For Immediate Release
April 24, 2006
Contact:
Kim Munkres
kmunkres@wilkinguge.com
(909) 625-2225 ext. 26
ULV COLLEGE OF LAW PROFESSOR SELECTED TO CONSULT
ON COUNTRY’S FIRST COMPETITION LAW
Kevin S. Marshall joins select group of international leaders to consult on the implementation of Nigeria’s first competition law at the Nigerian National Conference on Competition/Antitrust Law
Ontario, Calif., April 24, 2006 – Determined to address abuses of economic power and anticompetitive conduct, the Nigerian attorney general and the officials of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Justice sought the advise and counsel of University of La Verne College of Law Assistant Professor Kevin S. Marshall as one of two legal experts with respect to the final drafting and implementation of the country’s first-ever competition law. The Nigerian government expects to implement the newly drafted law in the next 30-60 days.
“Nigeria’s new competition law is critical to the economic development of Nigeria to the extent that it is designed to eliminate barriers to entry for all economic participants in all demographics, whether the entrepreneur is a multi-national corporation or the butcher, the baker or the candlestick maker,” said Kevin S. Marshall, assistant professor of law.
Recognized nationally and internationally as an expert in the economics of competition law, Marshall was recruited by a top Nigerian officials and leaders of the Nigerian legal community to consult on (1) the need and benefits of implementing competition law to the developing country and (2) the attributes and deficiencies of the legislation that had been drafted by the Nigerian National Assembly prior to his arrival.
Given the absence of competition law since the incorporation of Nigeria’s relatively new constitutional democracy in 1999, Marshall is enthusiastic about Nigeria’s economic outlook once the new law is implemented.
“Well-defined competition law is crucial to the economic development of Nigeria,” said Marshall. “As part of the privatization of its once governmental controlled markets, Nigerian leaders realize the time is ripe to establish a law that is designed to nurture and promote a laissez-faire marketplace.”
The conference, held in Lagos, Nigeria, included Marshall, the Nigerian Attorney General, a Nigerian law professor with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Justice who participated in drafting the law, a U.K. legal consultant specializing in competition law and other top Nigerian diplomats and officials. During his three-day stay in Nigeria, Marshall also spent time discussing the law and its implications with representatives of several multi-national corporations presently doing business in Nigeria.
“Nigerian business leaders are cautiously excited about the implementation of competition law,” Marshall explained. “They are encouraged that the new law will make it illegal to bar entry to the marketplace, thereby breaking down privileged class market behavior, as well as promote the creation of wealth for the benefit of many as opposed to the few. Nevertheless, they are cautious given their past experiences with respect to political instability and the abuse of governmental power.”
Marshall added, “I left the meetings with a hope and appreciation for the country; it’s at an exciting crossroads. Rich in human capital and natural resources, Nigeria is one of the wealthiest countries in Africa, and its leaders appear to have a genuine desire to have a legitimate, pro-competitive economic marketplace.”
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About Kevin S. Marshall
Professor Marshall joined the faculty at University of La Verne College of Law in 2004 after several years of private practice in the fields of law and economics and an extensive number of teaching positions. He has served as an expert witness on economic issues in both state and federal courts, and he has written for a variety of legal and economic publications. He is a contributing author to and co-editor of Measuring Loss in Catastrophic Injury Cases, a publication examining the inter-disciplinary methodology used to measure the economic loss of catastrophic injuries. He teaches Remedies and Antitrust Law. For more information about Kevin Marshall, visit the Web at http://law.ulv.edu/faculty/marshall.html.
About University of La Verne College of Law
Located in Ontario, Calif., University of La Verne College of Law serves over 3.8 million people as the only accredited law school in Inland Southern California and an additional 2.2 million people in San Gabriel Valley and Eastern Los Angeles County. It is accredited by the American Bar Association. For more information about the College of Law, please call (909) 460-2001 or visit the Web at http://law.ulv.edu.
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The University of La Verne College of Law was provisionally approved by the American Bar Association on February 13, 2006.
