Senior Counsel is the highest rank for a Lawyer, and it’s more than just becoming a member. It’s about representing your community, making a difference in their lives, and working to promote the rule of law in society. Jinaro is one of the most talented and hardworking Lawyers with vast experience in the legal field, who has served as a Counsel to many Corporate clients.
With Jinaro’s conferment, TripleOKLaw is honoured to carry the bragging rights of a second Senior Counsel in the Firm’s leadership.
Jinaro was admitted to practice as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya in 1989, and started his career with the firms of Kenyan legal practice founders and proceeded on a British Council Sponsorship to undertake a Commonwealth Young Lawyers Course at the Institute of Legal Studies and the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London in 1993. Whilst in London, he was exposed to and studied the workings of the British legal system and had the privilege of attachment to the Chambers of Lord Williams of Mostyn (now deceased), a renowned British Barrister who became the Attorney General of England in 1999 and Leader of the House of Lords in the year 2001.
On his return to Kenya, he founded the law firm of Kibet & Co. Advocates which, in 2002 merged with the firms of Onyango Ohaga & Co. Advocates and Ochieng’ Oduol & Co. Advocates to form TripleOKLaw LLP where he is one of the Founding Partners.
Jinaro has over 33 years of experience in litigation and commercial practice. He has dealt with and has expertise in diverse areas of the law including;
- Banking and Finance;
- Company law;
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Competition law;
- Construction law;
- Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs);
- Restructuring and Insolvency;
- Regulatory and Compliance;
- Project Finance;
- Company Secretarial;
Jinaro demonstrated his expertise in litigation where he successfully conducted various high-profile cases in the High Court and Court of Appeal. He has dealt with numerous Arbitration matters both as Counsel and as an Arbitrator. He has acted for construction and development companies in disputes arising between them and the employers as well as in disputes between contractors and the Government of Kenya.
Jinaro left litigation to start and lead the Corporate and Commercial Department of the Firm working with a team of 10 lawyers in the execution of corporate and commercial transactions. His work has served clients ranging from individuals to local companies, to multi-nationals. His practice includes the establishment of, and ongoing advice on, issuance programs, and any associated securities and regulatory matters. He has extensive experience in securities advisory, corporate restructuring, private equity, investment advisory, public-private partnerships, banking and insurance law advisory, and other financial services.
Jinaro boasts of strong leadership, integrity, management, negotiation, and interpersonal skills which have led to his holding other positions of responsibility outside the practice of the law. He is a member and serves as a Board Member in numerous organizations both in the private and public sectors. Some of his memberships include; the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, the East African Law Society, and the Law Society of Kenya. He has been invited and has served as a Board Member in numerous public and private organizations in the Kenyan commercial landscape including;
a) Member of the Board of Kenya Pipeline Company where he chairs the Board Finance Committee and a Member of the Board Technical Committee;
b) Served as Chairman of a Taskforce for the Audit and Examination of the delivery of Legal Services to the Nairobi City County;
c) Served as a Member of the Board of Nairobi Interim Oversight Board – a Government of Kenya and World Bank Project which addressed the financial management and service delivery crisis in the City of Nairobi and restored an efficient and effective city government to Nairobi;
d) Board Member of Unga Group Limited, a public Company where he is a Member of the Nominations and Remuneration Committee as well as the Board Audit and Risk Committee;
e) Board member of Prime Bank Limited where he chairs the Debt Management Committee and is also a Member of the Board Audit Committee;
f) Member of the Advisory Board of the Strathmore Business School
g) Board Member of Telkom Kenya Limited and a member of the Strategic and Operations Committee;
h) Sicham Aviation and Elmarak
i) serves as the Chair of the Capital Markets Tribunal
Because of his interactions and participation in various Boards, Jinaro has enhanced his skills in team development, people management, and results delivery. This has fortified his strong reputation as a skilful negotiator and dealmaker. His understanding of local markets and regulatory frameworks has enabled him to bring numerous deals to fruition while ensuring that the interests of clients are adequately taken care of.
Due to his significant advisory experience and cutting-edge solutions to the legal needs of diverse clientele, Jinaro has been internationally recognized for his work by The Legal500 EMEA (www.legal500.com), Chambers and Partners Global (www.chambersandpartners.com), and Best Lawyers (www.bestlawyers.com). He has been ranked in The Legal500 Europe, the Middle East & Africa as a Recommended Lawyer in the Commercial, Corporate and M&A practice as well as in the Real Estate and Construction practice. He has also previously won the International Law Office (ILO) Client Choice Awards for Kenya in the category of Litigation
Jinaro has made contributions to scholarly publications in the Kenyan legal sphere and internationally. He has contributed to the development of the legal profession through scholarly writings and presentations. One such scholarly writing is “A Legal Guide for Business Investment and Expansion: Kenya” (2017), (2021) Meritas Law Firms Worldwide at this link. He is also an active Contributor to the World Bank’s ‘Doing Business project.
He has been instrumental in assisting sports organizations in and outside Kenya in drafting and amending their governance instruments, including Athletics Kenya, Lawn Tennis Kenya, the Confederation of African Athletics and other Athletics Federations in Africa. He was the Vice President of Athletics Kenya having been so elected in 2014. In 2017, he was appointed the Head of Legal of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the 2017 International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Youth Champions. In 2020, he was appointed as a Member of the Governance Commission. He is also a member of the National Review Panel of World Athletics as well as a Member of the World Athletics Human Rights Working Group.
Throughout his career, he has devoted himself to clients’ interests, devoid of other influences. He has also exhibited integrity and honesty in all dealings with clients, the Judiciary, and fellow practitioners. His commitment to the discharge of counsel’s duty to the Court, to clients, and the Bar has been shown throughout his practice in litigation and commercial practice. He engages in mentorship programs with law schools in Kenya where he gives talks and presentations to law students.
Beyond professional and career work, Jinaro is actively involved in community development and charity projects particularly in education and in the enhancement of the facilities of the Catholic Church. He serves on Boards of Management of various public schools and church projects.
Jinaro is known as a loyal leader, a strategic thinker, and an intelligent advocate. Employees, clients, and friends can attest to his principled nature and firm yet honest correction. All these attributes he channels into his daily life and works making this commendation an official seal of approval from a professional standpoint. Well done, Jinaro!