Longstanding values of integrity, serving clients and being a professional in the truest sense remain vital, even as the modern world is constantly evolving, say Samir Inamdar, Julius Wako and Harpreet Ubhi of CMS Kenya | Daly Inamdar Advocates (CMS Kenya).
“The idea of being straight and honest with anyone you interact with has been ingrained for three generations,” says Samir, the managing partner of CMS Kenya, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in late September. “When clients come to us, they’re going to leave their problems behind, because we’re there now to help them sort out their dispute or transaction.”
The firm now known as CMS Kenya has served clients in East Africa in various forms ever since two Irish lawyers set up practice in 1899. In 2016, Samir’s family firm in Mombasa, itself nearly a century old, merged with Nairobi-based Daly & Figgis. Three years later they expanded further by joining with European-based CMS, marrying deep local knowledge with a global outlook.
“The firm has been through several iterations, and I’ve seen partners come and go and yet we still remain resilient, remain strong and, dare I say it, we’re thriving,” commented Harpreet, a pioneering female equity partner who began with Daly & Figgis as a pupil twenty years ago, made partner in 2011, and now heads the Real Estate & Construction Department. “Now more than ever, I am really proud to call myself a partner of CMS Kenya and to be part of this. It’s a moment of pride to say you’ve seen the firm go through these recent decades.”
Samir, Julius and Harpreet note that the only constant is that the law is always evolving. Although they recently celebrated CMS Kenya’s timeless values and strong roots – including its “legacy of trust, integrity and unparalleled service”, unwavering commitment, and role in shaping the legal landscape – they emphasise that the firm’s lawyers are continually developing with an eye to the future and helping clients with fresh challenges and changing landscapes.
“You have to keep your ear out for the latest laws, training, what people are feeling, and what the new generation is thinking about and focused on,” said Julius, Co-Head of Corporate Commercial at CMS Kenya, who originally joined Daly & Figgis two decades ago. “Keeping in touch with what is current is very important, and that’s really a continuing conversation.”
Serving clients with excellence remains key, and the challenge for everyone, say Samir, Julius and Harpreet, is to keep doing so while being receptive to the many changes in our modern world.
“You can’t be in the service profession without being other-orientated,” said Julius, noting that it's also vital for lawyers to learn the distinction between being client-focused and client-led.
“If you’re going to be a good lawyer, you will never be client-led,” agreed Samir, who has nearly forty years in practice, spanning London, Nairobi, and Mombasa. “Lawyers need to be able to exercise a degree of independence, objectivity, perhaps dispassion even, to advise their clients properly and in their best interests. This is something clients may not realise at the time.”
Becoming part of the global CMS network has allowed the firm to share knowledge and train its younger lawyers at an even greater level, with Samir praising the recent CMS Academy as a great opportunity for African associates to upskill and develop their practices, and Harpreet calling the 2019 merger a milestone. “We’ve been one of the top Kenyan firms, but you have to innovate, otherwise you become a dinosaur, and joining CMS was an innovation. We were joining the league of international law firms around the world.”