Clare Manuel is a lawyer with particular expertise in the areas of private sector development and legal sector reform in developing countries. She has been a qualified solicitor for 13 years, gaining her initial experience in a City of London commercial law firm. Since then she has had over ten years experience of working at senior levels in Government - in the UK, Africa, the Caribbean and the South Pacific, specialising in economic development, commercial and administrative law. From 1996-2000 she was a senior adviser to the Government of Uganda on legal sector reform focusing particularly on the role of the legal sector in Uganda’s economic development. Subsequently, as a founder and director of the Law & Development Partnership she has advised extensively on legal, regulatory and private sector development issues in developing countries, developing affordable and realistic reform and investment programmes for Governments within the framework of medium term expenditure frameworks and poverty reduction strategy papers. |
Director
The Law & Development Partnership Limited Current
As a director of the Law & Development Partnership Limited, Ms Manuel is responsible for legal reform, better regulation and private sector development issues, and for business development in Europe. Ms Manuel’s recent assignments with LDP include -
- Joint team leader for design of monitoring framework and programme for Uganda’s Medium Term Competitive Strategy (MTCS) ( Nov 2002). The MTCS is Uganda’s holistic programme for private sector development and addresses issues including enabling environment; trade (in the context of WTO and regional trade arrangements) and hard infrastructure. The assignment involved considering the appropriateness of the proposed interventions, their relationship with on-going initiatives and designing performance indicators and a monitoring framework
- Joint team leader for the design of the Business Environment Strengthening for Tanzania “BEST” Programme, financed by DFID. The Programme will be the core component of the Government of Tanzania’s developing private sector strategy. It will support private sector development in Tanzania through better business regulation, strengthened commercial justice systems and enhancements to the Tanzania Investment Centre (1999-2000). BEST has recently been embraced by the President and Government as a key policy initiative. In October 2002, Ms Manuel was engaged to advise on the implementation of this multi-donor funded programme.
- Team leader for DFID-funded review of donor funded private sector development initiatives in the Caribbean – June/July 2002. This work fed into a review by the international committee of donors on small and medium sized enterprises on enabling environment initiatives worldwide. Review involved assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of a wide range of projects (ranging from hard infrastructure projects, projects addressing regulatory issues and business support initiatives) and making recommendations to achieve more strategic and effective outcomes in the region.
- Private sector specialist for DFID-funded design of Dominica Fiscal and Economic Recovery Project (Oct 2001). Responsible for design and implementation of private sector development component of this Project, including Cabinet retreat on roles of public and private sectors in achieving growth; commercial justice reform; better regulation and re-structuring of Government to enable it to provide an improved service to the private sector.
- Technical adviser to DFID during review of Uganda’s Legal Sector (June 2001).
Team leader: baseline survey for the Uganda commercial justice reform programme (May – Oct 2001). Oversaw survey of over 350 businesses (from
- multi nationals to street traders) to assess the impact of the mal-functioning of the commercial justice system (business registries, courts, lawyers and legislative framework) on private sector operations.
- Legal sector reform specialist for DFID-funded design of legal sector reform programme for Kenya (Jan-June 2002). Bringing together all the actors in the justice system – including police, probation services, prisons, courts and legal profession – to develop an holistic, prioritised and costed strategy for improving Kenya’s legal system in the light of Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper priorities.
Joint team leader May –July 2000
Kenya Commercial Justice Study
Ms Manuel was responsible for the legal reform aspects of this DFID-funded study for the Government of Kenya. The study involved working closely with the private sector and with Government stakeholders to identify weaknesses in the current commercial justice system (including traditional and formal methods of dispute resolution) and to design a programme of commercial justice reform.
Senior Adviser Sept 1999 – July 2000
Legal Sector Reform Programme, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Uganda
- Working directly to the Solicitor General (the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs) originally recruited to design and implement a Commercial Justice Reform Programme. This involved working with key institutions (including the Commercial Court, the Companies and Lands Registries) and with private sector stakeholders to design a Programme that was realistic, affordable and “owned” by the institutions concerned. Sensitive issues such as corruption in the Commercial Court, and the proposed liberalisation of the legal profession were addressed. Donor liaison was a key issue – (including World Bank, USAID, DfID, EU) to ensure donor support and co-ordinated interventions.
- On request by the Ministry of Finance, role expanded to include responsibility for creating and driving forward a sector-wide approach (SWAP) for all the institutions in the justice/law and order sector, including police, prisons and judiciary. These institutions had historically been very separate in Uganda and the independence of judiciary is enshrined in the Constitution. While SWAPs were being developed in other sectors in Uganda, a justice SWAP was a new concept and no other country was known to be trying such an approach. The development of the SWAP was highly participatory, nurturing and working with key Ugandans in a group originally created for a month-long budget preparation report, but extended to meeting on a weekly basis with increasingly senior level of attendance. Key outputs from the group included the first ever sector-wide presentation to donor Consultative Group meeting and detailed sector-wide budgetary proposals to Cabinet, including output indicators for use in subsequent financial years.
- Development of the SWAP involved working with the Solicitor General and Minister for Justice to ensure high-level political endorsement of the approach from all institutions in the sector. This was particularly important because of the changed focus of the Sector to service delivery, focusing on the poor. Output from this group was enthusiastically welcomed by donors and endorsed by the Ministry of Finance, and has resulted in the setting up by donors of a SWAP Development Fund to facilitate further inputs required for the development of a Strategic Plan for the Sector.
Post funded jointly by UK and Austrian governments
Team leader May – July 1999
Uganda Commercial Justice Sector Study
- Leader of a team of two other consultants (including a Ugandan Supreme Court Judge) in a study commissioned by the Ministries of Justice and Finance and funded by DFID and the World Bank (through the Uganda Private Sector Foundation) which assessed the impact of the mal-functioning of commercial justice system on Uganda’s economic development, and recommend far-reaching reforms. The study included a focus on issues affecting micro and small enterprises.
- Methodology included commissioning market research, close liaison with the private sector, and estimating impact of mal-functioning of the system on Uganda’s GDP. Areas considered included Uganda’s commercial Courts, the Companies Registry and the Land Registry, the legal profession and the law-making process. Specific recommendations made included institutional reforms (transfers to agency status), and procedural and administrative reforms.
- Study was widely welcomed within the Government, by the donor community and by the private sector. Key recommendations are being taken forward as part of new Commercial Justice Reform Programme.
Technical Adviser Sept 1996–May 1999
Commercial Law Project, Uganda Law Reform Commission
- Responsible for advising Government of Uganda on reform of commercial justice system: advising on Government’s Policy Agenda for Private Sector Development; giving presentations to Ministers, Judges, senior officials and donors on the need for reform of the commercial justice system.
- Lead lawyer providing Government of Uganda’s input into 8 month-long World Bank funded Commercial Law Reform Project, involving reform of 50 of Uganda’s commercial laws. In particular responsible for Companies Act; Insolvency law; Personal Property Securities law; Partnership Act; Co-operative Societies Act; employment legislation; professional association legislation and anti- trust law. Key policy issues were the enhancement of an enabling environment for private sector development (especially micro and small enterprises), de-regulation and liberalisation.
- Took forward implementation after the conclusion of the World Bank Project. Formulating proposals for reform.
- Consulted on proposed reforms, identifying interest groups and leading consultation meetings, drafting and promulgating briefing and consultation papers.
- Drafted new and amending legislation including: new Companies Act; new Insolvency Act; and new Personal Property Securities Act.
Post originally funded by USAID, subsequently by Austrian government
Legal Adviser 1991- June 1996
UK Government Legal Service
- Legal adviser to Department for Education and Employment, in particular: providing legal advice on 1993 Education Bill; turning administrators’ instructions into legal propositions; instructing Parliamentary Counsel; advising Ministers during Parliamentary debates and at Committee stage; drafting subordinate legislation.
- Conducted litigation for the Department of Trade and Industry including disqualification of directors, winding up companies in the public interest, and conducting Judicial Reviews.
- Secretary to Government Legal Services’ committee responsible for drafting submission to Law Commissioners’ inquiry on Judicial Review Procedure.
Senior Legal Officer 1988-90
Attorney-General’s Chambers, Fiji
Specialised in advisory and commercial work and civil litigation, including providing advice to Government departments on reform of Fiji’s environmental laws; deregulation of agricultural exports; setting up commodities board to market agricultural produce; judicial reviews of administrative actions; and negotiations in Australia on major commercial contracts on behalf of Fijian Government including shipbuilding (with Qantas) and hotel building and management (with Sheraton).
Messrs Bischoff & Co, London 1985-88
Initially trainee solicitor, subsequently solicitor in Civil Litigation Department, specialising mainly in High Court commercial litigation.
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