A Hike? A Marathon? What is life like in 2021?

A shallow valley in Shimabala, Kafue District.

It’s February 2021! We had all hoped this year would be a new dawn! Alas, even more uncertainty! But, don’t look so deflated just yet.

In 2020, life and work as we have known it slowed down and, in some respects, came to a grinding halt. All of a sudden we couldn’t run at the lightning speed that 21st Century humans have become accustomed to or at any speed whatsoever.

A marathon is often used as an analogy for life but if you ask me, the COVID-19 pandemic has made life feel a lot like an intense hiking trip. Have you ever been on one? Let me walk you through what I’ve experienced:

The hikes usually start off with a bunch of early birds happily chirping away the first few kilometers. This is usually because this part of the trail is well-trodden and easy to navigate. Relatively smooth and hardly any real elevation.

The trail, however, narrows and becomes increasingly shrouded by overgrown grass and entangled branches. If, for some reason, a hiker doesn’t notice the rising elevation, their legs will be sure to get the memo. The initial chatter starts to fade. In that moment nothing matters more than making sure that they don’t slip, misstep, or worse, cramp and twist an ankle. The hikers get present, taking in the breathtaking view the heightened position has gifted them.

An ‘entanglement’ during the dry season in Forest Reserve 27 in New Kasama, Lusaka

The flip side is that the hikers are now tired. Its a steep climb up and a long way back. A literal rock and hard place. They may have even run into a few dead ends and or ended up on trails that don’t lead to where they intend on going. The real adventure and test of endurance has now set in. They get edgy and opt for moments of complete silence to avoid a squabble. In my opinion, the moments of silence are crucial and fuel what happens next.

The hikers start to find a renewed energy. They are no longer chirpy little birds. They are now a flock, calling out to each other, making sure that their steps are in sync and that not a single person has been left too far behind. What now matters most is that they all get to the top of the hill.

At the top of the hill they feel invincible! Everything they can see below has shrunk and doesn’t seem as challenging as it did before. The cuts and bruises suddenly feel less sore – a trophy to show for their grit. Dozens of Instagram worthy pictures are taken. It has been a day time well spent.

Maybe for some time now you’ve been coasting in your career or life in general, this might not cut it in 2021. Pre-pandemic we could get away with being mechanical and detached. After all, its a well trodden trail, there isn’t much effort or concentration needed there.

The full proof 5 or 10 year plan has now been obscured by uncertainty. The two (seemingly) separate worlds of work and home are all tangled up into one and are harder to navigate. We have encountered some dead ends in trying to adapt. We can’t go back to ‘normal life’ just yet and pushing forward just seems to get more complicated by the day.

We started #DearRookie because we want to see a time when lawyers of varied experience move as a flock. Now more than ever we need to hurdle together, push a little harder and make sure that no one is left too far behind. The ones that are ahead helping the others to avoid sliding rocks.

Frustrations are bound to come. Differing opinions are the order of the day in our line of work. It is our hope that we’ll all take some ‘moments of silence’ to introspect.

We all want the same thing. To get to the top without the regrets of not having enjoyed the journey! To be present in the moment and not miss opportunities for growth. To savour the moment and embrace the joy of discovery. The joy of marking out a trail. What a legacy!

We have been running on our individual paths and they have brought us so far. What if, even just for the here and now, we allow ourselves to walk with others!? My guess!? We might just fall in love with hiking.

So is life like a marathon or a hike?! Well, the jury’s still out on that one!

Emmanuela

Overcome the fear of trying – Maggie Kaunda

Having just ended Women’s month, we decided to shine the spotlight on one of our inspirations here at Dear Rookie Advocate; Mrs. Maggie Kaunda. A true example of achieving purpose with focus and determination.

Maggie Kaunda is the Deputy Managing Director of the Zambia Airports Corporation Limited, currently acting as Managing Director. She serves as the Chairperson of the Zambia State Insurance Pension Trust Board of Trustees and is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in International Trade Law and Policy at Lund University in Sweden.

How did you land where you are today?

By the grace of God. I also believe that it is a result of hard work and focus on the goal which is to be and do the best that I can regardless of the position I hold at any given time.

Is this where you thought you would be at this point of your life?

Not quite actually. My career has at times taken some twists and turns that I had never imagined.

Who are the people that have made the biggest difference in your career?

My husband has been an amazing pillar of strength and encouragement. Often sacrificing his own ambition over mine. Also, my mentors and friends have been very supportive and cheering me on at every turn even when I doubted myself.

Are they people you deliberately sought out or did you just meet them along the way?

I can say without a doubt that I deliberately sought each person out although I can attest to how God’s invisible hand was at times at work even though I thought I was the one in control.

What has been the proudest moment of your career?

Being asked to act in the highest position of the Corporation that I work for in 2018, for close to a year and executing the role with grace.

What was your biggest failure and how did you deal with it?

Self doubt in my abilities at times. I sought knowledge and wisdom and I found them. I am still a work in progress, growing by day and leaning in.

What does success look like to you?

Success to me is focusing on a goal but being aware of the process of getting there, celebrating the wins and learning from the losses. Also knowing that I do not have to know everything but embracing the team and celebrating each one’s strength.

How has your definition of success transformed over your career?

It has greatly transformed because I previously focused only on the goal and now, I have embraced the process as well.

Is there anything you’ve had to give up in order to get where you are today?

Yes, a number of things. The biggest one though has been having to give up time with my family for long periods of time to engage in my studies or work late nights to beat deadlines when I would have rather been home with them.

What is one thing people would be surprised to learn about your career path?

That I never imagined that I would move away from Corporate Law to being more operations, strategy and technical services based.

What is the toughest feedback you’ve ever received and how did you handle it?

That I was biased in my perception of an issue because I may have been conflicted. I took a step back and introspected. After introspection, I was convinced that I was not biased but appreciated the feedback and communicated this accordingly.

What do you wish you knew 10 years ago?

That not even the sky is the limit and that I could be anything that I set out to be if I wanted to.

What would you do differently if given the opportunity?

I would be more confident in my abilities and take some risks knowing that if I failed, I would still learn.

How do you approach work-life balance?

I make deliberate time with my family and do other things apart from work

What skills does a Rookie Advocate need to move ahead in the legal profession?

Understanding one’s role. Knowing where to find the law and knowing who to call when stuck.

What is a common mistake you keep correcting among Rookie Advocates you’ve encountered over the years?

The fear of trying and the thought that need to know it all.

Do you have any tips for networking/building professional relationships?

Taking part in LAZ (The Law Association of Zambia) activities is a good place to start. Also there are a lot of other networks around the country and the world that can be used for this. LAZ can connect one to most under the Legal profession. E.g IBA (The International Bar Association), SADC Lawyers Association, (Southern African Development Community) etc

Please recommend a book or resource that you think every lawyer should read?

I cannot think of any Legal resource off the top of my head right now but can recommend books such as “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandburg as self help especially for women and a strategy book called “Blue Ocean Shift” by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

To Advocate or to Counsel? That is the question!

Dear Rookie Advocate,

Ever wondered why we are admitted to the Bar as Advocates but referred to as ‘Counsel’? What does giving people advice and guidance got to do with advocacy? Aren’t there enough psychologists to talk people through their challenges? Why can’t we just do what we were called (to the Bar) to do? To advocate, to champion our Client’s cause!

The Advocate is the caricature of a lawyer’s job. Pop culture rarely depicts a lawyer as a poised Counselor that helps their Clients to get to an amicable resolution. This is why our families and friends think that our daily work life is one epic episode of ‘Suits’ after another. We do, however, know that that couldn’t be further from the truth. Or at least we should know.

Should we be advocating for advocacy’s sake? If we are honest, a good number of the cases and applications that flood the Courts should have been an email thread, phone conversation or the good ol’ sit down. If we haven’t taken the time to be a real Counselor to our Clients, are we really championing their cause or only what we have hurriedly concluded is their cause?

What is to us just another Court appearance is often a life altering experience for our Clients. Some Clients come to us with a mixed bag of emotions, literally on the verge of a breakdown and desperately in need of legal guidance. They have no interest in taking the front row seat at the battle of wits between two overzealous Advocates.

While we are not trained to give emotional support, giving legal advice that is rooted in empathy could help ease Clients’ anxieties. Empathy has proven therapeutic effects. Sometimes all they need is a nudge in the direction of a solution that they may already know is the best. And at other times a listening ear is sufficient to have them sober up enough to know exactly what to do for their case.

Sincerely exploring less adversarial and cost-effective options should precede litigation especially in cases that involve core relationships such as family law and probate cases. Counselors conduct assessments before they plunge into treating their Clients and so should we.

Legal counsel alone may not always be the answer but if we are intentional, we will become better at assessing which ‘hat’ to wear. It will always be worth our time to pause and consider whether to Advocate or to Counsel.

Emmanuela

Pursue Passion, Find Self

Dear Rookie Advocate,

As we wound down last year, I thought I was too burnt out to think through what my biggest lessons or wins were. And then the last two days of the year happened: someone asked me to recommend a young lawyer for a project. My immediate thought was, wait, am I that grown, that I am the one they now call to ask for recommendations?
The next day, someone else asked me to mentor them. Gasp!

With only 6 months to my 5th Anniversary of admission to the Bar, I am very hesitantly accepting that I am ‘grown grown’. Here are a few things I’m realising:

1. Your passion? Find it and pursue it.
Mine is mentorship. This blog was partly birthed from the fact that so many people have given us, Emmanuela and I, their time, invited us to sit at various tables with them and presented us with growth opportunities. Having sat at the feet of Rockstar Advocates and gleaned from their wisdom, we thought a blog like this would be a good way for us to help others along on their journeys.

The request for mentorship that I got was not the first I received last year. If my count is accurate, it should be the 4th or 5th. None of them surprised me. But they each had me wondering if I was “that grown-up yet”. Was I ready for this? Surely I needed to learn a few more things? Right? Maybe. But what am I doing with what I’ve already learnt? The blog is a comfortable zone but you know what they say about a ship at shore…it’s safe there, but that’s not what it was built for. Pursue your passions. Start where you are, with what you have. Pour into others and create room for more refilling. Just…start.

2. Be open and honest with yourself.
The thing about pursuing passions is you may wake up one day and realize, you are not where you have to be. That comfortable job isn’t what you are meant to be doing. Your passion may lead you along an unconventional path. Are you willing to pursue it there? I read of someone who practiced law for 17 years before they realized they are meant to be running a more entrepreneurial business away from the practice of law.
Forget what the people will say, or think about you. I think a deciding factor should be, if you leave or if you stay, will you be able to live with yourself and the path you choose?

3. You will gain yourself a reputation.
Your career journey? People are watching. Some from afar, and others are taking front row seats. Whatever you do, whether you do it well or poorly, it will gain you a reputation.
I somehow seem to have set myself up as trustworthy and able to recommend someone for a project. Maybe it’s the way I network within the profession so they trust I will definitely know someone suitable. Accept the results of who you set yourself up to be. Just ensure it’s a reputation and standard you want to be known by. If not, change it. As some people have aptly put it, you are a brand.

Cheers to a new year of discovering self, becoming, and enjoying who we become.
Cheers to a year in which we learn our passions, pursue them, and fail if we must. But at least we will fail at the practical elements and not the theory. Just do it.

Cheers to growth. 🥂
Edwina

Rocking a new star!

Reaching a milestone is always a surreal experience. You instantly acquire 20/20 vision and even the lowest lows don’t look as bad as they once did. With a star plastered on your chest and a heart swell with gratitude you feel invincible…as you should.

Often times, though, this feeling does not last very long. You quickly realise that you still have a lot to learn. Instead of letting this intimidate you, you can harness this into a superpower. Curiosity: the indispensable trait of a life long learner.

 “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”  

Albert Einstein

Today, I have clocked five years standing at the Zambian Bar which essentially means that I am a Senior Advocate. The past five years have been the most insightful years of my personal and professional life. I have been living by the “know better, do better” philosophy and it has taken me to many unconventional spaces.

One stand out place was pursuing a Diploma in Ministerial Studies at Rhema Bible Training Center. Yes, an actual Bible School. Now here is a fun fact, during my time there I was part of a team that was tasked to address a societal issue under justice and equality. We successfully prototyped a legal tech solution. This was particularly monumental for me because legal tech is the specialisation I am growing into.

When the high of passing the Bar on first attempt wore off I found myself disillusioned with the legal profession. A lot of things didn’t work in the way that I always imagined they did. I have progressively been learning how to turn my frustrations into curiosity and mere curiosity into applied curiosity.

It (applied curiosity) means trying to understand how things work, and then trying to understand how they can be made to work better. It means being curious about people and their backstories. It means using insights to build deceptively simple frameworks and models in their minds to make sense of their industry — and all the other disruptive forces shaping our world — so they can explain it to others. Then they continue asking questions about those models, and it’s those questions that often lead to breakthrough ideas. 

‘How to think like a CEO’ – Adam Bryant (New York Times “Corner Office” Columnist)

What big questions burden you? Those lingering thoughts that you can’t quite shake off. Don’t stifle them with the desire to make money. Allow them to haunt you and let your curiosity lead you on a path of endless discovery. You’ll be amazed at what you discover about yourself and how you fit in the big puzzle of the profession and the world at large. You just never know where you find the answers.

What now? Do I still qualify to write for #DearRookieAdvocate? I most certainly do! I am right back at the beginning except this time I am on the other end of the spectrum. A freshly minted Rockstar that makes room for curiosity. So let’s just say that I am a Rookie at rocking this new star, shall we!?

Emmanuela

4 going on Legacy

Today, 23rd June 2021, I celebrate my 4th year anniversary of being admitted to practice law in the High Court for Zambia.

Just a few days ago, on Sunday 20th June, the nation received the sad news of the passing of our Chief Justice, Honourable Lady Justice Irene Mambilima. She was the first female Chief Justice in Zambia, and an amazing one at that. The legal fraternity mourns.

I have read so many tributes, not just from legal practitioners. Some speak to the great person she was, some, to the great Chief Justice she was.
Clocking 4 years at the bar in the week of the passing of such a great woman of justice has had me thinking about legacy, becoming and just being.

One word that springs to mind is ‘authentic’.
We called her ‘Iron Lady’. We called her brave. I’d like to think she’d decided, at some point in her life, to always be herself, and thereafter spent the rest of her life developing herself. I imagine she had moments when it might have been easier to go with the crowd, to just blend in, but that may have meant going against self, and that, she could not do.

One of my favourite tributes of her spoke to how she presided over the 2011 general election that ushered in an opposition political party. I can imagine the pressure she must have been under, but when integrity is who you are behind closed doors, integrity is who you’ll be in the watchful eye of the public.

And so I think on what my 4 years has been. Yes, great admiration at the fact that I’m a lawyer but I cannot help but wonder whether I’ve done all that was available for me to do in my 4 years. Could I have done more? Have I done enough in deciding to always be myself, would I recognise what it looks like? Have I developed self enough to be able to stand, even if I remain standing alone, against the crowd? Have I done enough in the discovery of what being authentic means for me?
I think on to my 8, 10, 20 year anniversaries in the practice of the law; I hope to be happy with who I’d have chosen to be, and when my time comes for my legacy to be discussed, I hope to have genuinely inspired people to speak well of me, not just in the fear of respecting the dead.

Not-so-Rookie,

Edwina.

Don’t Hold Back – Believe in yourself more

LAZ Immediate Past President

He has held numerous positions of leadership; from House Captain and Vice Head-boy in High School, to his proudest professional achievement yet, becoming Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) President. Yet, despite all this evidence of leadership, the confidence that would walk up to various podia and give speeches we all loved to listen to (despite their lengths) wasn’t always present in the person that is Eddie Mwitwa. Well, it wasn’t always present to the critic within. 

With 16 years’ post-bar experience, this Rockstar Advocate is the Managing Partner at Mwenye & Mwitwa Advocates. He took pride in having started his leadership journey as early as Matero Boys Secondary School, and was focused enough to have decided, on the day he got called to the Bar, that he would become LAZ President someday.  

Mr Mwitwa on his Call Day shaking hands with, then LAZ President, Deputy Chief Justice Michael Musonda S.C. Justice Musonda delivered a speech that inspired Mr Mwitwa to aspire for LAZ Presidency.

Mr. Mwitwa’s typical day involves being in the office at 2am. This is not surprising for someone who topped both his Law School class with a Merit, as well as his Legal Practitioners Qualifying Exams-ZIALE with seven distinctions. We were however, surprised when he said he hasn’t always been this confident. In fact, his worst fear was that of public speaking. Coupled with a low self esteem, he had his work cut out for him. He learnt early enough though, that the best way to overcome one’s fears is to confront them. He therefore sought opportunities to speak in front of audiences.  

And so in the spirit of passing it on, we asked him to speak to a future LAZ President: 

If it’s what you really want, have the desire and the dream, don’t give up on it. A lot can happen but keep going. I could have done a bit more in learning what the role entails, so get involved with LAZ and other organizations to learn leadership. The role requires a certain level of experience and temperament. Learn to value yourself at an early stage and deal with your struggles. 

Having heard the story of an early inclination to becoming the Law Association President (and because we are passionate about mentorship), we were curious as to what his ideal mentorship relationship looks like. 

My ideal mentorship relationship is one which is not so structured. It’s difficult to find the time to sit and talk, so do away with the structure. Have go-to persons for each area of life, (my wife is my go-to for everything) and reach out to them. There must be some effort on your part. I had purposefully wanted to have a mentorship with State Counsel Musa Mwenye who is now my Partner at the Firm. I was his Associate in my 2nd year of practice and I noticed he was everything I wanted in a mentor- Christian, focused and trusted by the senior members at the Bar, so much that he was allowed by the Legal Practitioners Committee to run a Law Firm even before he clocked the requisite number of years. 

Mr Mwitwa with his wife (then girlfriend) on his Call Day

Mr. Mwitwa boasts of a good number of mentees in his eleven years as a Partner at the Firm, and gauges his influence as a possible distant mentor from the number of times he was asked to be Guest of Honour at weddings, during his tenure as Law Association President. 

I have had 10 Associates whom I can say I have had opportunity to mentor. And in my tenure as LAZ President, I was privileged to be Guest of Honour at 4 weddings of lawyers. I can safely say I am mentoring some people within the profession.  

What advice would you give to the Millennial lawyer planning careers with so much uncertainty in these current times?

Uncertainty will always exist at any point. Always know what you want to get out of your career. In every crisis, any troubled time, there are opportunities. Try and stand out; if you survive this period (Covid-19 era), you will survive at every other point. Be focused and do the best you can to be the best version of yourself. 

Book Recommendations   

Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson. It is an easy read with a profound message because change is constant.

Capitalist Nigger by Chika Onyeani

Redeeming Law: Christian Calling and the Legal Profession by Michael P. Schutt 

Current read:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Movie Recommendation    

Forrest Gump- (Favourite movie)

A Few Good Men (Favourite Lawyer Movie)

Favourite ‘take-my-mind-off-law’ activities:

Used to be a staunch Manchester United Fan. But that became too stressful. Now I don’t even lose sleep over their (read our) losses. 

Gardening. Reading Books. Music. Movies.

On the relationship between one’s faith and the law, should they co-exist, does one take precedence over the other?

I’ll talk about my faith: Christianity must take precedence. Being a lawyer is a calling and the one that calls you is God. He is the ultimate Judge.

The book Redeeming Law re-enforced this for me.

Note to your Younger Self?   

“Believe in yourself and abilities a little more, you can achieve a lot more. That belief informs every decision you make. You are destined for great things. Don’t hold back.“

Let us know which Rockstar Advocates you are inspired by, whose legal journey you’re curious about and we’ll see if we can settle your curiosity.

Edwina

The Rona: Can’t get a good Rookie down

Dear Rookie,

If there were ever a time to get your grit on, it is now! The world is in a crisis of unprecedented impact. Very few sectors, if any, seem to have been spared from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. If it hasn’t already occurred to you, the legal sector will not escape this period unscathed.

Now before you click away from this post, here is a disclaimer: This is not another doom and gloom write up about how we are all headed for utter ruin, au contraire. Here we spread hope! This is an invitation to a perspective shift, a call to silver-line this dark time.

I’ll cut to the chase…digital transformation is here! Well it has been here for a while but in just under three months the pandemic has accelerated the use of digital tools in the delivery of legal services. So what does this mean for Rookies? Why should we care so much?

It will become increasingly apparent that the work assigned to interns and Rookies can actually be automated and is in fact already being automated. So why should any law firm or institution bother hiring a Rookie when technology presents a cheaper and faster alternative? Even before the pandemic, entry level jobs were few and far apart and this is likely to get even worse.

Let me say this in a way that resonates with you. Look, the switch has flipped, TikTok, use your #StayHome time wisely because if you #DontRush to take action, the rest of your career may be a challenge. Get it!? Got it!

Here is the silver line…you can upskill and remain relevant. We love our Rockstars but their many years of practice means that, to some extent, they are set in their ways. Your career is still in its molding years, your mind is not as tainted and stuck in old models of delivering legal services. Agility is your superpower. You can reimagine the future and become exactly the type of lawyer that the 4th Industrial Revolution will require.

New practice areas are emerging right along side the new technologies. Grow your curiosity and decide on whether your want to play a legal advisory role, policy and legislative advisory or to contribute to digital access to justice.

Forbes lists Udemy, Skillshare and Coursera as three of the best online learning platforms. A good number of courses on these and many other platforms are free. Jump on to one of them and gain knowledge on something that sparks your interest and will keep you relevant. Future you will be grateful you started now. Use some of this ‘quarantime’ to inch closer to the 10,000 hours expert level. Consistency compounds so don’t stress about only managing an hour a day.

Pro-tip: take your chosen course with a group of friends or colleagues to keep each other accountable.

I am your resident optimist and I truly believe that not even the Rona can get a good Rookie down!

Happy learning. Stay safe!

Emmanuela

Leading a Team-A Day at a Time

Dear Rookie Advocate,

Have you ever been asked when you’re going to have a child and you think, but I’m still a child?

This time last year, I felt this way. I was two years at the bar, one year in Local Government and promoted to Director Legal Services, leading the first ever legal department at that Council. A rookie leading fellow rookies. Granted, I was a little less of a rookie than they were but a rookie all the same.

It may seem daunting to think of it as a whole but sooner than later you realise that ‘the job’ doesn’t necessarily require you to know a whole load of things all in one moment. It doesn’t require you to solve problems that will arise ten years from now, or even a week from now. It may require you to prevent those problems from arising, but until they do, you won’t be needed to solve them.

So how exactly is the job done? One task at a time. When the boundary or double plot-allocation dispute comes in, you sort it out. When served with a Writ of Summons, look at the claim, analyse it, determine the best way to go about it and act. When you are called into a meeting you know nothing about, at short notice and with no prior briefing, you sit in, answer what you can. Be comfortable enough to say when you don’t know something and request for more research time where you need it; and most importantly, listen. In those meetings, you will learn a whole lot about the institution and the subject at hand. There’s a lot to learn when you sit at the table. Instead of just eating away what’s been served, learn what you can from the conversations being had.

How do you do the job? One team member at a time. Know who’s on your team. Know who you can trust to draft documents you will hardly need to proofread. Know who can do errands in the shortest time possible. Know each person’s strengths and weaknesses, their connections and acquaintances. Because doing the job a task at a time will most times require that you delegate. Otherwise you will wear out. Pass some work onto others. Tell them you trust them with whatever decision they will come up with. And let them do their job one task at a time.

This may seem like a juxtaposition, but part of leading a department, or leading others means you are responsible for all the work that goes out from your department. Regardless of how much work you have, pace yourself when there’s need but proof read every letter, every legal document, all of it. Get briefings on all other work being done because you will be required to answer for it. You must have information at your fingertips on what is going on.

How exactly is the job done? By drawing from the giants ahead of you. Have a whole lot of people on the proverbial (or literal) speed dial list. Have people whose offices you can walk into just to vent. People you can call to say I have no idea how to go about this corporate world business. Help!!!! Have people you can be a total blonde to, people who’ll allow your dumb because they’ve seen you grow and they love to catalyze more growth. People you can walk up to for a hug because you’ve had the hardest day thus far.

Listen, make a list if you must, of all the human resource at your disposal. And by this I mean people with whom you need to have conversation, to grow you. I’ve gone through things and only talked to people about them after. Those conversations made me wish I’d had them earlier. You can talk things out even as they unfold. Don’t isolate yourself. Live in your moment. Recognise your grace carriers (people who have grace in them for you) and abuse the hell out of them. Camp at their door if you must. But there’s help available for you and trust me, they are always glad to help. Always.

And sometimes, a day at a time will be you receiving random “you are a good boss” texts. You savour them and run back to them when the days get hard. And when the day ends, you take off the bib and the robe, go home, rest. The next day, rinse and repeat and take every task as part of the process of making a leader.

Before you know it, you’d have been a Director, Partner or Senior Associate for a year going on five. And you’d have enjoyed the journey and looking forward to the rest of it.

So from one Rookie to another, on my first year anniversary as a freaking director, a whole year of learning, growth and what not 😊.

You are doing a darn good job.

Edwina

A Dash of Inspiration-Justice Florence Mumba

Dear Rookie Advocate, 

Having just ended Black History month and starting International Women’s month, we thought now is a good time to shine our Rock-Star torch. The name Florence Mumba is such a common combination of names here in Zambia. I was surprised at how many different Florence Mumbas pop up in a google search. But our Rock-Star torch is being shone on the Honourable Justice Madam Florence Ndepele Mwachande Mumba. Doing research on her brought to mind the phrase ‘getting things done’ because her career history shows exactly that of her. A woman who has got things done and bloomed wherever she has been planted. 

Justice Florence Mumba is a Judge of the Supreme Court Extra Ordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, also known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal or the Cambodia Tribunal, a position to which she was appointed in 2009, first as a reserve Judge and later as a full time Judge. In 1997 she was elected Judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, serving as Vice President of the Tribunal from 1999 to 2001. From 2003 to 2005, she served on the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and also served on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. We could end the article here and you’d have totally understood why ‘we stan’. 

But for all you doubting Thomases, or if you just want more inspiration, here it comes;

Justice Mumba was born in 1948, served in private practice at age 25 until 1980. At age 32 she was appointed the very first lady Judge of the High Court for Zambia. Again, we could end it here because really, this is enough to inspire, but there’s more to Justice Mumba and we are here for all of it. In 1985 she represented Zambia at the Conference on Women in Nairobi and at the African Regional Conference on Women in 1994. 

Justice Mumba was appointed to the office of the Investigator General (Ombudsman (Ombudswoman?) in 1989, a position in which she served until 1997 when she was appointed to the Zambian Supreme Court bench. As Ombudsman, she also served as Director on the International Ombudsman Institute Board from 1992 where she was elected as Vice-President of that board until 1996. 

I hear you shouting for more accolades and achievements. Calm down, we gat this. In 1992, as a member of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, Justice Mumba participated in drafting a resolution to the UN General Assembly, to have rape included as a war crime in the jurisdiction of war crimes tribunals. From August 2008 to January 2011 she served as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia. 

We chose to bring to your attention this Rock-Star for inspiration and some thought provoking. What does your CV look like? What have you done for humanity? One of my favorite State Counsel said some of the most fulfilling moments of his career have been the Thank Yous he has received from the people he represented pro bono. What story are you building to be told of your career? 

What eulogy do you want to be given at your valedictory service? It really isn’t too soon to be thinking through these things. And I hope you think about them long and hard, then begin to chart your way into achieving them. 

Happy International Women’s Month.

Edwina