Few corporate organisations ever get to see their 50^th birthday. Those that survive attribute their magic to pure grit of their founders, high levels of professionalism and consciously created favorable working conditions which motivate the staff and client base to pull together towards success. There is no question that these ideals hold true for renowned law firm, J.K. Kibicho & Company Advocates (JKK).

Established in February 1973, just a decade after Kenya achieved independence from British rule, the law firm is the typical manifestation of the Kenyan dream. It was founded by the late Hon. James Kareu Kibicho, one of the country’s pioneer indigenous lawyers and politicians. The founder was focused on providing sustainable legal services that could meet client satisfaction. There is no doubt that JKK contributed to the legal jurisprudence in the country, no mean fete for anyone at that time.

From such humble beginnings, the firm has grown steadily into one of the leading law firms in Kenya and Eastern Africa, serving among others, corporate clients, high net worth individuals and complemented by a solid pro bono Program. Indeed, from such modest beginnings, JKK now boasts a strong leadership comprising one partner and nine associates. The team is led by Mwangi Kibicho as Managing Partner. This stellar cast of top leadership is supplemented and supported by a multi-talented pool of advocates as well as qualified legal staff. The firm also offers Pupillage opportunities for fresh law graduates.

The affinity of the law firm for growth was evident quite early in its life, when it opened branch offices in Kerugoya town in 1974, just a year into operation. This location provided unmatched centrality to serve the clientele within the entire Mount Kenya region. It is worth noting that the fairytale of the late James Kibicho’s admirable work with local communities in this region later saw him elected as Member of Parliament to represent Ndia Constituency in 1997. It is testimony to the firm’s strong base that the Nairobi and Kerugoya offices are a cohesive unit  while still remaining fully self-sustaining.

In keeping with the tradition of excellence, many talented legal minds have passed through JKK, creating and nurturing it into the respectable firm it is today. If life begins at forty, maturity is surely achieved at fifty. Among its most shining accolades is that JKK holds the distinction of being retained as the only legal services provider for the largest tea processing and marketing company in East and Central Africa.

JKK is celebrating its Golden Jubilee, having excellently matured over the last 50 years of practice to become a recognized legal entity. The firm was listed in the World’s Lawyers International Directory (1984/1985 Edition) in recognition of its status as a key player in Kenya’s legal services arena. JKK also received its first ever ranking by Chambers Global in the same period of 1984/1985. Recently, JKK was nominated for the SME Law Firm of the Year Award in the 3^rd edition of the Nairobi Legal Awards. JKK was again awarded by the East Africa Law Society, a premier bar of over 30,000 lawyers, as a Leading Law Firm (LLF) in the region. The firm has also been ranked among the Top 20 law firms in Kenya by The Lawyer Africa for year 2022/2023 and 2023/2024

It would be inappropriate to end without examining the CSR facet of the firm. As a corporate citizen, JKK offers pro bono legal services to genuine and needy cases. The team identifies deserving cases during the pre-engagement session which are then picked out and followed up for the requisite assistance.

Lastly, as the firm celebrates 50 years, and in honour of the late founding partner, JKK wishes to announce the establishment of the JKK Foundation. This foundation will, among other things, offer educational scholarship to at least 3 exemplary students at the Kenya School of Law. The scholarship will include payment of full Tuition fees and an offer to be a pupil at the firm.

Join us in celebrating our 50 years of existence, our five decades of a five star performance.  We make a fresh commitment to double our efforts in delivering excellence in the coming years and in conquering the mountain as envisaged by our founder. We are sure his spirit will live on in our work and our next years will be brilliance redefined, for we know no other way!