Clifford Chance has just hosted a two-day event which was attended by about 60 law firms from over half the countries in Africa. The meeting was intended to build closer links between the Clifford Chance Africa team and those lawyers with whom it works regularly in the continent. 

Clients want access to Africa

Malcolm Sweeting, Clifford Chance's senior partner, told Legal Week: "Clients now, more than ever, want access to deep understanding of the complexities and nuances of the African investment landscape." The firm opened its first African office in 2011 in Morocco. Clifford Chance has recently published a paper on the Congo in which it says "the potential is enormous", predicting 7 per cent GDP growth per annum. 

Meanwhile DLA Piper is also working on a new Africa strategy through deeper links with its network there. Nigeria is its priority initially but it has 11 firms across 11 countries in Arica from Rwanda to Ethiopia. Legal Week reports that DLA Piper CEO Nigel Knowles is hoping to formulate strategy by the end of August.