My IALS PhD Experience
What was your PhD topic?
Embedding Skills in African Customary Law and Culture in the LLB Curriculum: An Empirical Study of Pedagogical Approaches in Selected African University Law Schools
What attracted you to IALS?
IALS was already a familiar environment because of my experience using the library during my LLM studies at Queen Mary, University of London. As a post experience PhD candidate, IALS also provided a conducive atmosphere that enabled me to interact with experts in the fields related to my area of study. Perhaps even more importantly, IALS appeared to be the only institution in the UK where I was able to find a supervisor, Professor Emeritus Avrom Sherr, who was willing to work with me to develop my thesis on Africanisation of legal skills in legal education and training.
What is your fondest memory from your time at IALS?
I interacted with three Directors of the Institute, including Professor Emeritus and Woolf Professor of Legal Education, Avrom Sherr. They were all supportive in other endeavours not directly linked to my research. On several occasions, Director Jules Winterton and Professor Carl Stychin participated in training events and workshops that I was involved in at IALS’s affiliate in Ghana, the Ghana Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. Over the years I have also tapped into their professional networks in the UK and abroad. Meeting renowned experts such as Professor Emeriti William Twining and David Sugarman at IALS will always be an unforgettable experience because of their acclaimed work internationally.
What have you done since leaving IALS?
I continue to be involved with curriculum and regulatory reform efforts in legal education and training in Africa. I have also been collaborating with scholars in my field in the United States where I am currently based.
Anything else that you would like to add.
There have been numerous opportunities to develop other skills at IALS. Working as an Associate Editor of the IALS Law Review has enabled me to work collaboratively with other researchers at IALS to promote research in disciplines other than my own. More than anything else, Professor Emeritus Avrom Sherr helped me to refine my thoughts on an otherwise difficult subject and turned me into a scholar in the process. I think this was only possible because IALS provided the conditions for me to thrive in my academic endeavours.