The Trusted Advisors > Lagos Island, Nigeria > Firm Profile

Taye Awofiranye, Managing Partner

Managing Partner; Taye Awofiranye explains how the firm is adapting to client’s changing needs

1. What do you see as the main points that differentiate The Trusted Advisors from your competition?

Our main differentiator is summarized in FIT, an acronym for our famed tagline “Forged in Trust’’. We expend concerted efforts not only to select our team but also honing each of its members into a proud bearer not only of the firm’s confidence but a worthy repository of our client’s trust.

“Trust” is at the core of our brand. It permeates every aspect of our practice and manifests in a tripod of diligence integrity and creative engagement.

Our team’s youthfulness and an insatiable appetite for excellence is the core of our practice and the natural product is the vibrant push for progressive excellence, not only in distilling understanding and owing the client’s personal position and needs, but preferring that bespoke solution that speaks to their individual needs.

2. What practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

The composition of our team and the rapid industry awareness together with our recent bold investment in service infrastructure positions the firm for continuous growth across its 7 practice areas. However, a more notable growth index is projected on our fiscal and finance, ICT & Media, as well as our admiralty practices.

Our short-term projection highlights three practical areas for particular by impressing growth forecast. Our fiscal and finance practice area is projected for incremental client acquisition due to rapid capacity acquisition and development initiatives and a fast-rising industry acceptance.

The ICT and Media practice area is poised to optimally leverage our recent engagements with players within the Nigerian tech law ecosystem and our widespread knowledge sharing engagements is boosting widespread industry awareness and improved acceptance within the industry. We maintain tremendous thought leadership in maritime law and admiralty practice
and a leveraged feasibility should see us quickly emerge as an industry lead in this area of practice in the coming years.

3. What is the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

Our commitment to quality service delivery sign- posted by our painstaking human capacity development and progressive investment in service infrastructure is beginning to yield results with exponential growth in client acquisition and satisfaction feedback as well as a predictable
improvement in our client retention index.

4. Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

Our first of its kind “Looya” app integrates the best of CRM product designs with the most advanced offerings in e-legal services delivery to provide one-stop offering for optimal service delivery to clients. The proprietary application integrates with the firm’s HR and finance solution to deliver on the go cutting edge access to our offerings.

We have been able to leverage this solution to effectively optimize the contribution of each member of the team and to ensure full-time, real-time availability and presence with the clients even beyond the limit of close of business. With “Looya” in our grip, we are positioned to take the frontline in tech leveraged legal service delivery.

5. Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business

Generally, we take pride in providing value add to clients across multiple strata of their day to day operations. We are accustomed to offering tremendous value add in product and entity structuring for budding start-ups to avoid needless regulatory hurdles and we are constantly helping clients fill strategic resource void arising from the recent trend of increased workforce mobility through our bespoke retainership arrangement. However, one of the most recent notable clients value-adds has been our contribution to enhance the revenue stream of our clients in the real estate industry, including the foremost real estate company in Nigeria and a state-owned real estate corporation, by creating strategic clause banks for their transactions and structuring intervention to safeguard their reversion and recover title and possession in deserving circumstances.

This intervention has directly led to multibillion-naira worth of revenue generation and has driven up commercial rent collection in a substantial way.

6. Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms-where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

We understand that we occupy a significant strategic position in relation to our client’s operation, it is not surprising that our clients celebrate the strategic necessary alignment not only with their set value system but also some stability and strategic direction.

In testament to our hard-fought success in balancing our strong core of excellent Human capital with clarity on the group’s strategic direction and an unwavering commitment to client satisfaction, we remain buoyed by the incremental acceptance by our client and stay committed to going the extra miles to meet their needs.

Our outlook for the coming years is to sustain our culture progression excellence in thought leadership and ultimate client satisfaction.

Taye Awofiranye, Managing Partner

Managing Partner; Taye Awofiranye explains how the firm is adapting to client’s changing needs

1) What do you see as the main points that differentiate The Trusted Advisors from your competition?

Our main differentiator can be encapsulated in the acronym “FIT’’, which is derived from our renowned tagline “Forged in Trust.” We invest substantial efforts in carefully selecting and nurturing each team member, instilling in them not only the firm’s confidence but also the responsibility of earning and keeping our clients’ trust.

“Trust” lies at the heart of our brand, permeating every facet of our operations and embodied in our tripod of values: diligence, integrity, and creative engagement.

The youthful energy and unwavering pursuit of excellence within our team form the bedrock of our practice. As a result, we continually strive for progressive excellence, not only in distilling, understanding and owing each client’s unique position and needs, but also proffering that tailored solution that precisely address our client’s requirements.

2) What practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

With a winning combination of strategic team composition, heightened industry awareness, and bold investments in service infrastructure, our firm is poised for remarkable growth across all our seven practice areas. However, our standout performance indicators point to exceptional growth prospects in our Fiscal and Finance, ICT & Media, and Admiralty practices.

In the near term, we have identified three key areas that are set to experience impressive growth. Our fiscal and finance practice is projected to achieve incremental client acquisition through rapid capacity expansion and development initiatives, fuelled by the industry’s fast-growing acceptance of our services.

Our ICT and Media practice is primed to maximize the benefits of our recent collaborations with key players in the Nigerian tech law ecosystem. Our extensive knowledge-sharing initiatives are driving widespread industry awareness and fostering greater acceptance within the field.

Furthermore, our firm’s unrivalled thought leadership in maritime law and admiralty practice positions us for industry leadership in this area. By leveraging our expertise and seizing viable opportunities, we anticipate a rapid ascent to the forefront of the industry in the years to come.

3) What is the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

Our commitment to quality service delivery, sign-posted by our focus on human capacity development and progressive investment in service infrastructure, is beginning to yield results. The remarkable outcome has been an extraordinary surge in client acquisition and positive feedback on our delivery, accompanied by a notable enhancement in client retention.

Our ultimate objective is to streamline service delivery, while upholding the renowned quality that distinguishes us. Introducing our new platform, we ensure that each client can conveniently access our services anytime, anywhere, even outside traditional business hours. We are committed to providing seamless and accessible solutions that cater to our clients’ needs on the go.

4) Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

Introducing our revolutionary “Looya” app, a ground-breaking fusion of top-notch CRM design and state-of-the-art e-legal services. This pioneering platform offers an all-in-one solution for unparalleled service delivery to our clients. By seamlessly integrating with our HR and finance systems, it grants the client an on-the-go access to our cutting-edge services.

With this proprietary application at our fingertips, we have harnessed its power to optimise team performance, ensuring every member contributes their best while providing round-the-clock availability and real-time engagement with our clients, surpassing the limitations of traditional business hours. Armed with “Looya,” we confidently claim the forefront of tech-driven legal service delivery. Our first of its kind “Looya” app integrates the best of CRM product designs with the most advanced offerings in e-legal services delivery to provide a one-stop shop for optimal service delivery to clients. This proprietary application integrates with the firm’s HR and finance solution to deliver on-the-go cutting edge access to our service offerings.

5) Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business

Unlocking value across diverse business operations is our pride and passion. We excel in crafting bespoke product and entity structures that empower ambitious start-ups to navigate regulatory obstacles effortlessly. Additionally, we have innovatively addressed the legal resource gaps resulting from the rise in workforce mobility through our exclusive retainer program.

However, one of our most notable recent triumph lies in delivering exceptional value to clients within the real estate industry. Notably, we have partnered with Nigeria’s leading real estate company and a state-owned real estate corporation to revolutionize their revenue streams. By establishing strategic clause banks to their transactions and implementing protective measures, we have safeguarded their interests, and  in the process, ensuring reversion rights and facilitating the recovery of title and possession in justifying circumstances.

This pivotal intervention has directly resulted in the generation of multibillion-naira revenues, propelling a significant surge in commercial rent collection. Our strategic guidance has made an indelible impact on our clients’ success in the real estate sector.

As a practical example of how we add value to our clients’ businesses, our transformative approach in the real estate industry has proven instrumental in driving financial growth and achieving remarkable outcomes.

6) Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms-where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

We recognize the pivotal role we play in our clients’ operations, and it is no wonder that our clients appreciate our alignment not only with their values but also identify with our stability and our clear sense of strategic direction.

We have achieved significant success in cultivating a highly skilled and dedicated team of professionals, which is demonstrated by our collective alignment on strategic objectives and our unwavering commitment to ensuring client satisfaction. We are gratified by the growing recognition and trust from our clients, and we are steadfast in our determination to surpass their expectations by providing exceptional service.

Looking ahead to the future, our focus is on sustaining our culture of continuous improvement, fostering thought leadership, and delivering ultimate client satisfaction.