Africa has received its fair share of coverage in the legal press in recent months, thanks to the interest being shown in the continent by international law firms. While challenges still remain, there is plenty of optimism about the future of the continent. At The African Legal Awards, hosted by Legal Week last month, George Bizos, the human rights lawyer who defended Nelson Mandela at his trial and later became a personal friend, struck an upbeat note by proclaiming his faith in the South African constitution, which, he said, may protect the assets of the wealthy but also upholds the rights of the poor. He added pointedly: “Some of my fellow South Africans say that nothing has changed – they are quite wrong.”
Looking back over his career, Bizos praised South Africa’s apartheid-era lawyers – and also some of its judges – for the part many of them played in fighting the regime. Looking forward, and beyond the confines of South Africa, the continent’s lawyers have an equally important role to play not only in helping to ensure that its development takes place within the bounds of the law, but also to make sure that the benefits of the inward investment it is receiving are spread widely. There was evidence of this happening in the entries to the awards. GE’s legal team, for example, has built four hubs in East, West, Southern and Lusophone Africa, and is looking to expand in Nigeria, Mozambique and Ghana through local hires.
