Kent Law School PhD student Damilola Odetola has been named the winner of a prestigious essay prize established by Magic Circle law firm Slaughter and May.
Damilola won the firm’s inaugural African Essay Prize for her essay on the question ‘What can customary law teach the “modern” world?’ As well as being awarded £2,000 in prize money,Damilola has won a work placement at the firm.
In her essay, Damilola explored the “profound and timely lessons” offered by customary law, including its flexible application to commercial contexts, and was unanimously awarded the top prize with judges citing her stimulating and well-researched work.
Slaughter and May is an international commercial law firm with offices in London, Brussels, Hong Kong and Beijing. The company launched the competition in November, giving students the opportunity to demonstrate their commercial and legal skills in an African context.
Africa is described by Slaughter and May as an increasingly important part of their practice. Many of the firm’s clients have operations in African jurisdictions and it is frequently necessary for the firm to find solutions to challenging legal issues in Africa, in collaboration with outstanding local law firms across the continent. Slaughter and May also provides advice to various African governments.
The Slaughter and May Africa Essay Prize was intended to stimulate debate among university students around the important issues to which African commerce and law give rise. Students were invited to submit an essay of no more than 1,000 words on one of two questions. The alternative question to the one selected by Damilola was ‘What challenges does the end of the commodities boom pose for Africa?’. More than 100 entries were submitted.