Real Estate

The team has expertise in handling large scale real estate transactions including those involving FDI in the real estate sector and has in the past provided advisory with respect to township and other residential and commercial real estate projects in Zimbabwe. The firm has advised on complicated joint development arrangements involving issues relating to sharing of revenue etc. The services include advising:

* Real Estate Projects like townships
* Technology Parks
* Hotels & Tourism Projects Regulatory laws including those relating to licenses and approvals Structuring of transaction
* Stamp Duty
* Change of land use Regulations governing acquisitions and sale of property
* Property tax and other taxes on real estate
* Construction Contracts
* Joint Development Agreements
* Project Management
* Consultancy Agreement, etc.
* Grant/ Assignment of leasing / licensing of commercial and residential properties
* Due diligence and preparation of Title Search Reports
* Representation before various courts including arbitrations regarding real estate disputes.

Our real estate team advises clients ranging from leading city institutions through to high net worth individuals. With a formidable track record in real estate matters, the firm is distinguished by the people, clients and work that it attracts and retains.
We act for a wide range of corporate in many industries including the banking, construction, energy and retail sectors.
We provide real estate advice to clients internationally and actively advise on construction disputes.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS GSM Law Chambers has a robust telecommunication practice both in the regulatory sphere and litigation. It has a vast experience in handling telecommunications issues involving in-depth understanding of technical know-how, telecommunications laws and regulatory regimes/rules. The firm has extensive experience in advising and assisting the Government of Zimbabwe, Ministry of ICT (licensor) and companies (licensees) operating in communications sector including international carriers, mobile and landline telecom operators, internet service providers, submarine cable operators/ owners, cable landing station operators etc. on complex legal and regulatory issues. The team advises foreign companies on entry strategy, business options and regulatory structure apart from assisting them in negotiating joint ventures and finalizing related agreements; obtaining foreign investment approvals and relevant telecom licenses from the licensor. The team advises clients on issues inter-alia relating to routing of calls in and outside Zimbabwe, installation of servers/ nodes, lawful intercept and monitoring requirements, reselling of bandwidth and telecom resources, tariff, license fee/ adjusted gross revenue etc. The team also advises clients on issues pertaining to use and import of telecommunication equipment. The team has advised submarine cable operators/ owners/ consortium members on legal and regulatory issues connected with submarine cable activities, including but not limited to: a) Indefeasible right to use agreements
b) Construction and maintenance agreements
c) Cable landing station arrangements and agreements
d) Leases and other capacity purchase agreements
e) Backhaul contracts, crossing and cable ship agreements.

The team advises clients on the following:
Telecom licenses such as international and national long distance licenses, internet service provider Licenses, approvals for cable landing station, unified access service licenses etc.
Telecom tower site acquisition and sharing agreements including sale and lease back agreements
Submarine Cable systems and related agreements
Value Added Services and related agreements
Agreements relating to procurement of telecom equipment and lease of satellite transponders
Assistance and agreements for joint ventures, business transfer, mergers and acquisitions etc.
Interconnection and inter-operator agreements
Payment of license fee and reselling of telecom resources
Telecom regulatory issues and representation before the licensor and regulator

Telecommunication Litigation

The firm has a specialized and dedicated team for telecommunications, broadcasting and media litigation practice dealing with matters before the Telecom Dispute and Settlement Appellate Tribunal, High Courts and Supreme Court of Zimbabwe.

Other Services

Legal and Policy Consultancy

GSM Law Chambers has a team dedicated not only to legal practice but legal and policy research as well. Our Consultancy and Research Department comprises of a team well versed in research and legal report writing. The expertise in this department extends to areas like:

• Legal and policy analysis
• International law and its domestic application
• Human rights, governance and democratization
• Public interest litigation
• Legal and policy consultancy.

Intellectual Property

We handle all aspects of Intellectual Property rights managements and enforcement and provide services to a cross-section of international and national corporate clients on intellectual property matters to do with mainly trademarks, patents and copy rights. We apply this expertise across a wide range of industries including; manufacturing, retail, financial services, utilities, information, and media and communications.

GSM Law Chambers team understands how intellectual property (“IP”) assets can best be created; value thereto determined rights therein protected; and used/ acquired/ supplemented to produce a competitive advantage. The team provides advice and assistance to its clients with respect to due diligence (routinely uncovering issues in chain of title, encumbrances/obligations, or enforcement/prosecution/ deficiencies often left undetected) IP valuation, acquisition of IP and related agreements and partnerships/ joint ventures with an aim to transfer/ share/ development of IP. The team has rendered services to several multinational and Zimbabwe companies across a broad range of sectors and industries including large technology companies, technology start-ups electrical and household, telecommunications, consumer goods, defence, education, publishing and media houses etc. on issues pertaining to registered and unregistered IP rights including trade mark, copyright, designs, domain name registration, patent, licensing, and technology transfer matters, apart from management of IP portfolios.
The team advises and assists clients on:
* Protection and prosecution of IP rights (including patents, trademarks, design rights, copyrights, geographical indications, domain names, proprietary know-how and business processes)
* IP due-diligence and audits
* IP valuation
* IP acquisition and transfer and related agreements
* Drafting and negotiating license agreements, assignment deeds, IP development agreements, etc.
* Representing before various authorities, courts and forums on issues relating to registration and protection of IP rights.

Joint Ventures & Private Equity

The team provides legal advisory services across a diverse range of industries. The clients include major domestic and international corporations, public listed companies, commercial institutions, corporates etc.
GSM Law Chambers team is recognized for delivering excellent legal strategies and commercially viable advice within prescribed timelines.
Cross-border work is where the team specializes and majority of the transactions have a multi-jurisdictional focus. Strong teamwork and efficient working practices and uniform approach enable the Firm to manage cross-border deals effectively and seamlessly. The team specializes in merger and acquisitions, joint ventures, amalgamations, de-mergers, financing.

The services include:
* Negotiation assistance from term sheet stage till closing of transaction.
* Due Diligence
* Structuring of Transactions
* Shareholders Agreement
* Shares Purchase Agreement
* Regulatory Affairs and Compliance
* Entity Formation
* Post Acquisition Advisory