What were you doing before the MCL?
I had just transitioned from an in-house counsel role into private practice with a highly regarded law firm in Accra, Ghana as a corporate and commercial lawyer. Additionally, I was running a not-for-profit law clinic with a special focus on startups. On account of these, I needed to sharpen my skill set and improve my advisory capacity; hence my pursuit of the MCL.
What were your impressions of the MCL?
As a short but intense programme, the MCL checked all the boxes for me. I was able to study a combination of modules that suited me, thanks to the flexibility to cherry-pick from the rich catalogue on offer. The year-long Deals course in particular equipped me with the ability to structure deals methodically in a way that ensures all material risks are comprehensively considered and adequately addressed. I very much enjoyed working on live and complex deals under the guidance of our excellent professors, and the interactions with leading magic and silver circle practitioners that followed each deal were invaluable. Those sessions provided a chance to draw from the practitioners’ extensive experience, gave an insight into their thought patterns and also presented an opportunity for students to measure up their performance against some of the industry greats. One came off wishing that those sessions had occurred more frequently or lasted much longer than they did. Perhaps that is something the Faculty might want to consider in future.
Also, the outstanding facilities at the Law Faculty (including the Squire Law Library and online resources) were conducive to effective study and research. And, of course, my whole experience was further enriched by the sheer intelligence of my cohort with whom I have formed friendships that will last a lifetime. To say I was super-satisfied with the MCL programme would be an understatement.
What are your post-MCL plans and have they changed due to taking the MCL?
I plan to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales to enable me practice here for a while. And I look forward to remotely providing continuous support to Ghanaian startups to help scale up their businesses.
