Building future?ready law firms

2026-01-22 11:26:13   |   Ms Yedidia Kamanzi

Building Future?Ready Law Firms: Dr. Pie’s Insights during the 30th East Africa Law Society Conference

At the 30th East Africa Law Society Conference, held from 26–30 November 2025 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Young Lawyers Forum convened under the theme “Preparing Law Firms for the Future: Strategies for Young Lawyers to Lead and Innovate.”

Amilex Partner, Dr. Pie Habimana, FCIArb, addressed participants on “Building Future?Ready Law Firms: Compliance, Consultancy, and Regional Competitiveness in the Digital Age.” His remarks offered practical guidance for young lawyers eager to shape the profession’s next chapter.

Three Pillars for Future?Ready Firms

Dr. Pie emphasized that tomorrow’s law firms must be built on three interconnected pillars: People, Tools, and Process.

1. Pillar One: People Success begins with the right people in the right positions. He outlined three essential layers:
2. Leadership level: visionaries with clear mindset and strategies to achieve long?term goals.
3. Managerial level: professionals who ensure work is executed effectively.
4. Technical level: experts with the technical and specialized skills to deliver results.

Beyond technical expertise, future lawyers must cultivate soft skills such as networking, communication, time management, and global and forward thinking. Inclusion and diversity, he stressed, are not optional but fundamental to sustainable growth.

1. Pillar Two: Tools Modern law firms require modern infrastructure. High?performance computers, reliable connectivity, and advanced softwares are indispensable. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is particularly imperatively transformative. Why waste time and energy for a poor outcome where AI would effectively and efficiently be helpful? However, Dr. Pie urged young lawyers to embrace AI thoughtfully: “From the classrooms to boardrooms, the question is not whether lawyers should use AI the question is how.” Properly deployed, AI can be a powerful asset; misused, it becomes a liability.
2. Pillar Three: Process Even with strong people and tools, firms falter without clear processes. Policies, standard operating procedures, delegation, and automation are essential to prevent resource misuse and ensure efficiency. A well?designed system defines who does what, when, and how, enabling firms to operate with precision and resilience.

Guiding the Next Generation

Dr. Pie’s coaching underscored Amilex’s commitment to empowering young lawyers with actionable strategies. By focusing on people, tools, and processes, he argued, law firms can position themselves not only to survive but to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital and regional landscape.