On Thursday and 27 April and Friday 28 April, I had the privilege of attending the African Business Law Firms Association Conference (ABLFA) in Accra, Ghana. I had the honour of sitting on a panel with Emmauel Amofa, Managing Partner Amofa & Partners Ghana and my brother Ngo-Martins Okonmah, Partner Aluko & Oyebode.
We shared our experience advising States and counter parties in International Litigation & Arbitration. The key takeaway from our session was the need to build our practices in other to make us more relevant and competitive in the legal market. We also agreed on the need to craft effective legal strategies and that as law firms, we must collaborate and communicate effectively with foreign legal teams and navigate the complexities of the legal and political environments of foreign countries.
We also spoke about managing the expectations of our clients while also adhering to ethical and legal standards.
I also had the privilege of moderating the session on the experience of Law Firms in Advising States during International Negotiations where I interviewed Serges Zangue, Managing Partner Zangue and Partners, Mohammed Kebe, Gene & Kebe Lawyers (DLA Piper Africa ) Senegal, Zinda Sawadogo, Managing Partner KSK Societe d’ Advocates Cote D’ Ivorie and Seth Asante , Managing Partner at Bentsi- Enchill Letsa & Ankomah Ghana.
We discussed the future of Legal Practice in Africa and the need for African Law Firms to carve a niche for themselves.
