ESQ Legal Practice Magazine JUNE 2014 EDITION | Page 15

D.C. LAW FIRMS
LOOK TO AFRICA
FOR NEW BUSINESS

B

uilding a hotel in
Ethiopia. Writing
contracts between
African governments
and petroleum
producers. Bringing together
public and private money to
build sewers and roads.

where the firm has about 25
lawyers, and their
backgrounds represent a
snapshot of the kinds of legal
work U.S. law firms are
seeking in Africa.

McAllister, who chairs the
group, is the former lead
Opportunities for U.S. law
lawyer of the U.S. Agency for
firms to consult on projects in International Development
African nations are growing,
and helped author the law
and companies here and
that created the African
abroad are increasingly
Development Foundation, a
turning to law firms to help do government program that
deals, navigate regulations
offers grants to groups that
and develop infrastructure
help create jobs and raise
projects, say leaders of the
income levels in Africa.
new Africa practice group at
Richardson, a former
Williams Mullen.
diplomat, represents
developers that build
In his first year, Ken Asbury
transportation and other
has made the largest
acquisition in the contractor's infrastructure systems. Suarez
specializes in import and
history.
export laws, an area of
increasing importance as trade
and investment between
The Richmond-based law
firm, a top 200 U.S. firm with African nations and the rest of
about 250 attorneys, is one of a the world are poised to grow.
handful of major U.S. law
“The continent is becoming a
firms that have recently
fast-growing economy with a
created practice groups
middle class and tons of
specifically to chase business
opportunities for the U.S. and
in Africa, which they see as
Africa with trade, government
the new frontier for U.S.
relations and infrastructure
companies to expand and
projects,” McAllister said.
invest because of a growing
middle class there. Covington Several African countries —
& Burling, the District's largest including Sierra Leone, Niger,
law firm, last fall hired Witney Ivory Coast, Liberia and EthioSchneidman, a former adviser pia — are among the fasteston African policy to President growing in the world,
Bill Clinton and President
Obama, to launch its Africa
initiative. Greenberg Traurig
last year brought on Jude
Kearney, a corporate attorney
who led Patton Boggs'
international business practice
group, to develop Greenberg's
Africa practice.

according to an April report
issued by the World Bank.
Excluding South Africa, the
region's largest economy, GDP
in sub-Saharan countries grew
5.8 percent in 2012, compared
to global GDP growth of 2.3
percent.

has focused his practice on
Africa for several years. As
growth across the continent
became more sustainable,
more law firms began taking
notice, he said.

“It used to be that New York
and Washington firms might
focus a bit on Africa, but now
firms with any amount of
The Obama administration
substantial commercial
last month announced an
initiative, Power Africa, aimed activity, particularly in certain
industries, have at least begun
at expanding access to
to consider Africa as a region
electricity to 20 million new
of activity,” Kearney said. “If
households in Ethiopia,
you're a firm with clients that
Ghana, Kenya, Liberia,
are internationally active,
Nigeria and Tanzania. The
you'd have to be almost
initiative will be funded
largely by government-backed willfully ignoring Africa not to
lenders, but opens the door for focus on it. The time is now.”
law firms — which advise on Oil and gas, mining and
virtua