Contributing to the future: Nigerian and Rwandan rising stars honoured at cross-border event on lawyers’ roles in an interconnected Africa and world

Being one of six emerging lawyers to receive African Young Lawyers Excellence Awards, announced at the Cross-Border Legal Practice Fireside in Port Harcourt last week, was "testament to the value of hard work, consistency, dedication, and the importance of remaining committed to excellence in the legal profession", said Olaide Awwal-Bolanta, of leading African law firm Olaniwun Ajayi LP,

"This award is both an honour and a responsibility, to continue learning, growing, contributing, and inspiring the next generation of African lawyers," shared Olaide, a regulatory compliance associate who is also an accomplished legal writer and researcher, and previously served as a law lecturer at Ekiti State University, "Thank you for the recognition. The journey continues."

Alongside Olaide, who advises and represents local and cross-border clients on a range of legal and regulatory matters, five other African legal rising stars were honoured with African Young Lawyers Excellence Awards during the Cross-Border Legal Practice Fireside event, which was designed to advance the legal profession’s role in the African Continental Free Trade Act (AfCFTA) era: 

• Phoebe Kayitesi, who has worked as a banking and finance attorney at Shield Associates and in-house as a Legal Office at NCBA Bank Rwanda;

• Ayomide George Akinmolafe, an associate at Rotimi Adabembe & Co in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, who is particularly interested in arbitration, cross-border legal practice, and international legal cooperation;

• Innocent C Ukata, the Managing Counsel of BLu Crestlaw Advocates in Lagos, a firm built on the conviction that the law, wielded with integrity, is one of the most powerful tools for social and economic transformation;

• Tamilore Adeogun, who works at the practical intersection of technology enablement, legal practice, and digital compliance, and is an Associate Partner at Clearwater Partners in Ado-Ekiti; and

• Keza Ntaganda Lys, a Senior Associate at Probity Partners East Africa in Rwanda, celebrated for her leadership in litigation, corporate law and intellectual property.

Receiving such recognition at the Cross-Border Legal Practice Fireside was more than a personal milestone, said Phoebe Kayitesi. “It is a reminder of the responsibility we, as young African lawyers, have to contribute to the growth and transformation of the legal profession across the continent.”

Organised by GL Agbomoagan LP, the Cross-Border Legal Practice Fireside in Port Harcourt gathered African and international practitioners to examine the changing demands of legal practice as trade, investment, technology, finance, and commercial relationships increasingly extend beyond national jurisdictions.

Held during the weeklong 66th Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference, the event provided “valuable insights on the future of legal practice in Africa,” said Phoebe. Organisers said that alongside in-person attendees, hundreds of other lawyers participated virtually through Zoom and LinkedIn, “demonstrating the growing appetite among African legal practitioners for conversations about the future and internationalisation of the profession”.

“Among my key takeaways were the importance of developing a specialized area of expertise, building cross-border legal competence, embracing international practice opportunities, committing to lifelong learning, cultivating strong professional networks, participating in global legal engagements, and creating opportunities for the next generation of legal professionals”, shared Phoebe.

One of the strongest messages to emerge from the gathering, say organisers, was a demand from participants that the initiative should not be limited to a once-a-year event. Participants called for the Cross-Border Legal Practice Fireside to continue as an ongoing platform for dialogue, professional development, networking, recognition and opportunity creation. There was also a strong call for the initiative to move beyond Nigeria and be taken across Africa, allowing lawyers in different jurisdictions to participate in the conversation and contribute their perspectives on the future of African legal practice.

Alongside the six African Young Lawyers Excellence Awards presented at the Cross-Border Legal Practice Fireside, 16 Nigerian Law School students received scholarships under the Lugard Agbomoagan Law School Scholarship Scheme.

The scheme is intended to help deserving students meet the financial demands associated with legal education and professional qualification. For Agbomoagan, supporting young lawyers begins before qualification; it requires creating opportunities for promising future lawyers to successfully enter the profession.

The overall response to this year’s Cross-Border Legal Practice Fireside in Port Harcourt reinforces the central idea behind the initiative: that the future of African legal practice must be shaped by African lawyers themselves, says Agbomoagan.