Our Approach Services The Firm Insights Speak With Us
Lagos, Nigeria · Est. 2024

We turn legal complexity
into clear, executable
outcomes.

We work with founders, investors, and businesses navigating transactions, regulation, and growth. We bring precision to decisions that impact capital, compliance, and scale.

What we do
Fundraising
Capital structuring and deployment advisory for founders and investors
Regulatory
Compliance advisory across sectors and jurisdictions
Transactions
M&A, due diligence, deal structuring and investment documentation
Our Approach

Precise counsel at
the moments that matter

Stherne was founded on a clear premise. The legal complexity facing startups, investors, and growth-stage businesses is not a problem of access. It is a problem of clarity and execution speed.

We exist to close that gap. We bring deep technical expertise, technology-enhanced workflows, and a commitment to delivering conclusions that are both legally sound and immediately actionable.

01
Depth before breadth
We take positions, not safe generalities. Our advice tells you what to do, not just what the options are.
02
Speed as a deliverable
Our clients operate on compressed timelines. We have built our workflows to match, without sacrificing rigour.
03
Technology-enhanced delivery
We have built workflows that compress timelines and sharpen analysis. The result is a standard of output and speed that would take most firms significantly longer to produce, giving our clients a genuine advantage.
04
Aligned incentives
We work with clients to design fee structures that fit the nature and stage of their matter. Whether that is a retainer, a flat fee, or a hybrid arrangement, the goal is a structure where our incentives and yours point in the same direction.
Practice Areas

How we work
with clients

Across five interconnected practice areas, we provide the legal infrastructure that enables businesses to move with confidence in capital markets, regulatory environments, and commercial transactions.

01
Fundraising and Capital Deployment Structuring
End-to-end legal support for founders raising capital and investors deploying it. We work from early term sheet review through to closing, navigating the structural, regulatory, and documentation complexity that capital transactions involve at every stage.
02
M&A and Transactions
Legal counsel on acquisitions, mergers, asset purchases, and investment transactions. We manage due diligence, structure deal terms, and identify the regulatory considerations that determine whether a transaction closes cleanly or does not close at all.
03
Regulatory and Compliance Structuring
Comprehensive compliance advisory for businesses navigating a shifting regulatory environment. We help clients understand what is required, what is at risk, and what needs to be built into their operations before regulators, investors, or counterparties ask the question.
04
Commercial and Strategic Advisory
Ongoing legal support for commercial operations. From contracts and partnerships to vendor agreements and licensing arrangements, we provide the legal infrastructure that underpins sound business decisions as organisations scale across markets.
05
Startup and Growth Structuring
Legal foundations for early and growth-stage companies. We cover incorporation, founders agreements, equity structures, corporate governance, and the compliance framework that keeps businesses protected as they grow and attract capital.
Why Stherne

What sets our practice
apart

Regulatory depth, not surface coverage
We stay ahead of regulatory change so our clients do not have to. Our positions are current, specific, and actionable. We give you a conclusion, not a hedged summary of what the law might mean.
24-hour contract review
We use technology to operate at a standard that is not achievable through traditional legal workflows. Thorough, senior-reviewed analysis is delivered at the speed our clients actually need, not the speed most firms are built around.
Transparent and predictable fees
Retainer and flat-fee structures for recurring matters. You know what legal support costs before you commit to it.
Direct partner access on every matter
Every client has direct access to a partner on their matter. You always know who is responsible for your work and can reach them directly.
Cross-border expertise
Whether you are building locally, investing from abroad, or structuring across jurisdictions anywhere in the world, we understand the legal and commercial realities on both sides of the transaction.
We serve
Founders and entrepreneurs From incorporation through to scale
Investors and fund managers Venture, private equity, and impact capital
Growth-stage businesses Across sectors and jurisdictions
Foreign and diaspora investors Entering and structuring in the Nigerian market
Regulated businesses Navigating sector-specific compliance requirements
Businesses raising or deploying capital Equity, debt, and structured instruments
The Firm

Partners with
execution experience

NU
Nnenna Ugwuede
Partner

Nnenna brings experience across the legal demands of businesses operating at scale. From structuring multi-party investment transactions and navigating complex regulatory environments across African jurisdictions, to managing M&A processes and building the commercial contract infrastructure that institutional operations require. She has worked across sectors and company sizes, advising on the legal dimensions of growth at moments where the decisions carry significant commercial consequence. Her practice at Stherne focuses on transactions, capital structuring, and commercial advisory for businesses and investors operating across borders.

EO
Esther Oyewole
Partner

Esther's practice is grounded in the legal and structural realities of building, funding, and scaling businesses in complex environments. Her experience spans corporate transactions, regulatory compliance, and the advisory work that sits between legal strategy and business execution, including work across impact investment structures and growth-stage company advisory. She understands what legal architecture needs to look like for a business to attract capital, enter new markets, and operate with confidence. Her practice at Stherne focuses on regulatory compliance, startup structuring, and strategic advisory.

Insights

Regulatory intelligence
for founders and investors

Coming soon.

Regulatory briefings and legal commentary for businesses navigating growth and compliance.

Ready to bring clarity
to your legal exposure?

Start with a confidential consultation. We will tell you where you stand and what the right next step is.

Schedule a Consultation
Contact

Let us begin a
conversation

Whether you are raising capital, entering a transaction, navigating a regulatory requirement, or building a new venture, we would like to understand your situation before recommending a path forward.

All enquiries are confidential. There is no obligation beyond the conversation.

Response time
Within 24 hours on business days
Location
Lagos, Nigeria
Send an enquiry

All enquiries are confidential. Submission does not create a lawyer-client relationship.