Avio Aero, the GE Aviation business based in Turin, Italy, and DLA Piper - one of the most renowned law firms in the world, present in 30 countries - provided a unique opportunity to an Avio Aero colleague: Sr. Commercial Counselor Paola Tamola.

Last February, Paola was selected to spend eight days in Zambia, in Southern Central Africa, at the ZIALE Institute (Zambian Institute of Advanced Legal Education) to take part in a pro bono teaching project organized by GE and DLA Piper.



The project consisted of teaching 240 law graduates, for free, in drafting techniques and contract negotiation, in order to prepare them for the state bar examination in Zambia.
 

“Specifically, the subject I taught was ‘Drafting and negotiating clauses in the resolution of disputes,’ and this opportunity allowed me to enjoy a wonderful experience, both from a personal and a professional perspective!”

Zambia is a country where the number of lawyers is still relatively low, due in part to a difficult social situation, which is why the initiative's goal was to help local, young professionals build their professional future.
 

“At the end of each lesson, the students warmly thanked us for the motivation they received during the course, and insisted that they truly benefited from the training, not just in terms of preparing for the state exam, but also—and especially—for their future professional career. One of the most touching moments was the inauguration ceremony, where the Directors of the ZIALE Institute formally presented the course and the teachers to the students. I will always remember all those students elegantly dressed according to the local dress-code for court hearings, and seeing on their faces such high expectations of us and the course we were about to hold.”