A law office advising individuals, families and businesses across family law, civil litigation, succession, corporate matters and criminal defense — with clear advice, careful preparation and complete discretion. In English and Amharic.
Serving clients in Addis Ababa and beyond with reliable legal counsel and unwavering dedication.
Client focused
Your case is personal. Your success is our priority.
Trust & confidentiality
We protect your rights with integrity and professionalism.
Experienced advocacy
Strategic solutions. Proven results.
The firm
A law office in Addis Ababa for individuals, families and businesses
Most people who need a lawyer did not expect to. A marriage ends. A parent dies and the family cannot agree about the house. A supplier stops delivering and a business is suddenly exposed. Someone is arrested, and the family has hours rather than days to respond.
Elizabeth Tesfaye Law Office exists for those moments. We practise across six areas of Ethiopian law — family law, civil litigation, succession and inheritance, business and corporate law, criminal defense, and general legal consultation — from our office in Summit, Addis Ababa.
That breadth is deliberate rather than accidental. Legal problems seldom arrive in a single tidy category: a divorce raises questions about a family business, an inheritance dispute turns on a property transfer made years earlier, a commercial disagreement escalates into a criminal complaint. Handling related matters within one office means you are not sent elsewhere at the point where continuity matters most.
What clients tell us they value is simpler than legal skill, and rarer: being told plainly what the law provides, what is likely to happen, roughly how long it will take and what it will cost — before committing to anything.
Professional legal advice, legal opinions, document review, and strategic guidance.
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Clients
Who we act for
Individuals and families
Divorce, custody and maintenance, inheritance and estate disputes, property claims, and defence in criminal proceedings. Family and criminal matters are handled with strict discretion — nothing discussed in this office is discussed outside it.
Businesses and investors
Company formation under the Commercial Code of 2021, shareholder agreements, commercial contracts, employment documentation and commercial disputes. We advise foreign investors on what the Investment Proclamation actually permits in their sector before they commit capital to a structure.
Ethiopians living abroad
Inheritance, property and family matters at home, conducted under a properly executed power of attorney so that you need not travel. Documents by email, consultations by telephone or video call, in English or Amharic.
Why clients choose this office
Advice you can act on
Legal problems are stressful largely because they are opaque. People do not know what the law says, what is likely to happen, what it will cost or how long it will take — and that uncertainty is often harder to carry than the problem itself.
Our work begins by removing it.
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Practice areas
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Languages, English & Amharic
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Business day reply
A candid assessment
Including the parts you would rather not hear. Clients are not served by optimism the file does not support.
Preparation over argument
Cases in Ethiopian courts are won on documents and evidence identified early, far more often than on eloquence at the hearing.
Settlement where it serves you
An agreed outcome this year is frequently worth more than a judgment three years from now against someone who can no longer pay. We tell you when that is the case.
Strict confidentiality
Everything you tell us is confidential from the first conversation, whether or not you go on to instruct us.
Fees agreed in advance
Fixed fees wherever the work allows it, confirmed in writing before we begin. You should know what a matter will cost before committing to it.
Getting started
How a matter begins
No obligation attaches to a first conversation. Here is what actually happens when you get in touch.
1
Tell us what has happened
Call, send a message, or bring your documents to the office. A short description of the situation is enough to start. This first contact is confidential whether or not it leads anywhere.
2
Get an honest assessment
We explain the law that applies to your situation, tell you where your position is strong and where it is weak, and set out the realistic options — including when a claim is not worth bringing.
3
Agree the scope and the fee
We confirm in writing what we will do, by when, and what it will cost. For consultations, document review and written opinions this is usually a fixed fee.
4
We act
Negotiation, arbitration or litigation — prepared thoroughly, kept moving, and explained to you as it progresses rather than afterwards.
Before you call
Questions clients ask first
How much does a consultation cost?
It depends on the matter, and we will tell you before the work begins rather than afterwards. For consultations, document review and written legal opinions we can usually quote a fixed fee in advance. For litigation we agree the fee basis at the outset and confirm it in writing.
I live abroad. Can you handle my matter without me travelling to Ethiopia?
In most cases, yes. We act regularly for clients in the diaspora. Documents are exchanged by email and consultations held by telephone or video call. Steps that must be taken here — filing a case, obtaining a certificate of heir, transferring property — can generally be done under a properly executed and authenticated power of attorney. We will tell you exactly what needs signing, and where it needs authenticating, before you incur any expense.
How is property divided in a divorce in Ethiopia?
The Revised Family Code distinguishes between each spouse's personal property and the common property of the marriage. Property acquired during the marriage is generally presumed common unless the spouse claiming it proves otherwise — which places the burden of proof on them. In practice these disputes are decided by documentary evidence of when and how each asset was acquired, which is why we start with your documents rather than your account of events.
A family member has been arrested. What should I do?
Contact a lawyer immediately — what happens in the first days of a criminal matter frequently shapes everything that follows. Note where the person is held and which police station has the file, and avoid discussing the substance of the allegation by telephone. Under the Constitution an arrested person has the right to be told the reason for arrest, the right to legal representation, the right not to be compelled to incriminate themselves, and the right to be brought before a court within a short and defined period.
Elizabeth Tesfaye is an attorney and legal consultant practising in Addis Ababa. Her practice spans family law, civil litigation, succession and inheritance, business and corporate matters, and criminal defense — a range that reflects how legal problems actually reach people, rarely arriving in one tidy category.
She served as a public prosecutor in criminal and civil matters before opening this private practice, and brings 13 years of experience in Ethiopian law to every file. She advises clients in Addis Ababa and across Ethiopia, as well as Ethiopians living abroad with property, family or business interests at home. Consultations are conducted in English and Amharic.
The most useful thing a lawyer can give a client at the start of a matter is an honest picture of where they stand — including the parts that are not in their favour.
Elizabeth Tesfaye, Attorney-at-Law & Legal Consultant
Based in Summit, acting across Addis Ababa and Ethiopia
Our office is on the second floor of the Summit Hewan Building in Addis Ababa, and we appear before the federal courts and the Addis Ababa city courts. We also act for clients elsewhere in Ethiopia, and for Ethiopian families and business owners living abroad, holding consultations by telephone or video call where coming to the office is impractical.
Consultations are by appointment. If you are not certain which area of law your situation falls under, that is not a problem — describe what has happened and we will tell you.
The Commercial Code of 2021 replaced a code from 1960 and introduced the One Person PLC. A practical guide to choosing between business forms in Ethiopia.
Every enquiry is treated confidentially. We respond to every enquiry within one business day. Tell us what you are facing and we will explain your options clearly.
