Oliver M. Fowler

Background

Oliver Fowler was born in 1952 in Kenya, an East African country that gained independence in 1963. Kenya's commercial laws draw on Commonwealth legal traditions, and particularly on the English system, a background that shaped the training of lawyers who practised there in the decades after independence.

He pursued legal education in the United Kingdom and later qualified both as a Kenyan advocate and as an English solicitor. This dual qualification reflects a pattern that many commercial lawyers in Nairobi's established firms share, combining English legal training with knowledge of Kenyan law.

Education

Fowler studied law at the University of Bristol, where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree between 1971 and 1973. The institution began as University College Bristol in 1876 and received its royal charter as the University of Bristol in 1909. Its law degree belonged to the English university tradition from which Kenya's legal profession drew its commercial law training.

After his university studies, he completed the Law Society qualifying examinations in England, which were recorded in 1974 with second-class honours. He was admitted as an English solicitor in 1977. The Law Society of England and Wales is the professional body for solicitors in England and Wales and administers the qualification and admission process for them.

In 1977 he also completed the Kenya School of Law qualifying examinations. The school trains candidates for admission as advocates in Kenya through the Advocates Training Programme, which is the route to practising as an advocate of the High Court of Kenya.

Career

Fowler joined Kaplan & Stratton in 1978, after admission as an English solicitor, and became a partner in 1981. The firm states that it was established in 1938, and it is regarded as one of Kenya's oldest law firms and a leading practice in the East African region. Kaplan & Stratton is also a founder member of LEX Africa, a network of independent law firms across Africa, and the firm acts as Kenyan counsel for international law firms and their clients from Europe, North America, Asia and South Africa.

His work has centred on commercial matters, particularly financial, corporate and taxation law. He gained experience in project finance, capital markets, and banking and finance. Among the transactions in which he was involved were the reverse take-over involving City Trust Limited, later known as I&M Holdings Limited, advice to REA Vipingo Plantations Limited during its contested takeover by REA Trading Limited, and the sale of the Vipingo Estate. He was also involved in the Government of Kenya sovereign bond issues of 2014 and 2018.

In later years, the firm's profile has listed him as a consultant, with work in privatisation, project finance and infrastructure, structured finance, and tax and stamp duty planning. He also contributed the Kenya chapter to the international merger control treatise Rowley & Baker: International Mergers, The Antitrust Process.

Achievements

• He was involved in the reverse take-over involving City Trust Limited and I&M Bank Limited, providing regulatory and transactional advice on the transaction, and he worked on the proposed acquisition of KenolKobil Limited, which did not proceed to completion.

• He advised REA Vipingo Plantations Limited during its contested takeover by REA Trading Limited and in the sale of the Vipingo Estate.

• He was involved in the Government of Kenya sovereign bond issues of 2014 and 2018.

Works

• book chapter

  • International Mergers: The Antitrust Process

    (Fowler contributed the Kenya chapter to this treatise on ...)

    1996

Membership

The Law Society of Kenya is the professional association for advocates in Kenya, representing the legal profession and supporting its standards and members. Fowler is a member of this society, which forms part of the professional framework through which Kenyan advocates practise.

He is also a member of the Law Society of England and Wales, the professional body for solicitors in England and Wales. This membership relates to his English solicitor qualification and his dual-qualified practice.

• Law Society of Kenya , Kenya

• Law Society of England & Wales , United Kingdom

References

• Legal 500 Legal 500 profile of Oliver Fowler, describing his career at Kaplan & Stratton Advocates, his memberships, his education and his commercial practice areas.
• Kaplan & Stratton Advocates Firm profile of Oliver Fowler listing his memberships, admissions, education, selected transactions and professional rankings.
• IFLR1000 IFLR1000 practitioner profile of Oliver Fowler, listing his bar admissions in Kenya and England and Wales, practice areas and firm affiliation.