DLA Piper made the following announcement on April 11:
New Perimeter, DLA Piper's nonprofit affiliate that provides long-term pro bono legal assistance in under-served regions around the world, recently conducted a three-day training on special economic zones at the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
The course was held April 3-5 for graduate law students from across Africa who are earning a master's degree (LL.M.) in international trade and investment law in Africa. New Perimeter designed the course to train African law students on special economic zones as a tool for attracting foreign direct investment and increasing development. This marks the ninth year a global team of DLA Piper lawyers has delivered the course, which runs on alternative years at the University of Pretoria and the University of the Western Cape.
"We were thrilled to once again have the opportunity to work with a talented and driven group of graduate law students eager to delve into the policy implications of special economic zones," said Suzanna Brickman, pro bono counsel for DLA Piper who managed the project. "Throughout the program, they were enthusiastic and thoroughly engaged with the material, and we hope that the training provided these future leaders with valuable insight that they will bring back to their home countries."
The interactive course is designed to expose students to the concepts and mechanics of special economic zones, including their benefits and constraints as a policy tool, and to encourage critical thought about the legal, policy and regulatory issues in international trade and investment law. The course incorporates real life examples and equips students with the tools and knowledge to act as future trade and policy advisors in their home countries.
Professor Daniel Bradlow and Dr. Oyeniyi Abe, who run the LL.M. program at the University of Pretoria, said: "Each year the SEZ module taught by DLA Piper is one of the highlights of the LLM program. The students enjoy learning about SEZs, appreciate the pedagogical approach taken by the DLA Piper team and value the opportunity to interact with a team of legal practitioners from one law firm but a number of different jurisdictions."
The DLA Piper team that participated in the training included Jeffrey Sheehy, Emilie Barton (both of Brisbane), Martin Schaefermeier, Chris Dolan (both of Washington, DC), Alex Clamon (Dubai), Jamie MacDonald and Lungelo Magubane (both of Johannesburg). Members of the team located outside of South Africa participated via videoconference. In addition, Professor Jim Coleman, a senior director at Oxford Policy Management who specializes in spatial economic development and urban revitalization, assisted with the training from DLA Piper's London office.
The announcement can be found here.