ABOUT – Mawalla Advocates

OUR HISTORY

IS ABOUT A LEGACY OF LEADING

HISTORY
WHERE THE PAST INFORMS THE FUTURE

OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS, MAWALLA HAS GROWN INTO ONE OF TANZANIA’S MOST RESPECTED LAW PRACTICES AND COMMERCIAL ADVISORS. TODAY WE ARE LEADING THE WAY TO ALIGN TANZANIAN LAW AND BUSINESS SYSTEMS WITH INTERNATIONAL BEST PRACTICES, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND VALUE ADDED BUSINESS SERVICES.

Established in 1961 in Moshi, Tanzania, by advocate Juma Sawaya Mawalla, Mawalla Advocates has grown and evolved from a generic law firm into a law-based management and commercial services firm. The practice grew exponentially due to the vision of the late advocate Nyaga Paul Mawalla, a pioneering and widely admired Tanzanian jurist.

Following Nyaga Mawalla’s untimely passing in 2013, the firm is led by an experienced team of partners and associates, most of whom have worked with Nyaga Mawalla and have been with the firm for a number of years.

Mawalla has consistently set the pace and pioneered legal and commercial practice in Tanzania. Milestones include setting up one of Tanzania’s first private legal aid clinics to advise less fortunate citizens; pioneering many aspects of Tanzanian property law in town planning, zoning and property registration; registration and acquisition of strategic investor status for clients; establishing the first licensed trust division in Tanzania; and initiating the country’s first Private Public Partnership (PPP) in wildlife conservation and tourism by helping create a legal and commercial framework for wildlife conservation in pristine ecosystems, including the Serengeti ecosystem.

Today Mawalla Advocates is proud in the knowledge that, as advocates Juma and Nyaga Mawalla came before us helped shape the past, we continue to build on their legacy and the foundation they laid for Tanzania’s future.

PHILOSOPHY

BRINGS TOGETHER VALUES AND WORK ETHIC

PHILOSOPHY
CONSIDERING EVERY INDIVIDUAL MATTER WITH EQUAL IMPORTANCE

THE FIRM OPERATES STRICTLY WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF “THE MAWALLA WAY”, A PHILOSOPHY THAT BRINGS TOGETHER OUR VALUES AND WORK ETHIC THAT ARE CORE TO MAWALLA’S CULTURE.

At Mawalla we apply our minds to constantly improve legal and commercial understanding – always aiming to strengthen the judicial system and business practice under Tanzania’s complex laws.

Practical innovation is our philosophy. We apply the law against business realities in a manner that responds directly to each client’s specific needs. Honesty is paramount to our reputation and client relationships. We will not profit by creating unrealistic expectations, but rather provide sound advice that explains both best and worst case scenarios.

We first consider the big picture by understanding our clients’ goals, and then matching these to the appropriate representatives, services and strategy. To prevent needless costs, Mawalla will always set out to engage all parties to settle differences in an amicable way before we apply alternative dispute resolutions such as mediation and arbitration before resorting to litigation. When litigation is unavoidable, our clients are represented by our highly reputed litigation team.

OUR VALUES

ARE ETHICAL AND PRACTICAL

OUR VALUES
ETHICAL, PRACTICAL AND PROFESSIONAL

MAWALLA’S CORE VALUES DEFINE WHO WE ARE, HOW WE WORK, WHAT WE BELIEVE IN AND WHAT WE STAND FOR.

Decades of learning are distilled into “the Mawalla Way” – a code of values, ethics and practices that guide us in our interaction with our clients and communities. It is the foundation of our endeavours to always be ethical, practical and to act with morality. It respects our past, informs our present and guides our future. These values are at the heart of the firm and illuminate the ethical and practical framework within which we make decisions and service our clients.

Every individual recruited by Mawalla undergoes a thorough induction into the Mawalla Way and signs an employment agreement. This agreement binds them to the Mawalla Way as well as all policies and procedures relevant to professional practice and conduct.

OUR APPROACH

IS REALISTIC, TENACIOUS AND EFFICIENT

APPROACH
WE TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS

BY ALIGNING INDIVIDUAL, BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY REQUIREMENTS, WE TAILOR CREATIVE AND LONG-TERM STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS THAT ENABLE OUR CLIENTS TO ACHIEVE THEIR OBJECTIVES EFFICIENTLY.

As adviser and legal representative, Mawalla embodies the highest standards of reasoning, courtesy, independence and confidentiality.

We work with our clients through being forthright from the start and accurately identifying when we cannot be of service. Our processes have been refined to achieve optimal results in the safest, quickest, most economical way with the least amount of risk.
We realistically bring legal and commercial literacy to all cases through implementing the highest levels of service, without being needlessly complex, with diligence, care and excellence. Mawalla takes pride in leaving no stone unturned, being tenacious in support of our client’s representation in court, upholding fairness, impartiality and integrity.

We exercise professionalism in all our dealings, putting our clients’ needs first while all assignments, large or small, are handled with equal care and importance. Mawalla will always remain true to the core principle of being unwavering in our stance to say and do the right thing.

MAWALLA

A LEGACY OF LEADING

THE MAWALLA WAY
STEEPED IN LAW AND BUSINESS WISDOM

OUR PROFESSIONAL CULTURE AND DECADES OF EXPERIENCE, COMBINED WITH WELL-SCHOOLED YOUNG TALENT, PROVIDES THE PERFECT MIX FOR FAIL-SAFE SOLUTIONS

All Mawalla employees undergo rigorous inductions to ensure that the Mawalla legacy of superior service excellence passes from one generation to another. Newly appointed professionals undergo a six-month orientation programme during which each Mawalla department provides training on their areas of expertise and practical aspects of the Mawalla Way. All employees are equipped to combine sophisticated planning with practical approaches to achieve our clients’ and the firm’s objectives. One-on-one meetings between our employees and their mentors, regular evaluations and annual performance appraisals continuously measure understanding and deployment of Mawalla’s values and the Mawalla Way.

The Mawalla Way inspires a long-term, career-oriented approach to further develop talented individuals through continuous learning. Our lawyers attend weekly professional meetings to share legal and business knowledge, while external professionals like auditors and tax consultants regularly provide training in their areas of expertise. Mawalla legal practitioners also attend Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) seminars to remain up to date with current trends.

The result? Clients benefit from a diverse mix of skilled, up-to-date legal officers, associates and partners, all steeped in the high standards that form part of the way in which Mawalla approaches business.