Kieran White (Baker McKenzie) has been volunteering in the Gambia this month. We caught up with him to ask him a few questions about the trip and his motivations for volunteering with ISLP.
1) Kieran, what are you doing in the Gambia, what’s your role and who are you scheduled to meet?
I am in the Gambia as a volunteer for ISLP, representing a team of Baker McKenzie lawyers that are currently assisting on a pro bono basis the Public Private Partnership Unit within the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs with the drafting of their public-private partnership law. The team has been working on a first draft for a while, so ISLP and Baker McKenzie have decided to schedule a meeting with the PPP Unit to discuss the open points and, hopefully, finalize the draft as soon as feasible. During the week, we will meet with representatives from the PPP Unit, as well as with other Gambian stakeholders that might have an interest, or might be affected, by the law.
2) What drew you to volunteering with ISLP?
Baker McKenzie has pro bono policy that it implements across its offices. Living in Africa I am critically aware of the needs to ensure that LDC in Africa are given the opportunity to address their deficits in infrastructure in order to improve the living conditions of local citizens and eradicate poverty.
3) How do you think this kind of work adds to your own professional development or alternatively/concurrently how valuable do you think the kind of work you are doing is?
In general, Baker McKenzie has an African strategy in terms of which it seeks to operate across a broad range of African countries and increase its knowledge and expertise in order to assist not only the particular countries but also its international client base, who would be interested in pursuing opportunities in African countries.
From a personal perspective, instead, one of the reasons why I am pursuing a career in law was to ensure that every
body has equal opportunities and fair treatment, which is a value in which I strongly believe. By being involved in the development of infrastructure projects, or projects as the one that I am currently pursuing with ISLP, you get the opportunity to see visible benefits, as well as the practical beneficial impact of your work.
A huge thanks to Kieran for sharing his thoughts with us!
