His legal career started in Senegal where he held several positions before becoming registrar of Supreme Court of Senegal and, from 1976 to 1982, personal assistant to its President.
Er begann seine Laufbahn in Senegal, wo er verschiedene Positionen innehatte, bevor er Mitarbeiter des Verfassungsgerichts Senegals und, von 1976 bis 1982, persönlicher Assistent von dessen vorsitzendem Richter wurde.