Here at Hook Tangaza, we believe that strong regulatory and legislative frameworks make for stable and thriving states, buoyant economies, and thereby underpin healthy societies.
We specifically align our work with seven of the Sustainable Development Goals, including that of Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. In support of this aim, we have strong relationships with regulators, legislative bodies and legal professionals around the world. These relationships allow us to spot opportunities for development, and share best practice, in emerging and established legal environments.
We saw one such opportunity for development in Africa. Professional networks, associations and membership bodies contributing to ongoing professional development are commonplace in some countries but this is not the case globally.
Professional associations bridge the gap between private sector interests, which are specific to a particular business, and the interests of regulators in offering consumer protection or competition in a particular sector. For lawyers working in-house, such organisations can serve as a reminder that they are bound by common underlying professional values, and have made a commitment to protect the public interest and serve justice, even if this means delivering unpalatable truths to their employers, whether in the public or private sector. Lawyers who have well-developed skills and networks and who can understand how to add value to their employers, are in turn also better placed to act as their employers’ ethical compass.
In response to the absence of a professional association for African lawyers working in-house in corporates and the public sector, we set up The Africa Corporate and Government Counsel Forum (AGCG) with LaReine Gold Consulting in 2019. The AGCG was designed to create a connected, innovative and enabled in-house legal community that contributes to Africa’s growth and prosperity.
Specifically, ACGC aims to equip in-house lawyers working within corporate organisations and the public sector across Africa with knowledge and insights on important issues that build their capacity to deliver effectively in their roles. Further, it aims to ensure that lawyers working in African corporates and government departments have meaningful opportunities to discuss and debate what the future holds and how they can contribute to the growth of their companies and governments, their own personal development and that of the legal profession as a whole. It also creates opportunities for networking and learning opportunities with lawyers and law firms across the continent and beyond who partner with the association to build build relationships with an important client-base.
Over the last two years, ACGC has provided events, information and a newsletter to a broad community of in-house counsel across the continent. ACGC recognises the evolution that has occurred in relation to in-house roles across the continent with increased cross-border trade, growing foreign direct investment and the rise of new sectors all of which has been challenged by the Covid-19 pandemic over the last year.
To date, over 10 African and international law firms are regular partners of ACGC providing training, sponsorship and other support for its activities. ACGC also collaborates with other in-house lawyer associations internationally including the Federation of Indian Corporate Lawyers; the US-based BlackGC2025; Corporate Legal Operations Consortium and the UK-based O-Shaped Lawyer.
Download a printable introduction to ACGC here
Find out more about our support for Professional Associations and Membership Bodies here
