BecomingGolden

Written by Adv. Brownie Ebal

National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) is a Company that thrives on innovation and ideas that better the customer experience.

As in house counsel, one of the challenging aspects of the job is finding a balance between the Company going to court and the company settling. Many of the Legal challenges companies face, can easily be resolved through adequate communication with customers, suppliers and employees. The role of in house counsel is to assess the likely risks faced by companies and advise accordingly before matters get out of hand. Litigation can lead to cases taking years to settle and leads to case backlog. Creating a “win-win situation” can therefore be critical for a business to survive.

Therefore, in the spirit of promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms through mediation and conciliation as opposed to full blown litigation, the NWSC Legal Department came up with this novelle idea to start “NWSC Legal Aid Clinics.”  

These Clinics are to act as a bridge between NWSC and its customers so as to rectify any issues that have arisen through its operations that can be resolved amicably before running to the Courts of Law. These clinics enhance the relationship of the Company with its customers and reduce any further risks that may arise due to any misunderstandings.

The Legal Aid Clinics, also look to educate staff on the legal framework that governs their operations. An empowered staff can be able to serve the corporation better and reduce incidences that may cause legal embarrassment.

These legal Aid Clinics started in 2019 and have grown to resolve over 500 legal customer complaints. Not only did, the team look at connecting with customers, we also looked at ways in which services can be brought nearer to our customers. Thus, camping at the various NWSC branches to offer such services, makes the legal team accessible and act as a mediator between the Corporation and its customers.

On Friday,18^th February, 2022, the Legal team was camped in Bwaise Branch and our customers were guided on the internal administrative bodies that have been setup in NWSC to resolve these claims.

To all the customers that have turned up, we appreciate the time taken to come and find amicable solutions to these existing problems.

To all our dear esteemed NWSC Customers, when the legal team is camping at your branch for the day, please do come to our legal Aid Clinics so we can resolve your issues amicably.

To the lawyers, let us try to think outside the box and come up with solutions for our clients that propel business and do not destroy it.