R & Partners Law Firm is a full service well reputable law firm in Rwanda with a particular focus in Business and Corporate Law, Banking and Project Finance, Intellectual Property Rights, Mining, Energy, Real Estate/Property Development and Infrastructure, Commercial Litigation and Arbitration. The Firm has been established in February 2006 by Adv. Richard Rwihandagaza, who is practicing law for more than two decades.
The Firm has three active Partners with proven experience in legal practice, supported by well-trained advocates and distinguished legal consultants. Apart from being native speakers of Kinyarwanda – the national language, most of our team is fluent in English, French and Swahili in addition to some regional local languages.
R & Partners enjoys a reputation of adding value to assignments through innovative advice. Using its network of local and international contacts, the Firm is capable to identify best practices that most suit specific inquiries from our clients.
The Firm is well cognizant, that changing environment requires adaptation of skills, introduction of new services and inventive solutions, therefore our Firm is constantly restructuring and repositioning its abilities and resources to ensure that it provides its clients with unique, insightful and innovative legal solutions that make the difference.
R & Partners is a member of W-AKILI AFRICA, a rapidly growing Pan – African legal network which brings together like-minded law firms across Africa which ascribe to the same high service level charter enabling our clients to benefit seamless legal service across the continent and beyond.
The Firm provides legal services to a wide range of local and international clientele from various sectors. Focusing on long – term relationship with clients, our attorneys have a top-tier practice mostly with Government institutions, INGOs, financial institutions, energy and mining companies, infrastructure and real estate developers, International Development Agencies and Embassies.
“With globalization, we aim at providing the highest quality legal and consultancy services in order to meet our client’s expectations,” says Adv. Rwihandagaza – the Managing Partner of the firm.
Adv. Rwihandagaza credits the steady building of Rwanda’s justice system for the last 30 years and law firms have acted as a bridge between the justice system and its beneficiaries including the citizens, investors and others.
When the Rwanda Bar Association was established in 1997 there were only 37 advocates countrywide, operating essentially on an individual basis with very limited areas of specialization. Since then, the number of advocates has exponentially increased along with the quality of services and specialization of law firms. Furthermore, the last 30 years justice system is credited with the incorporation of digital technology enhancing the efficiency and improvement of the legal profession.
R & Partners success stories migrated from a practice of individual oriented law office to a structured law firm which has not only improved its service delivery and compliance but also has instilled greater confidence to clients and various stakeholders.
According to Adv. Epimaque Rubango – Partner at the firm, their approach in relation to contentious matters focuses more on amicable settlement of disputes and court proceedings route is only referred to as the last resort.
Adv. Rubango observes that at R & Partners, prior to formally accepting any matter, they conduct meticulous assessment of clients’ requests towards advising on the best approach to be undertaken. Only clients who agree with the proposed approach and actions can benefit from the assistance of the firm. He says that the firm prefers to retain a manageable number of clients to whom the firm can dedicate necessary quality time and resources for well-deserved legal services.
The Managing Partner acknowledges Rwanda’s achievements in the justice sector. ‘’Over the past 30 years, we have made significant progress, and justice system beneficiaries now truly believe in and adhere to the rule of law. Our firm bridges the gap between the justice system, ordinary people, investors and others by providing sound and practical legal advices’’.
“Looking to the future, the firm’s goal is to experience growth not only in terms of numbers but also in the quality of services we offer. Most importantly, we aim to leave behind a lasting legacy. In other countries, there are law firms that have existed for over 100 years. To achieve such longevity, one must be passionate about this work; it cannot happen by accident.”
“When we talk about growth, we envision establishing partnerships with other law firms, both within our region and internationally. This is a key part of our vision.”
“We have also taken steps to nurturing the next generation of legal professionals. We accommodate and supervise students from law schools, including the University of Rwanda and the Institute of Legal Practice and Development. By demonstrating our current practices to these young lawyers, we aim at ensuring they can achieve even greater success than we have, while continuing to provide tailored legal services.” Adv. Rwihandagaza concludes.
