LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Precious & Partners Legal Practice, an award-winning legal practice in Gaborone Botswana.
Precious Gondwe, founder of Precious & Partners Legal Practice, is a visionary executive with a progressive legal background. She has a record of accomplishment as evidenced by the multi-awards, accolades, and nominations conferred on her by reputable awards bodies over the past five years. She brings a strong focus on servitude leadership and growth coupled with confidence in decision-making and experience in leading organizations through periods of change and development. Precious is very articulate and driven, with top strengths in relationship-building, planning, strategic management experience, and operations. She is a Corporate Lawyer with nine years post qualification experience and previous litigation experience. These skills and experiences, expertly provide world-class legal services on a variety of Commercial and Corporate Law matters at a Global level. With the Leadership skills she possesses, Precious ensures that the team remains results-oriented, and the results of a proven track record of exceptional outcomes for clients and impeccable growth in revenue for the organizations she has worked with, speak for themselves. The business was launched in 2018 and has created jobs for 15 people.
Lioness Weekender spoke to Precious Gondwe about her inspiration to practice law, and her growth ambitions for the business by expanding both in country and beyond the borders of Botswana.
What does your company do?
We are a Law firm providing a range of legal services such as:
• Corporate Law Advisory and Company Law Services
• Intellectual Property and Mergers & Acquisitions
• Corporate Governance, Ethics, Board Constitution, and Advisory Services
• Civil Litigation, including Debt Litigation and Restructuring (Commercial and Retail Debt Collection Services)
• Public and Government Advisory Services, including Consultancy Advisory and Policy Framework Drafting
• Commercial and Retail Litigation
• Property Law
• Employment Law
• Wills and Estate Planning (Wealth and Estate Planning)
• Casting Power of Attorney and Private Clients Management
• Entertainment Law
• Corporate Solvency and Insolvency Practitioners
• Investigative, Tracing, and Tracking Services
• Conveyancing and Public Notarial Services
• Sports Contract Negotiation and Commercial Negotiation Drafting, along with Structural Deals Contracts
• Insolvency, Liquidation, Repossessions, and Evictions
• Alternative Dispute Resolutions
• Public Procurement
• ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)
• Expert in International Public and Private Law (Red Note Listings Experts - Interpol and Related Matters)
• Rent-a-Lawyer services (Virtual and Remote legal services)
• Immigration law (Assistant with Visa, Permits and Citizenship/Naturalization services)
• Legal Consultancy and drafting of legal opinion and offering expert legal advice
What inspired you to start your company?
To defend and uphold the rule of law for the global citizenry.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
We are a fast-paced legal service provider with a youthful staff.
Tell us a little about your team:
Our team is youthful, with graduates from respective disciplines such as Law, Administration, Marketing, Economist, Accounts, Risk & Governance, and Industrial Design, and these complement who we are and drive the business. We are a digital-faced law firm offering E-services and we have clients globally.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
Precious Gondwe is a highly qualified and multi-award-winning Corporate Pan-African lawyer. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of South Africa and is currently a candidate for an LLM in Corporate Law. She is the Founding Partner of Precious and Partners Legal Practice an award-winning legal practice in Gaborone Botswana.
Her inspirations: To be a renowned 21st Corporate Legal Practitioner of note, clothed in integrity, professionalism, and the highest form of ethics in the corporate space.
Professional Experience:
Gondwe has a diverse range of work experience in both the public and private sectors. She has served as the board secretary for the Mmegi Newspaper & Gazette, where she was responsible for scheduling board meetings and drafting board resolutions and shareholder agreements. She also provided legal advice on commercial, corporate, and corporate governance matters. Gondwe has also worked as a Partner and head of litigation at Lerumo Mogobe Legal Practitioners, where she handled litigation, conveyancing, and notarial services, as well as providing general legal and advisory services. In addition, she has worked and has overseas legal experience - a professional support Lawyer at Fisher Jones Greenwood LLP and John Fowlers Solicitors LLP in the United Kingdom, providing legal and administrative support in private client, client care, divorce, child care, and custody cases, as well as Financial and Property matters.
Currently, Gondwe is the Founding Partner and CEO of Precious & Partners, a pan-African private legal firm that specializes in corporate law practice, general litigation, debt recoveries, conveyancing, notarial services, and company secretarial services. She is also a member of the board of advisors at the Conflict and Forced Migration Research Institute in South Africa, the CEO of Precious Allure, and the President of Pan African Game Changers.
Career Accomplishments:
Precious’s dedication and hard work have not gone unrecognized. She has been named in the Top 30 Most Influential Female Lawyers in Africa and represents Botswana as a lawyer and law firm founder in the region. Furthermore, she is admitted to practice as a conveyancer and notary public in the Republic of Botswana and is a candidate with the Solicitors Regulation Authority in the UK for admission as a solicitor.
Throughout her career, she has been recognized for professional achievements through various awards and certificates. Some of her notable accomplishments include receiving the World Justice Project award for outstanding contribution in World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2022 report. Furthermore, Gender Mainstream Awards named Precious Gondwe the Second Finalist in the Economic Empowerment Awards. These awards and certifications are a testament to her hard work and dedication to her profession.
In 2021, Precious was awarded the Best Practice of the Year award by the Female Founders Initiative Africa. This award is given to only a selected few individuals each year and recognizes exceptional achievement in areas such as client satisfaction, sales and revenue growth, and overall excellence. This award was particularly meaningful as it was voted on by her peers and clients and serves as validation of her hard work and dedication to her profession.
In 2022, she received an award from CIO TIMES for the Most Impressible Business Leaders Revamping the Future 2022. This recognition is a direct result of her innovative ways to deliver business value, by creating competitive advantage, optimizing business processes, enabling growth, and improving relationships with customers and this is a testament to her expertise and knowledge in the field. This recognition also highlights the positive impact she has had on the industry and the clients she serves.
Additionally, Precious Gondwe has earned several certifications throughout her career. These certifications include demonstrating her knowledge and expertise in the Legal fraternity.
What Legal Aid Botswana needs?
A 21st, highly ambitious and thriving legal brainer like Precious Gondwe (nee Masuku) who is willing to not only go the extra mile but contribute to the vision of Pula Medical in sharing her expertise, insights, suggestions but also work progressively with other executive directors to get the job done. That is who Precious Gondwe is!
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
We intend to expand to other regions across Botswana, and beyond our borders and we will continue to offer e-services to service clients in the comfort of their homes or offices.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Seeing a client happy, having won their case or their matter settled, gives me joy.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Mentorship means assisting the woman next to you, holding her hand until she can help another woman. Women it’s time to arise and take up space.
To find out more about Precious & Partners Legal Practice and the services it offers, send an email to Precious: precious@preciousandpartners.com or visit her business website and social media platforms.
Website: http://preciousandpartners.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PreciousandPartners?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Twitter: http://youtu.be/2Q0U3Lz0BKk?si=nTgLmndNIPfLj2lZ
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/preciousandpartnerslegal?igsh=NHdzbjllNXd1NjVs
