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MLA, founded in 1997, is a leading full-service law firm in Ethiopia and offers a broad range of legal services. Among these are: advising and assisting clients on company formation, corporate and tax, charities and societies, investment, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, employment, immigration, aviation, energy, mining, energy, hospitality and leisure, sovereign debt, and sovereign debt guarantee, security devices, conducting legal due diligence, and other related corporate and investment matters.

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Memberships and Affiliation - MLA has been an active participant, contributor, and member of several professional associations such as the International Bar Association (IBA); International Trademark Association (INTA); and Ethiopian Lawyers’ Association (ELA). MLA is an active member of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) and the European Union Business Forum in Ethiopia (EUBFE). They've been also closely working with different business forums/chambers of commerce in Ethiopia.

Rankings and Recognitions - MLA has received several accolades and market recognitions from virtually all the major international legal directories for its excellent legal services including Chambers & Partners. MLA has been ranked as Band 1 General Business Law Office in Ethiopia - Chambers & Partners Global (2015 – 2024), plus Mehrteab Leul Kokeb –The Managing Partner of the Firm, Mehrteab Leul has been recognized as a “Top Ranked’ Lawyer in Ethiopia by Chambers and Partners 2024 edition for the sixth year in a row.

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Country-wide and International Presence - the team’s experience extends to surrounding markets across the country where work with our several regional colleagues and other local law firms. The lawyers are fully versed in their jurisdiction and cultural business community. In addition to its non-exclusive membership with DLA Piper Africa, the firm has built close relationships with several top international law firms, such as King & Wood Mallesons, Simmons and Simmons, Freshfields Bruckhaus Derringer LLP, Clifford Chance, Baker McKenzie, Bowmans, Hogan Lovells, Hunton, Pinsent Masons, and Slaughter & May. This allows the group to provide clients with seamless service and the best combination of global and local legal advice, whenever necessary.

Clientele - MLA has ample experience in working with various notable high-profile clients on most complex transactions, as well as well-known cross-border/inter-jurisdictional matters. Their clientele ranges from start-ups to government entities, multinational corporations, prominent non-profit organizations as well as diplomatic missions. They have been advising and representing numerous notable international corporations such as ACWA Power, Coca-Cola, General Electric (GE), Boeing, Safaricom, Castel Group, Mastercard, Inchcape, Japan Tobacco International (JTI S.A), Orange Telecom, Sumitomo Corporation, Marriott, Hyatt Regency, IHG (Intercontinental Hotels Group), Hilton, ADNOC, etc.

Highly Qualified Lawyers with Advanced Qualifications – MLA offers handpicked teams for all legal matters in Ethiopia. MLA’s recruitment process aims at hiring the best legal mind available in the local market. Currently, MLA consists of lawyers who have advanced degrees from accredited Universities in Europe. MLA lawyers regularly participate in relevant international training, secondments, conferences, and roadshows. For example, MLA’s mining team, attended the Mining Indaba 2022 in Johannesburg in May last year. Additionally, MLA’s IP team regularly attends the INTA (International Trademark Association) conference held annually in different parts of the world. In 2019, several junior and senior associates of MLA have also traveled for training organized by DLA Piper in South Africa, Kenya, and London.