Episode 1 of 'Life and Lessons in Law' with James Kamau, Chair, DLA Piper Africa

In this Africa Legal podcast titled Life, Lessons and Law, a new series in partnership with DLA Piper Africa, expert lawyer James Kamau chats to Tom Pearson about legal education in Africa. Even with 30 years’ experience as a corporate and projects lawyer James Kamau, managing partner at Kenyan law firm IKM, and chair of DLA Piper Africa, still considers himself a student of human nature. Kamau wants to share the lessons and skills that he has learned along the way with the new generation of lawyers, who would otherwise find it difficult to break out of the mould. “I've come to realise that the practice of law involves human interactions. It involves a lot more than what I was taught in law school and much more than what I thought when I joined the legal practice 30 years ago,” explained Kamau. “During that time, I had been sharpened to be a courtroom lawyer equipped with legal knowledge, but what I realised was more useful, was how to get a client to trust me with their work.” Kamau’s passion to empower the next generation is evident in his conversation with Tom as he details the challenges the youth of today encounter and offers solutions for overcoming these hurdles. “People who come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and marginalised communities cannot access education at the secondary level because they have to drop out of school to help their families. These people have not had an opportunity to join what is considered in Africa to be a prestigious profession, a profession that changes lives and the fortunes not just of individuals, but families and communities,” he says. Other factors that add to this, says Kamau, are the cost of education and the quality of training and mentorship. However, he is confident that a concerted effort in a multi-pronged approach that involves the legal education system, government, the private sector as well as local and international law firms would strengthen the legal practice across Africa. The DLA Piper Headstart Africa programme, in collaboration with DLA Piper Africa, Kenya’s IKM Foundation, is already paving the way in this arena.