It is with profound sadness that we inform you of the passing of our founder and Managing Director, John Miles, in February 2025.
John led an illustrious legal career spanning nearly 50 years, advising and acting both for Governments and the private sector in international arbitrations in London, Africa and beyond.
Before founding JMiles & Co., John was a Partner and led teams at Hunton & Williams and Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw in London, and Denton Wilde Sapte (formerly Denton Hall) in London and China. He was also the first Chairman of the African Legal Network (ALN) from 2006 to 2013.
John’s work and active promotion of ADR leaves behind an indelible mark on the use and practice of ADR on the Continent. At its inception, JMiles & Co. was the only legal consultancy based in Nairobi offering solely international arbitration related services. John acted as a mentor to many ADR practitioners and trained numerous African Governments on the use of ADR.
Those who knew John on both a personal and professional level can attest to John’s friendly and personable nature and his “off the cuff” advice, whenever it was needed. There are not enough words to describe who John was to us individually and as a Team. We will always remember and appreciate him for his curiosity, integrity, friendship, kindness and the effort that he took to know each team member on a personal level, actively investing in our self-improvement.
We mourn his loss deeply and will forever hold his memory in the highest regard. While we grieve his passing, we also honour the remarkable life he lived, his love for Africa, and the lasting impact he had on all those he met. Our thoughts and prayers are with John’s family and friends at this difficult time.
Moving forward, the JMiles team hopes to continue John’s legacy under the leadership of Nikhil Desai.