White & Case, The African Center on Law & Ethics at GIMPA Law School, Fordham Law School and Strathmore Law School Host Conference On Legal Ethics In Kenya

Global law firm White & Case LLP, along with the African Center on Law & Ethics (ACLE) at GIMPA Law School, Fordham Law School and Strathmore Law School, announces a three-day ethics conference and workshop titled, "Ethical Foundations of Legal Education: The Future of Access to Justice in Africa," which will be held from July 10 to 12 at Strathmore Law School in Nairobi, Kenya.

More than 35 heads of law schools or their appointees, from 12 African countries, will participate in the program. By bringing together law school deans from around the continent, the conference aims to foster a growing commitment to legal ethics through curriculum development, research, scholarship and training. Participants will come from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. More than 80 law students from Kenya will also participate.

The conference is the latest event organized by the Firm to help facilitate a growing commitment to legal ethics through research, scholarship and training in Africa. The first ethics training program was held in Ghana in 2016 and the program later moved to Rwanda in 2019.

Professor Paolo Galizzi, Clinical Professor of Law at Fordham Law School, said, "It is particularly rewarding to partner on this initiative with the ACLE, initially established by White & Case and Fordham Law School in 2017 with GIMPA Law School, which continues to manage ACLE. We are proud to expand ACLE's work to this new stage, which lays the foundation for more students to be exposed to legal ethics education."

The three-day conference includes two days of interactive panels and dialogue with heads of law schools throughout Africa to explore the current state of legal ethics education in African law schools and best practices for integrating sustainable legal ethics courses into curriculum. It will also cover the principles and rules central to professional legal practice.

Dr. Peter Kwenjera, Dean Emeritus of Strathmore Law School, added, "We are proud to host our colleagues from across Africa for this conference in Nairobi. We hope participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the pivotal role of legal ethics education in shaping the professional identity of future legal leaders, and that the conference will serve as a catalyst for building effective and fair legal systems across the region."

Speakers includes prominent lawyers, judges and academics from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda, as well as Fordham Law School, White & Case partner and General Counsel Jennifer Paradise, London partner and Chair of the Firm's Global Citizenship Committee Melissa Butler and Director of Global Citizenship Elizabeth Black.

The final day of the conference and workshop will include innovative exercises with law students from more than nine Kenyan universities as well as the Kenya School of Law to test the curriculum and pedagogical teaching methods. These practical exercises, conducted in small groups, will address cross-border issues related to legal codes of ethics, regulation and enforcement, attorney-judge relationships, confidentiality and conflict of interest avoidance.

Jennifer Paradise, who helped organize the conference and prepare the program's curriculum, said, "We have designed the curriculum to incorporate real-world scenarios so that students can more easily apply their training to manage situations that may arise in their careers. Instilling a strong sense of legal ethics in future lawyers is increasingly important so that they are prepared to navigate complex legal landscapes while upholding justice and integrity."

About the African Centre on Law & Ethics, GIMPA Law School

The African Centre on Law & Ethics (ACLE) was initially established in 2017 by White & Case, Fordham Law School and GIMPA Law School, to help facilitate a growing commitment to legal ethics through research, scholarship and training. Now, ACLE is wholly independent and managed by the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Law School in Accra, Ghana. The ACLE focuses on four areas of programming: conferences and symposia; law school curriculum modules on legal ethics; executive education for practicing lawyers and judges; and a Legal Ethics Training Program for law students.

About Fordham Law School

Situated in New York City, the global epicenter of business and culture, Fordham Law School cultivates the collaborative community, intellectual curiosity, professional craft, and commitment to service vital to creating lawyers and legal scholars who can move our profession, society and world forward. Follow Fordham Law School on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Strathmore Law School

Situated in Nairobi, Kenya, Strathmore Law School is guided by a commitment to pursue justice and aims to inspire students to be change agents. Strathmore Law is the ideal place for the new generation of law students. Strathmore Law's academic and administrative team provide every student with outstanding legal education to cultivate excellent professional competence. See more details on Strathmore Law School's website or on X.

About White & Case

White & Case is a leading global law firm with lawyers in 44 offices across 30 countries. Among the first US-based law firms to establish a truly global presence, it provides counsel and representation in virtually every area of law that affects cross-border business. Our clients value both the breadth of our global network and the depth of our US, English and local law capabilities in each of our regions, and rely on us for their complex cross-border transactions, as well as their representation in arbitration and litigation proceedings. To learn more about the Firm, our work on behalf of clients, and our Global Pro Bono Practice, take a look at our Global Citizenship pages at www.whitecase.com.

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