East Africa Law Society Revives Cross-Border Practice Bill to Expand Lawyers’ Role in Region’s US$19.5 Billion Trade

The East Africa Law Society (EALS) is reviving proposed legislation to ease cross-border legal practice, against a backdrop of approximately US$19.5 billion in annual trade between East African Community countries and businesses increasingly operating across several jurisdictions. EALS chief executive David Sigano disclosed the renewed effort in an interview published by The Reporter Ethiopia on 24 October 2026. The initiative seeks to revive a proposal dating back to 2014, although the revised legislation has not reached formal introduction. “The bill has not yet been formally introduced,” Sigano said. “We are still redrafting it”. He indicated that members of the East African Legislative