The 25-office, San Francisco-based firm became the first international legal practice to open up in the unliberalised market of Ivory Coast last month. It had gone through long, detailed discussions with the local authorities about the qualifications of its lawyers, it told The Financial Times. 

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The Ivorian bar association referred to the lawyers in a statement, adding: ‘The above named persons are reminded that fraudulent use of the title of ‘avocat’ in Côte d’Ivoire expose the said individuals to criminal prosecution and the Bar reserves its right to initiate proceedings to such effect.’ The association also said it was opposed to international law firms applying to practice via the route of ‘conseils juridiques’, so that ‘ they may de facto perform legal activities for and on behalf of such foreign-based firms in our country and operating outside of any control of our Bar Association and of the tax authorities’. Source: Financial Times