Étude Guy Rivalland > Port Louis, Mauritius > Firm Profile

Étude Guy Rivalland > Firm Profile

About Étude Guy Rivalland: Étude Guy Rivalland (EGR) is one of the first established law firms in Mauritius which was founded by the late Me. Guy Rivalland, who was was among the first attorneys to be conferred the title of senior attorney by the President of the Republic of Mauritius in 1994. Me. Guy Rivalland was the son of Sir Michel Rivalland, who served as Chief Justice in Mauritius from 1967.

The current head of EGR, Me. Joséphine Rivalland-Robert is committed to taking the legacy of her grandfather, the late Chief Justice Sir Michel Rivalland, and her late father, senior attorney Me. Guy Rivalland, to the next level by being committed to delivering a network of resourceful, novel and effective legal services to clients through both consistent traditional methods and innovative e-services whilst maintaining the dedication of thriving with the utmost highest standards of integrity and professionalism. She has hand-picked her team, the members of which, share, if not more, a similar passion to grow EGR on an international platform whilst leaving a robust print on the judiciary system in Mauritius.

EGR’s vision: Our clients’ success is the key driver of our innovation. We want to be your law firm of choice, helping you compete more successfully in your local markets and around the world by offering you commercially useful, integrated legal advice.

Our clients’ portfolio: At EGR, we are both aggressive and passionate about our clients’ success. For over three decades now, we are recognised for providing high-quality legal services and we are proud of our ability to forge and maintain long-term relationships with our significant client portfolio.

Currently, EGR is the legal advisor to over 100 companies in Mauritius, including some of the largest groups and statutory bodies such as New Mauritius Hotels Ltd, Air Mauritius Ltd, Compagnie Sucrière de Bel Ombre Ltée, Forges Tardieu Ltd, United Docks Ltd, Innodis Ltd, La Prudence (Mauricienne) Assurances Ltée, Le Mauricien Ltd, Mauritius Union Assurance Co Ltd, Axess Ltd, Rey & Lenferna Ltd, Birger Co Ltd, Ducray Lenoir Ltd, Mechanization Ltd, Scott Shipping International Ltd, and Raphael Fishing & Co Ltd, among others.

Cases before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council: EGR has handled several high-profile cases before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council including but not limited to the cases of the national airline company of Mauritius, taxation matters, road accident cases, De La Haye (Appellant) v Air Mauritius Ltd (Respondent) (Mauritius) [2018] UKPC 14, Raphael Fishing Company Limited v State of Mauritius And Anor 2006 PRV 54, amongst others.

EGR is currently one of the law firms in Mauritius which has the most impending matters before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

EGR’s recent achievements: EGR has been at the forefront of the creation of numerous jurisprudences which have revolutionised the application of the law in Mauritius. For example, last year itself, EGR was at the forefront of a jurisprudential evolution of the notion of appointment of mandataire ad hoc under the Civil Code in the Supreme Court case of SN 416/2022 Exparte The Appointment of a Mandataire for Société Village de Retraite– Les Nenuphars wherein we successfully argued that notwithstanding the strict terms of article 1846 alinéa 5 of our Civil Code, given that the Courts in France have held that the role of the mandataire ad hoc (appointed when a “société se trouve dépourvue de gérant”) is not necessarily limited to convening a general assembly to appoint one or several new gérants but that the said mandataire can be authorized to carry out other specific missions, like for example proceeding with the payment of the recurring monthly expenses of a société so as to avoid the disruption of the operations of the société, our Court should adopt a similar stance.

Throughout the years, EGR has won settlements of millions of rupees and it stands out for its superior client advocacy and successful work. No matter what the case is about, EGR’s skilled team of attorneys is ready to fight for its clients by providing incredible service and advocating for justice with a proven track record.

Recent developments within the firm
The intellectual property department: Recently, EGR has decided to explore the Intellectual Property Law arena in-depth, and EGR has, accordingly, created a new department within the firm, headed by a qualified Attorney-at-Law, in a bid to assist our clients, locally and internationally, to protect their Intellectual Properties. If truth be told, EGR did offer these services to its clients for more than two decades now, but given the surge in Intellectual Properties, EGR has opted to walk in harmony with these developments and today, EGR is proud of the fact that it has devoted an entire skilled team to cater for the needs of its clients. EGR is also presently in the process of opening an Intellectual Property Branch in Dubai to better serve its clients.

Corporate and commercial department: EGR’s team of erudite lawyers is trained to offer legal advice on all facets of Mauritian business and commercial law. Given the diverse backgrounds of its lawyers and taking into consideration their long-standing experiences, they are able to explore and analyze, with much ease, foreign corporate and commercial law to offer suitable solutions to our clients.

EGR strives to provide a practical solution to client problems and to create a cost-effective strategy for achieving client objectives as rapidly as possible given the variety of our clients’ needs.  Its partner-led team uses the talents of its attorneys throughout the firm to give clients comprehensive guidance from start to finish.

Moreover, EGR has taken a keen interest in offering training to its corporate clients in an attempt to ensure that they are up to date with all the amendments being brought to the Company and Insolvency Laws in Mauritius.

Corporate and banking department: EGR has recently put together a corporate and banking team that provides guidance on all elements of banking and securitization of clients’ financials under Mauritian law. This team is skilled at offering huge enterprises, private businesses, start-ups, and investors sensible guidance that is affordable. Its members currently handle financial issues, from simple personal loans to intricately sophisticated finance agreements backed by real estate, structures, or portable items.
This team also manages insolvency litigation, proof of debt to security enforcement in compliance with priorities, as well as the restructuring of credit or overdraft facilities which are defaulting.

On-going projects: EGR also intend to, very shortly, create a new department, headed by academics and lawyers, which would be involved in training our corporate clients on a regular basis, especially in respect of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Laws in view of the recently proclaimed acts of parliaments.

EGR’s collaboration with international law firms: Apart from collaborating with other international law firms for intellectual property law matters, EGR also collaborates with other global law firms for litigious matters pending before the Mauritian Jurisdiction. For example, for the BAI Case (the status and particulars of which is amply described below), EGR is collaborating with Clyde & Co, which represents the interests of the reinsurers in this case, to defend the interests of the Mauritius Union Assurance Co Ltd.

EGR has also been chosen by the World Bank to act as its legal representative in Mauritius.

EGR’s pro bono work: Our attorneys are also involved in numerous pro-bono cases by representing clients with meagre means in divorce cases, applications for custody of minor children, eviction orders, representations at disciplinary committees for unfair dismissal, defending the interests of accused parties in murder trials, and other related criminal cases and protection of our elderly rights, amongst others. EGR puts at the disposition of its Attorneys all facilities needed to defend and protect the interests of these clients. We treat all our clients uniformly and with the utmost respect.

EGR’s reign as a traditional law firm: Amidst numerous mergers and coalitions of different law firms in Mauritius to put a united front to compete, EGR has maintained its integrity as a traditional law firm. Following the demise of the late senior attorney Me. Guy Rivalland, Josephine, and her team have toiled to expand the firm, be it in the corporate field, intellectual property arena, anti-money laundering sector, and litigation department.

Despite this growth which EGR has witnessed, it has still managed to conserve its traditional form, such that all its team members are duly employed by the firm, and that they devote their entire time and practice solely to the firm, and this, in consonance with the provisions of the Law Practitioners Act 1984, unlike other firms, who coalesce with law practitioners on a part-time and/or opt to enter into consultancy agreements with the latter. At EGR, we understand what affects a firm’s practice and what drives the business, and this is why its members do not believe in coalitions purely for pecuniary reasons. At EGR, we believe in flexing our cerebral muscles to provide practical solutions to clients while maintaining our position as one of the leading law firms in Mauritius.