There was a party atmosphere at the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg as leading business lawyers gathered to celebrate the African Legal Awards.

The event, staged by Legal Week in association with the Counsel Association of South Africa (CCASA), took place on 9 September.

Overall, 26 awards were given out to celebrate the achievements of African in-house and private practice lawyers.

Clifford Chance (CC), Kenyan firm Anjarwalla & Khanna and Standard Chartered’s in-house team topped the bill, scooping major awards.

The evening culminated in a standing ovation for outgoing public protector Thuli Madonsela, who received the CCASA Achievement Award for her work rooting out corruption in South Africa’s government.

The judging panel was chaired by CCASA CEO Alison Lee and also included Talenta Chavalala, a senior legal adviser for the Development Bank of Southern Africa; and Bill Skirving, group legal adviser of the Hannover Reinsurance Group of Africa.

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Protesters took to the streets of downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday night to show their disappointment with the decision to not charge an officer in the shooting death of a black man.
A two-month investigation determined that Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Brentley Vinson was justified in shooting Keith Lamont Scott in an apartment complex parking lot. Mecklenburg County District Attorney Andrew Murray said he didn’t reach the conclusions alone; a total of 15 prosecutors unanimously agreed with the decision.

The killing led to heated protests and divided the city of Charlotte. Compared to previous demonstrations over Scott’s death, a smaller crowd turned out Wednesday night, about 100 people. At least four people were arrested as police tried to corral protesters off the streets, three for obstructing traffic.
But the protesters’ message was the same as before.
“Stop killing black people,” some protesters’ T-shirts read.
“How to get away with murder: Become a cop,” said the signs.
“If we don’t get no justice then you don’t get no peace,” they chanted.

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