By Oyindamola Oyeduntan
Many things have struck me since arriving in London to take part in the ILFA Programme. The greatest impression made on me during this programme has been the platform given to me to meet the other African lawyers participating in the programme. I have observed my colleagues and had conversations with many of them about previous achievements and work or other initiatives they are currently involved in back home. I have been left amazed and impressed at the fact that ILFA has managed to bring together some of the brightest minds in Africa.
Before participating in this programme, I did not know too much about other African countries however, one of the first things I did after arriving for the programme and interacting with my colleagues was to download an image of the map of the world and make this my laptop screensaver. I now study Africa daily – my interest and passion for the continent has been sparked and is growing daily. I am beginning to realise more and more the great potential in my continent and the fact that I as any other African of my generation, have a role to play to enable Africa to achieve its potential.
I also realise the privilege of having brilliant lawyers from some of the top law firms in the world providing priceless hours of training for an intense two and a half weeks and the opportunity to work at a UK-based international law firm and experience first-hand working life at such institutions. My best moments were when my colleagues and I bombarded leading City lawyers with practical questions and listening to their brilliant and equally practical responses.
Another important, albeit less profound, discovery has been experiencing London not as a tourist or as a student, but as a legal professional. This has been a totally new experience – right from the commute to work to experiencing the English preference for consuming bread!
I have always nursed a dream to be part of ILFA and I am especially glad it became a reality this year. While it hasn’t been an all smooth journey, battling homesickness, experiencing and managing cultural shock (both African and Western) and navigating through the new working environment in such a short time, it has all been worth it and I know that invaluable connections have been made during this period which I hope to keep and develop over the coming years. If that is all I manage to take away from ILFA then I will say the programme has been a huge success.
