University of London
West Green was born in 1927 in Kenya, which was then a British colonial territory. Kenya's legal system grew out of the English legal tradition, and its commercial laws drew on Commonwealth jurisdictions, particularly the English system.
These legal foundations shaped the professional environment in which Green later practised as a lawyer in Nairobi.
Green's education is documented through a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of London. The University was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree-awarding examination board for students holding certificates from University College London, King's College London and other institutions.
In 1858 the University of London became the first English university to offer external degrees, open to people in other cities as well as to London students who had attended evening classes. Colonial students could obtain some of its degrees through examinations held within their own territories, and external degrees required the same entry qualifications and carried identical syllabuses to internal ones. The London LLB therefore represented the English legal tradition on which Kenya's legal system drew.
Green's documented professional career is with Kaplan & Stratton, a Nairobi law firm in which he served as a partner. The firm was established in 1938 and is one of Kenya's oldest law practices, regarded as one of the leading law firms in the East African region.
The firm's practice has covered company, commercial, banking and finance work, and it has advised on notable transactions, including the first contested takeover of a company listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. Kaplan & Stratton is also a founder member of Lex-Africa, a network of independent law firms spanning 28 African countries.
Green belonged to the Law Society of Kenya, the statutory body for the country's legal profession. The Society was formed in 1948 under section 3 of the Law Society of Kenya Ordinance of 1949, and its membership comprises all practising advocates in Kenya. Membership is required by law for anyone practising as an advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
