From the Ground Up

The new free graduate development courses are part of a wider initiative started by Africa Legal to further the development and training of Africa’s young legal community, focusing on increasing their employability. This programme offers free courses covering foundational skills necessary to succeed in the legal field as well as a career advice series.

ALSA seeks to bridge the gap among African law students, unite them and coordinate their affairs, provide a platform for them to realise their potentials, develop their existing skills and help them acquire new ones. They want to create an avenue for law students to interact and network with fellow students and experienced practitioners from different jurisdictions across Africa. Africa Legal has the ability to provide another avenue for ALSA students to grow, connect and engage with Africa’s professional legal community from the start of their careers.

Africa Legal and ALSA both value the education and career development of Africa’s legal community. “It is crucial to start building the capacity of law students and ensure they are up to speed with expectations of legal services industry and changing practice demands. We have a dedicated team of ALSA international and chapter executive committee members and ambassadors working tirelessly to make this a reality” says Atiku M. Jafar, the Chairman of the International Council of ALSA.

With goals to improve access to affordable education and create employable young lawyers, this partnership could not have come at a better time.

“ALSA has the ability to create the largest law students’ association in the world, following in the footsteps of the European Law Students’ Association. We aim to have a network of law students who are better equipped with the requisite skills to help advance democratic values and the rudiments of legal practice across the continent. We believe that law students are conscious stakeholders in the process of policy formulation across Africa. The progression of human rights policy, for example, most likely lies in the hands of these talented and very ambitious law students,” Jafar explains.

To provide students with a fighting chance in the most competitive job market of our time, Africa Legal has developed two courses for the graduate community:

1. How to Draft your Legal CV

This course breaks down the best elements to incorporate in your legal CV. By following the advice from the hiring managers of leading firms Templars, Anjarwalla and Khanna, and Webber Wentzel, students gain insights on what firms are looking for in their new recruits.

A strong CV and covering letter is your first chance to impress a potential employer. It will help showcase the skills, expertise and attitude you would bring to the role and the organisation, giving you a chance to sell yourself, your knowledge, your experience and your personality.

1. Preparing for your first legal interview

Once you get through the first stage of applying for your new legal role, an interview is imminent. Attending an interview can be a daunting prospect; couple this with the various formats, possible questions and styles of interview, and it’s no wonder graduates feel overwhelmed. Even experienced lawyers often feel very nervous in this situation!

While you cannot be prepared for everything, you can develop your interview skills so that you become more comfortable with the uncertainty that comes with the process.

Africa legal is proud to begin its journey to facilitate the growth of the African legal community from where it all begins — with students, junior professionals and ALSA.

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