Clifford Chance holds inaugural course in Lagos

Prominent international law Firm, Clifford Chance last week, launched its Africa Academy in Lagos, Nigeria. The inaugural course organised for junior associates was titled, “Introduction to Banking and Capital Markets,” and had 22 associates in attendance from law firms in Ghana and Nigeria.

Participating law firms from Nigeria were, Templars, Banwo & Ighodalo, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, Aluko & Oyebode, Aelex, Olaniwun Ajayi, G. Elias & Co., while Oxford & Beaumont, Bentsi-Enchill Letsa & Ankomah, and AB & David Law came all the way from Ghana.

Known as the Clifford Chance Africa Academy, the training model is said to be the first of its kind designed for the African market by a global law firm. The academy’s training programme & schedule are however, based on existing training courses developed by the Clifford Chance Academy – the firm’s global training arm that provides its lawyers and business professionals throughout the various stages of their careers with both legal and business development training.

Focused on developing skills essential to client satisfaction, the suite of training courses, are targeted at junior and senior associates; and is expected to provide the African counsel with access to quality legal training for the sort of legal expertise found only in large international law firms.

Present at the official launch of the Academy in Lagos, were Senior Partner, Malcolm Sweeting, global head of capital markets, David Dunnigan, and co-head of Clifford Chance’s Africa practice Edmund Boyo.

Speaking at the occasion, Edmund Boyo highlighted the quest by legal professionals in Africa for better access to legal training, particularly for associates in their firms. “We hope to help fulfil some of their needs through the Clifford Chance Africa Academy. Our African counsel friends are vital to the success of our Africa practice and having solid, structured training courses will enable them, and us, to deliver the best advice to clients,” he stated.

The Clifford Chance Africa Academy follows closely on the back of the firm’s successful inaugural African Counsel Retreat held in London in July 2013. At the Retreat, 80 counsel from 60 law firms across 30 African countries came together and met with the firm’s lawyers from its Africa practice to strengthen existing ties further, improve working practices, enhance knowledge sharing and management processes as well as exchange insights on current legal topics.

In his remarks, a Femi Olubanwo, a Partner in one of Nigeria’s leading law firm, Banwo & Ighodalo, commended Clifford Chance for its insight and commitment to Africa. He said, “In creating the Africa Academy so soon after initiating its Africa Counsel Retreat in London last July, Clifford Chance further demonstrates that its commitment to the African continent is not based on mere expediency or opportunism. Rather, it is prepared to assist African firms attain the highest of international standards in legal practice. If sustained, the benefit to African law firms and their clients will be immeasurable in the years to come.”

Clifford Chance is one of the five leading law firms constituting the Magic Circle firms headquartered in the United Kingdom. These firms are generally regarded as the most prestigious law firms and consistently have the highest earnings per-partner and earnings per-lawyer among UK-headquartered law firms.

The firm’s Africa practice comprises over 200 Clifford Chance professionals across the globe. These lawyers work together closely to cover legal and business developments in all regions of Africa.