CLA News / NextGen Forum: Africa Legal Forum Session 2 From Expertise to Earnings

Stop selling legal knowledge. Start selling solutions. ⚖️💼

How can young lawyers turn expertise into earnings? That was the focus of Session 2 at the NextGen Forum in Kigali: From Expertise to Earnings: Monetising Legal Practice.

Peter Maynard, past President of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, explored how AI is reshaping legal services and billing models. Technology may change how lawyers work, but professional judgement, trust and problem-solving remain essential.

Adelaide Benneh Prempeh delivered a powerful message: clients don’t just buy knowledge — they buy outcomes.

Her advice to emerging lawyers?

🔹 Identify the problems your clients face — sometimes before they recognise them themselves.

🔹 Package your expertise into a clear service, with transparent fees and delivery timescales.

🔹 Price your value confidently.

🔹 Build lasting relationships and become a trusted source of ongoing support.

⚖️ Justice Harrison Mutabazi: Court reform and the future of legal practice

The discussion also explored the importance of court reform in improving the delivery of justice. Justice Harrison Mutabazi brought a judicial perspective to the conversation, highlighting the importance of developing more effective processes and addressing the challenges that affect access to timely justice.

For emerging lawyers, understanding how courts are evolving — and how reform can improve the resolution of disputes — is essential to identifying opportunities to deliver greater value to clients and the wider justice system.

The formula? Identify the problem. Package the solution. Price your value. Build trust.

As AI reshapes the profession and justice systems continue to evolve, commercial awareness, innovation and professional judgement are as important as legal expertise.

So, what problem does your expertise solve?