In July 2022 the African Centre on Law & Ethics (ACLE) marked its fifth anniversary in Accra, Ghana. At the celebration the ACLE, which is now wholly independent and managed by our original local partner, the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), recognized White & Case with an award for the Firm's key role in funding, setting up and nurturing the Centre in its first years of activities.

The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) recognized White & Case with an award for the Firm’s key role in funding, setting up and nurturing the Centre in its first years of activities.

Leading the way

Located on the GIMPA Law School campus, the ACLE facilitates four areas of programming: conferences and symposia, law school modules on legal ethics, executive education for practicing lawyers and judges, and the Legal Ethics Training Program for law students. The program benefits from the participation of Ghana's senior judiciary.

In 2019 White & Case was part of a team that took the Legal Ethics Training Program to Rwanda, teaching law students from 12 African countries and providing workshops for Rwandan lawyers and judges.

The curriculum covers a broad range of issues, including codes of ethics regulation and enforcement, the relationship between attorneys and judges, confidentiality and avoiding conflicts of interest. Using practical exercises in small group sessions, students learn how ethical rules are implemented in commercial law practice. Timely issues, such as business and human rights and differences in codes of ethics from students' countries, have informed the interactive program content. Dedicated sessions for high-level judiciary, experienced practitioners and academics allow them to share their different perspectives. This program has since become the first step in legal ethics education for many future lawyers from across Africa.

Coming full circle

The program's roots go back to 2016 when White & Case, Fordham Law School and GIMPA Law School together created and delivered a legal ethics training program in Accra, Ghana. The first of its kind, the program was well received by senior judiciary, the bar association and Ghanaian law school faculties. To help keep the focus on these issues, in 2017 White & Case again joined forces with Fordham Law School and GIMPA Law School to create the Ghana-based ACLE.

"As legal industry leaders, we have a duty to support the rule of law, support the highest ethical standards and ensure equivalent access to justice," says Dr. Kwaku Agyeman-Budu, Dean of GIMPA Law School. "The ACLE promotes and enables lawyers from across Africa to achieve these ambitions together. We have come full circle in five years—from the first partnership with Fordham and White & Case to full independence, managed and operated by GIMPA."

Photo by David Malan © Getty Images
Woman holding a beaded globe.