Anthony Gakuru does not do half-measures. He works like a demon and commits to plans with military focus, leaving no hand unshaked, no baby unkissed. The 39-year-old Partner at ENS is the closest thing to a commercial law rock star.
“I have always wanted to be a Partner since I started my practice. I aim to be a top Corporate Commercial lawyer, advising unique innovative transactions, in the frontline of dealmaking in the country, deals people do not generally touch. I have been blessed to learn under Nigel Shaw, the Managing Partner at ENS in Kenya, whom I consider a great gentleman.”
But it wasn’t always like this. He had toyed with becoming a pilot, but thought no. He found his true runway in commercial law when he was handed his first assignment—a research paper on equity derivatives for Citibank.
I had a headache, and the Partner would see me, and he instinctively knew I had no idea what these things are, says Gakuru. He spoke to me about it, and he told me, this [law] is a career you have to build. “You cannot buy experience at a supermarket.” Those words became the rock on which Gakuru has continued to build his church of commercial law.
"The price of success is hard work, grit, resilience, and hardiness. "
What does success mean to him now? “Being able to achieve your goals and live and fulfill your values. Can you convert your goals to reality?” He should know, he is an International Lawyers For Africa (ILFA) 2019 Alumni through which he was seconded to Clifford Chance LLP, London.
But it was almost as if there was some kind of eerie Faustian bargain involved. To get to his level of success at that kind of age, one cannot sacrifice on an empty altar. His has been to postpone most life milestones in his age group: family, children, and relationships.
Does that bother him? “My parents have never been pushy about it and I am privileged in that sense. But slowly your friends start getting married and having babies while you still push crazy work hours. One needs to know and understand oneself. I want a family but is this what I need right now? I may not be able to give a family the time it deserves, to the level I want to be there.”
And if that sounds like a recipe for someone powered by chance, vibes, and circumstance, well, that’s just the genius in action.
What is the price of success? “Hard work, grit, resilience, and hardiness. I have sacrificed time with my parents and siblings, and I have had to lose relationships because it is not aligned with where I want to be at a particular time. At times you are just constantly working, even on holiday. I have had to take calls on leave on a boat, or a mountain in Italy—because you have to be available. It looks like a price but it is worthwhile at the end—it is the pound of flesh you give to get to Partner.”
The Moi University law graduate has never been inclined to treat his career like a popularity contest. He has a relentless focus on the job at hand. Is it any surprise then that his life, and career, rest on three words: “Ensuring it’s done.”
-Eddy Ashioya