ILFA Flagship Secondment Programme
ABOUT
IFSP
This is an annual international secondment programme where lawyers practising in various African jurisdictions are selected and sponsored on a 3-month secondment (September to December) at highly reputed international law firms and corporations based in London, Paris, Hong Kong and Dubai. ILFA set up national committees in many African countries (comprising senior lawyers, judges and members of law societies), and has been supported by these national committees in the advertisement of the secondment programme and the initial review of applications. The ILFA board selects the successful secondees from a shortlist of applications drawn up by each national committee.
Additionally, the programme provides an academic enrichment series that incorporates training modules on various topics relevant to the African legal sector. A wide variety of practice areas and sectors are covered as part of the training modules which take place in London in the first 2 weeks of the programme before the lawyers then go to the various host cities. Finally, the ILFA lawyers undergo seminars at the prestigious Oxford and Cambridge Universities. The overall objective is to ‘educate, equip and empower’ African lawyers.
Successful secondees receive a fully-funded 3-month placement (between September and December) – the majority of secondees spend their time in London, but in more recent years some also complete their placements in Paris, Dubai and Hong Kong. In the first few weeks of the programme, secondees receive intensive training in many areas including corporate, finance, litigation, and public international law. The remainder of the programme is spent gaining work experience in law firms, chambers, and corporations. Secondees also have the benefit of various networking evenings so they can get to know each other, as well as pre-eminent lawyers, barristers, academics and businessmen and women.
This is all with the aim of equipping the secondees with as much relevant experience as possible such that the secondees can take this experience back to their home jurisdictions. As highlighted above, it is hoped that these highly trained African lawyers will have the skills and experience to deal with complex transaction work within their own countries, therefore retaining the legal fees within their own countries, rather than the work needing to be sent abroad to other lawyers. In 2013 Merger Market recorded around 250 deals with a value of $3B or more where the legal work was led by law firms outside of Africa. This means that legal fees for these deals, which could have been earned within an African jurisdiction and so adding to such jurisdiction’s economy, instead were lost to an overseas firm. Africa is losing out on “indirect compensation” from such deals given that no benefit of the hefty legal fees is felt by the African jurisdiction.
ABOUT
IFSP
Advanced Training
Legal skills and professional development training are an essential part of the secondment programme. Ahead of candidates being placed with host firms, they are invited to attend a 2-week induction/ advanced skills training which takes place in London. The training is delivered by ILFA in partnership with participating firms and corporations and several other ILFA advisors. Sessions are a mix of soft skills and technical training which cover a wide range of topics and practice areas relevant to the African legal sector.
Topics vary from year to year but usually include hot topics like:
• Introduction to project finance
• Improving the investment climate in Africa
• The role of Public-Private Partnerships in African infrastructure development
• Best practice guidance on Oil & Gas projects
• Navigating dispute resolution and regulatory issues in Africa
• Sources of Public International Law
• International Commercial Arbitration
Oxbridge Seminars
ILFA lawyers attend a two-day academic seminar organised by Oxford and Cambridge Universities. The seminars are coordinated and led by selected members of the ILFA Advisory Board who have affiliations with the universities in conjunction with the law faculties of the two universities.
Pupillage Experience
COMBAR (The Commercial Bar Association) is a long-time supporter of ILFA and offers a series of lectures and “mini-pupillages” to ILFA secondees. COMBAR usually offers pupillage experiences for up to 10 ILFA secondees. This means that secondees will spend 2-3 days (at the end of November) undertaking work experience at various chambers. This opportunity is open to all the ILFA secondees.
Professional Development and Networking
Core of the ILFA programme is the development of intra Africa networks. The programme provides secondees with valuable opportunities to meet, exchange information, and share experiences with lawyers from various African countries. Through conferences, shared accommodation, networking receptions, meetings, and seminars; secondees expand their perspectives on their work, the legal industry and on global issues facing the African continent. The ability to engage with one another as well as with colleagues at work placements and during legal professional events are all key components of these condees enrichment experience thereby ensuring that ILFA delivers both technical and professional development training to its lawyers.
ILFA 2024 Flagship Programme Cohort
Cynthia Amutete
Hosted by Trinity LLP
Cynthia is a Kenyan finance lawyer, currently serving as a Senior Associate in the Banking and Finance department at Bowmans (Kenya). She has garnered extensive banking and finance experience advising a diverse clientele comprising local and international lenders and borrowers.
Her practice spans a wide array of finance transactions, including corporate finance, project finance, climate finance, acquisition finance, real estate finance, receivables and trade finance, and debt restructuring. Cynthia's expertise extends across multiple jurisdictions, and she has successfully handled numerous cross-border transactions involving clients in Uganda, Mauritius, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, and the United States.
Cynthia is also an experienced financial services regulatory lawyer. She provides strategic regulatory advice to clients operating in the capital markets, banking, digital credit, payments, insurance, and fintech sectors. Her advisory services encompass product and service structuring, license applications, and engagement with regulatory authorities.
Cynthia's academic background includes certification in the Certified Investment and Financial Analyst (CIFA) course, which enriches her legal acumen with a pragmatic and commercial perspective. Her dedication and expertise have been acknowledged by the legal community, notably being named a rising star in Finance (Kenya) by IFLR 1000 in both 2022 and 2023.
Joelle Zeukeng Azemkeu
Hosted by Mayer Brown
Joelle Zeukeng is a young lawyer admitted to the Cameroon Bar Association. In 2020, she opened her own Law Firm in Cameroon, Douala. In this Law Firm, she has being working with a dynamic team which allows her to foster her leadership proficiency.
In 2023, she joined the Law Firm Bile-AKA, Brizoua-Bi & Associés, in Ivory Coast, Abidjan. Since that moment, she has gotten the privilege to learn and practise arbitration law, project finance, mining law, local content and oil and gas law, etc. This experience is enabling her to tame two main law environments in Africa (WAMU and CEMAC).
As educational background, Joelle Zeukeng has a research Master Degree in Business Law from the University of Douala. She is currently preparing an online Master Degree in Arbitration Law at the University of Montpellier and an online Certificate in Natural Resources Law at “Institut Québécois des affaires étrangères”. Moreover, she is a PhD candidate at the University of Montpellier on the subject of the balance in mining contract.
Therefore, it is with an honour and delight that Joelle Zeukeng embraces the opportunity to join Mayer Brown LLP through the ILFA Secondment Programme 2024. This will allow her to better understand the operating mode of international law firm. Also, it would be a helpful framework to network and share ideas on top legal topics, participate in sharing experiences with brilliant professionals coming from various countries around the world.
Kelechi Ibe
Hosted by Latham and Watkins
Kelechi Ibe is a Senior Associate at Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, one of Nigeria’s most prominent law firms. He is a member of the firm’s Taxation, Private Equity, Mergers and Acquisitions, Finance, and Pro Bono practice groups, where he advises local and international clients across sectors on tax matters, investments legal entity rationalisation, financing and general corporate matters.
He previously worked with the Deal Advisory, Mergers & Acquisition Tax Unit of KPMG in Nigeria, where he provided multinational entities with a range of corporate advisory services relating to tax and regulatory compliance.
He is the Secretary of the Taxation Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association – Section on Business Law, an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) and a student member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
Kelechi was nominated for the Future Awards Africa Prize for Lawyers—an award described by Forbes as Nigeria’s Most Important Youth Award and by the World Bank as the Nobel Prize for Young Africans. In 2023, he received three “Rising Star” nominations at the prestigious International Tax Review Awards, which recognises tax practitioners across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In recognition of his sterling career, he received the "Lawyer of the Year" award at the 2022 CEOs Network Africa Awards.
He takes immense pride in his role as the Founder of the GreenRidge Foundation, a tech-driven non-profit organisation that connects small business owners and startups with corporate law firms willing to offer pro bono legal support as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.
Rachael Kembabazi
Hosted by Norton Rose Fulbright
Racheal is a Principal Associate with the Firm. She majorly works the Corporate, Tax, Banking and Finance departments of the firm. However, she supports the employment and dispute resolution practices from time to time.
Racheal is a core team member in the Corporate Governance Department of the Firm where she renders legal advisory to some of the boards of the clientele and manages board affairs.
Racheal beams with a passion for legal practice and is an ambitious lawyer who possesses a vast wealth of knowledge that is evident in the solutions she provides to clients. Racheal provides day to day advisory to clients both national, regional and international clients. She stands out from the pack and this has been demonstrated by her result-oriented drive. Racheal has advised on one of Uganda’s M&A transactions where Prudential Assurance Uganda Limited was acquiring the insurance business for International Air Ambulance(IAA).
Racheal has a proven track record of providing indispensable advice and solutions to clients. She is a quick learner who can quickly absorb new situations and can communicate clearly and effectively with both legal professionals and members of the public. With this, Racheal has been seconded to some of the clients’ businesses to cater for the client’s legal needs and manage any legal crisis faced by the clients.
Racheal has a passion for International Criminal Law with a specific niche for financial and economic crime and with this, she is one of the few Ugandan young professionals that have had the privilege to pursue an internship with the United Nations Human Rights Committee in 2022.
Racheal serves as a Board Chair at Bridge of Hope Africa Ministries Limited which position has enabled her to fulfill her dreams in giving back to her community
Ralia Mohamud
Hosted by Clifford Chance
Ralia is a Kenyan qualified lawyer working with one of the largest law firms in the region, Dentons Hamilton Harrison & Mathews. With over five years of experience, she has extensive expertise in managing complex transactions and delivering strategic legal advisory services to both international and local clients. Her areas of specialization include projects, energy and infrastructure, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate law.
Ralia is proficient in advising clients on optimal legal structures for commercial transactions, conducting legal research, drafting legal agreements, negotiating transaction terms, and advising on effective
structures for proposed or ongoing projects. She has successfully worked on numerous high-stakes projects in Kenya and across the East Africa region, showcasing her ability to handle intricate legal landscapes.
Ralia holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Nairobi and a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law. She is a member of the International Bar Association and the Law Society of Kenya.
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