Desk Afrique

African Desk

Franklin’s special relationship with Africa goes back to the origins of the firm. This history is linked not only to the practice and the many cases handled in Africa, but also more generally to the personal and professional backgrounds of the firm’s members.

The attraction of Franklin and its lawyers to Africa reflects the specific nature of its teams and the skills that the firm has developed: some members of the firm have lived in or come from Africa and have always been keen to work there; others, through their own practice, are frequently involved in cases or projects on the continent.

Africa is too vast and diverse a continent for us to have a generic view of it and therefore claim to be developing a global or comprehensive practice. It is against this backdrop of great diversity, and in order to assist our African and non-African clients in the public, parastatal and private sectors, that we have been able to develop a particular experience, approach and expertise, largely but not exclusively focused on the OHADA zone. Our expertise also extends to other regions of the continent, including North Africa, Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean. We have also developed a solid network of partners (including local lawyers, financiers, economists, geo-strategists and diplomats) in all regions of Africa to increase our presence, proximity and availability across the continent.