
How did you end up at Ligomarc Advocates?
I got to know Kabito, who is currently the Managing Partner of Ligomarc, while I was at law school. I was vaguely acquainted with him in King’s College Budo, but it was at law school that I really got to know him. I had always thought I would enjoy working with him after interacting with him at law school. While I was at EADB, he reached out to me in this regard to join as a partner, and I am happy to do so. I joined Ligomarc in 2012.
Tell us a bit about Ligomarc Advocates
Ligomarc is a member firm of Anderson Global, a legal, tax and consulting firm with a presence in 370 locations across the globe. Ligomarc itself is a highly respected commercial and financial law practice. The firm has distinguished itself as an innovative, highly adaptable and inexorably client-focused firm.
What was it like practising law in Uganda back when you first started?
Oh, it was very different back in the 90s, which is when I first started. If time travel were possible and a recently enrolled advocate travelled back, they would be completely shocked. Practice is completely different. Banks were the biggest and most reliable clients. Litigation was the big thing and was the order of the day. Transactions were also not as big or as frequent as they are today. Today, there are new and growing fields of practice, including: Infrastructure, Technology, Private wealth and Oil and Gas.
The client relationships are also very different today. Today, a lawyer needs to view himself more as a strategic partner to his client and focus more on adding value to his client’s business rather than merely providing a service.
It’s like a completely different world. What were some of the major challenges for young lawyers at the time?
Oddly enough, much like the challenges faced by young lawyers today. You had to earn your way into a meaningful salary, which is never as easy as you can imagine. They struggle with peer pressure, needing to show off fancy cars and other non-practical examples of how wealthy they are. Today, there is, oddly, a culture of impunity amongst young lawyers.
Their mindsets are somewhat fractured as well. They seem to lack an understanding of the importance of mentorship, which is crucial in this profession (in all established professions, come to think of it). We all took 3 -5 years in mentorship. It helped my peers and me develop into skilled professionals with value systems.
What significant leadership roles have you served in, and what lessons have you learned about leadership across their different contexts?
I co-manage a licensed Fund Management entity called Rekindle Capital. It manages a distressed asset fund, which was created under the auspices of the Uganda Bankers Association and focuses on rehabilitating distressed businesses. It has highlighted to me the importance of collaboration and harnessing the innovative capacity of Ugandan entrepreneurs.
Law is a demanding career. How do you maintain work-life balance in such a demanding profession? 1. What hobbies, passions, or causes outside law are closest to your heart?
I am a bit of a fitness enthusiast and spend a good amount of time at the gym. I also read pretty widely…
…somethings don’t change…
(Laughing) You are thinking of school, but school was mostly fiction; I have now widened my interests considerably. I read up a lot on Political Science, Philosophy and Psychology.
How about family?
(Lighting up) I love my wife! We truly love and care for each other. I am blessed and can say I enjoy my marriage. We have four children, three boys and one girl. The oldest is 19 and the youngest is 10.
You sound ecstatic…thankful even…
I have had a lot to be thankful for in my life. My parents, my children and my siblings. I have great siblings, who really are not just siblings but also friends in reality.
Finally, what message do you have for Uganda’s business community about the importance of sound legal practice and governance in national development?
To build a business for posterity, you need a solid law firm as your partner. This partnership protects and nurtures your business, ensuring it is growing and re-imagining itself.
