Global law firm DLA Piper has delivered a successful interactive workshop for Pacific Islander entrepreneurs at the 2022 Pacific Connect Conference.
Held in Brisbane, the conference was funded by the Australian Government and delivered by the International Centre for Democratic Partnerships (ICDP) to forge stronger, strategic-level relationships between Pacific and Australian leaders across the public, private, and community sectors.
DLA Piper joined the conference by providing pro bono support to Pacific entrepreneurs to strengthen such relationships with the private sector. Its interactive workshop, joined by over 20 entrepreneurs and Hub leaders across the Pacific, was conducted to understand the challenges facing the participants when starting a new business and identify areas for pro bono support. The DLA Piper team comprised Joel Cox (partner), Catriona Martin (APAC pro bono director), Julie Humphreys (solicitor), and Austyn Campbell (solicitor).
Commenting on DLA Piper's participation in the conference, ICDP CEO Simone Pensko said: “ICDP is delighted to be collaborating with DLA Piper to assist Pacific Islander entrepreneurs and small businesses [in overcoming] practical challenges that affect sustainability and growth. This approach is a prime example of the work ICDP does in the Pacific to promote genuine engagement that leads to meaningful investment in people, businesses, and communities.”
Pacific entrepreneurs are known for their creativity, innovation, and resilience. However, they face some of the most significant challenges to establishing and growing businesses, with the World Bank's “Ease of Doing Business” index ranking the Pacific as among the most difficult places to do business in the world mainly due to the inefficiency and inefficacy of local legal systems.
DLA Piper partner Joel Cox said the law firm has an ongoing pro bono commitment to the Pacific region, including taking an active role in supporting the development of the Pacific entrepreneurial system.
Commenting on the workshop at the 2022 Pacific Connect Conference, Cox said: “This workshop presents a great opportunity to hear first-hand the challenges faced by Pacific Islander entrepreneurs that will help us shape this support, drawing on our commercial experience and knowledge of best practice. The gap in strategic legal support for such entrepreneurs is something we are keen to address to help such start-ups and small businesses thrive.”
DLA Piper – named one of Insurance Business Australia's 5-Star Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 2022 winners – will participate in a further meeting with Pacific Islander entrepreneurs on August 22 in Sydney. It will also run two capacity-building workshops with them and their start-up communities – with the first focusing on the basics of establishing a successful start-up, and the second focusing on the scaling of a business to access capital and move away from grant funding. Additionally, the firm will provide strategic advice to some of the most established entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses internationally.
