Legal services for professional and institutional clients

Do you need legal assistance in The Gambia?

Solie Law Chambers specialises in banking, fintech and trade compliance. We work with organisations seeking Gambian legal advice and with regional or international teams coordinating a wider transaction, programme or dispute.

We accept enquiries directly from institutions and businesses and through lawyers, accountants, compliance teams and other professional advisers. The instruction begins with the client, the jurisdictions, the decisions to be made and the intended use of our advice.

Who do we support?

• Banks and financial institutions: lending, security, banking contracts, regulatory questions and recovery.
• Fintech and payment businesses: legal assessments of the business model, market entry, partner contracts and compliance arrangements.
• Corporations and regional groups: investment, commercial agreements, governance, cross-border trade and disputes.
• NGOs and international organisations: establishment, governance, funding and delivery agreements, procurement and project arrangements.
• Professional advisers: defined Gambian advice, due diligence, document review and local work within a wider mandate.

Banking, fintech and trade compliance

Our specialist service pages explain the questions, documents and decisions that commonly arise in these instructions. A bank financing a shipment, a payment provider entering a market and a corporation importing equipment may need coordinated advice across more than one area.

What work can you discuss with the firm?

• Commercial matters: local questions concerning contracts, business arrangements and investment.
• Claims and recovery: evaluating debts and asset recovery or commercial disputes.
• Property-related matters: documents and issues concerning Gambian land, premises or property transactions.
• Local document review: identifying the Gambian legal questions within an agreement or proposed transaction.
• Organisations: legal arrangements for business establishment or charities and NGOs.

Local review for a lending or secured transaction

For a proposed loan, identify the borrower, guarantors, security providers, assets and the decisions your team needs to make. The review may concern corporate authority, ownership documents, execution requirements or the steps needed to put an agreed security arrangement in place.

Provide the current draft transaction documents and distinguish the commercial terms already agreed from matters still open. If property is involved, identify the location, tenure and available ownership records. A document describing an asset does not establish the provider’s ability to offer it as security.

Agree which registrations, searches or other enquiries are within scope, which adviser will handle them and what evidence of completion is required. Identify any conditions that must be satisfied before funds are released.

What should a due diligence report or local advice address?

Define the questions before requesting a general report. An acquisition review, lender’s review and dispute assessment serve different purposes and may require different evidence.

• Material reviewed: identify the documents, records and enquiries included, together with missing information.
• Findings: distinguish matters supported by records from assumptions or unresolved questions.
• Action required: identify documents, approvals or other steps needed before the proposed transaction can proceed.
• Use of the advice: agree its recipient, purpose and whether anyone else may rely on it.

If a formal legal opinion is requested, provide the proposed wording and reliance requirements at the outset so the firm can assess whether it can accept that scope.

How should a professional instruction be defined?

Agree who the client is, who is authorised to give instructions and to whom the firm should report. Where an adviser introduces a matter, the parties should confirm their respective roles before substantive work begins.

• The particular Gambian questions and any issues being handled by other advisers.
• The documents to review and any enquiries or searches within scope.
• The required output, intended recipient and proposed delivery date.
• The reporting arrangements and person authorised to approve further work.
• Legal fees, separate expenses and any work requiring a further instruction.

What if the matter crosses several jurisdictions?

Identify the countries involved, the governing-law provisions in relevant documents and any existing proceedings. Our Fajara and Dubai offices provide points of contact for local, regional and international clients. We agree the Gambian part of the work alongside the responsibilities of advisers in other jurisdictions.

For Dubai office enquiries, call +971 52 395 5974 or message the Dubai office on WhatsApp. Identify your organisation and provide a brief outline of the proposed work.

If an overseas party will sign documents or authorise a representative, raise this at the outset. A foreign document, permission or decision should be reviewed before assuming how it can be used in The Gambia.

Coordinating Gambian work with an overseas team

A shared list of responsibilities helps avoid gaps between advisers. Identify who handles the main transaction documents, Gambian law questions, overseas law, tax calculations, local filings and completion arrangements.

For a document signed abroad, provide the proposed signatory’s role and the place of execution early enough to check the required formalities. For proceedings or recovery, include the complete decision or claim documents and the status of any appeal.

Agree a reporting contact, milestones and the process for approving additional work. If a deadline depends on official records or another party, distinguish that dependency from the firm’s own work timetable.

What should an initial brief contain?

• Your organisation, your role and the identity of the proposed client.
• The parties involved and a concise description of the matter.
• The specific Gambian assistance required.
• A list of available documents, rather than confidential attachments in the first enquiry.
• The proposed timetable, any existing proceedings and any fixed deadline.

We can discuss the information required for an initial review, availability and the proposed fee arrangements. If a deadline is close, telephone the office and ask whether the matter can be accepted.

Related legal services