David FK Mpanga

David FK Mpanga is a Senior Partner, founder of the firm, and Head of Dispute Resolution. His primary practice area is Dispute Resolution.

A Barrister of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, he initially worked with the Chambers of Godfrey Carey QC and Jonathan Caplan QC at 5 Paper Buildings (now the Chambers of Miranda Moore KC and Julian Christopher KC) in the United Kingdom, where he handled criminal litigation. He remains a door tenant associate member of those Chambers. He returned to Uganda in 1998 and worked with Mugerwa & Masembe, Advocates until September 2003, when he founded AF Mpanga Advocates.

He has cultivated a specialisation in handling and advising on complex disputes, corporate governance, regulatory compliance and investigation. He also advises on strategic aspects of commercial transactions.

He has an LLB (Hons) from the University of Exeter and is a Barrister of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple.

Market commentators hold him in high regard, with one hailing him as "fantastic" and a "top, top lawyer," adding that "he is very approachable, flexible and knowledgeable." Engaged by clients on both contentious and non-contentious mandates, he has considerable experience in cross-border transactions and financing initiatives, in addition to asset recovery investigations and antitrust litigation.

His recognition includes being described by Chambers and Partners 2020 as "a top, top lawyer"; by Chambers and Partners 2019 as "the face of Bowmans" in the market, a "great lawyer" who advised Catalyst Principal Partners and Standard Chartered Private Equity (Mauritius) on their acquisition of Harris International; by Chambers and Partners 2018 as receiving high praise from clients who attest to his "mastery of the law and keen understanding of his clients' business," as well as his "ability to unpack complex situations"; by Chambers and Partners 2017 as "extremely active and well regarded by other lawyers," noted for his work on major commercial transactions and his strong litigation skills on constitutionally significant cases; and by Chambers and Partners 2016 as "a highly regarded practitioner with considerable experience in mergers and acquisitions, as well as commercial disputes," with sources saying "David is an excellent lawyer, one of the best in Uganda."