In February 2021, the Cameroon Union of Young Lawyers held a two-day Zoom Webinar, under the theme “Young Lawyers’ Rights: Challenges and realities in Cameroon”. The event, happening for the second time since November 2015, commenced on Friday 11 February and tailed off on Saturday 12 February in Douala. Day one was a webinar organized in the conference room of the Cameroon Association of Business Lawyers in Bonanjo. Day two was marked by another webinar session, plus a face-to-face.
February was timely for the initiative as Cameroon celebrated its youth home and abroad. Worth noting is the fact that over 2000 of these youth are Advocates operating in the ambit of the Cameroon Bar Association, with less than 15 years of professional practice. Against this backdrop, the Young Lawyers’ Union went into conclave in a bid to examine circumstances and issues affecting their rights.
On the first day, deliberations were devoted to a review of fundamentals of the profession, as well as current assessment of professional practice across the 10 regions of the country. Cosmas OWONO MBARGA lectured on the history and evolution of the Young Lawyers’ Union. Barrister ZEIFMANN Félicité, a member of the Paris Bar Association, rooted her talk on deontology. Participants further deliberated on the realities faced by young Lawyers, an exercise moderated by the Secretary General of the Union, Barrister Tarcile Gaëlle TANG MITJAKE. Day two placed more emphasis on continuous training, with classic or innovating cutting-edge subjects, such as the CCJA and the block chain. Barrister Hamidou DRAME, member of the Bar Councils of Lyon and Guinea harped on “Acquisition operations of mining companies.” “The fate of guarantees on sums of money in times of crisis,” was handled by Dr Henri SIMENOU, a Lawyer registered with the Bar Association of Paris, France. Dr Emmanuel Douglas FOTSO, Attorney at Law at the Bar Association of Paris titled his presentation “The conciliation procedure, an opportunity for companies in difficulty during the Covid-19 period.” “Issues of immunity from jurisdiction and stay of execution before the CCJA,” was done by Dr Jérémie WAMBO. Super-scale Magistrate EYIKE Vieux looked at some legal problems posed by the Organisation for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa-OHADA. All these presentations were coordinated by Barrister Tarcile Gaëlle TANG MITJAKE. The meeting presented them the opportunity to mark a new beginning after a rough and bitter 2020. 2020 was not only characterized by the Covid 19 pandemic but the death of prominent learned colleagues like the now former President of the Bar Council of Cameroon, Charles TCHAKOUTE PATIE, emeritus Cameroon Bar President, SAMA Francis ASANGA, formidable Lawyer Sylvain SOUOP, Paul BIDIAS and others, for which a minute of silent was observe. The Cameroon Union of Young Lawyers is an association aimed at contributing toward the proper administration of justice in Cameroon. It is led by President Cosmas OWONO MBARGA, under the guidance and supervision of interim Bar President Claire ATANGANA BIKOUNA.
