We want to use this opportunity to congratulate the
Bar Aspirant for the successful completion of the Law School Programme and Bar
Final Examination. Our Prayer is that the Almighty God will reward each person
according to his/her Labour.
THE INTRODUCTION
The vision of this Article is sourced from the words
of EUGENE C.BLACKARD:
‘’Never be afraid to
ask for direction on how to practice law more effectively. Everyone is afraid
to look foolish but the practice of law is a collaborative endeavor. You don’t
get to practice law by yourself’’
So, we @ Group4-LegalHub will be conducting
interview with Prominent Legal Practitioners in Nigeria; the Old and Young
Lawyers. And we will post the Interview sessions on this Blog. I urge you to
stay tuned and learn, we promise you that it will be educating, entertaining
and interesting.
OUR
FOCUS
Many young lawyers want to attain the immediate
status of some well-known legal luminaries in the Legal Profession but are
unaware that the rise to excellence cannot be fast-track like Fast Track
Procedure under the High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules 2012
(LOL!!!!).
According to OYEYEMI IMMANUEL (Senior Associate
in the Corporate and Commercial Practice at Templars in her article ‘’THE
YOUNG LAWYER’S TOOLBOX FOR EFFECTIVENESS ‘’IN THE OVEN’’
She listed four Utensils to enhance effectiveness;
1. Organization
of Self
2. Study
and Building of Capacity
3. Socialize
and Know Your Market
4. Set
Your Standards
5. Build
Your Trust Bank
After reading the Article I strongly believe that a
combination of all of them guarantees excellent reward for young lawyers at the
beginning and even when the wig becomes aged.
In your mind you may be thinking that this Group4-LegalHub
dudes are Jobless on this voyage they are about to engage in, my Bro and Sis
from the words of CYNDEE TODGHAM CHERNIAK who posited that;
‘’Embrace the
fact that in your first year of practice that you are still learning. Law
school does not teach you everything that you need to know to practice law-far
from it’’
TOBI AMOO, who bagged a first class from the Law
School 2 years ago, and currently an associate at Simons Coopers affirms the
above quote during our Interview session with him, we asked Tobi, How is Life after Law School? He said;
‘’Interesting! It is
exciting to have the privilege of using the knowledge learnt in class to solve
people’s problems in real life. WE HAVE ALSO DISCOVERED THAT LEARNING ONLY
BEGINS AFTER LAW SCHOOL’’.
From
the female angle, PROMISE ADAOBI MADUBUOBU, AN ASSOCIATE WITH TEMPLARS, she also
bagged a First class from the Law school, during an Interview session with her,
we asked Promise, How is Life after Law School? She said;
‘’It is another
phase and you still need hardwork, perseverance, faith and hope as companions. YOU
ARE THROWN INTO THE DEEP AND YOU JUST HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO NAVIGATE AND
RESURFACE WITH THE REQUISITE EXPERIENCE. It also a time to really decide
which way to go, to remain a practicing lawyer or to find another niche, It is
a very long journey with so many sides. I am just starting off and as usual the
top is the target’’.
THE
INTERVIEW FOCUS
We
agreed that for every week we would be having interview session from a very Old
Lawyer and a Young Lawyer. The areas of focus for discussion are;
1. Getting a law firm Job
2. Diversification in the Legal
Practice
3. The importance of Tutelage and
Mentorship in Legal Profession for a Young Lawyer
4. Establishing a Law Firm
5. Fees For Legal Service
6. Overcoming corruption as a Young
Lawyer
7. The importance of Continuing
Education
8. Conflict of Interest; Religious
Belief versus Legal Practice
9. Balancing Family and Legal
Profession.
MY
VIEW OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION AS A YOUNG LAWYER (in view)
At
every Call to Bar ceremony the ‘’New Wigs’’ are often advised to embrace new
areas of law or less developed areas of law, with the mindset that if they do,
they would have competitive advantage in those areas; Telecom, Cyber law, ADR,
Intellectual Property etc…
During
the NBA CONFERENCE 2017; one of the sessions which focused on: THE
RISE OF DIGITAL ECONOMY AND THE LAW FIRM IT NEEDS?
It
was an interesting session, but at the end they all agreed that our country is
far from the realm of development. The legal practice in Nigeria is still in
the 3rd World. The honorable
Justice told us about the new development in the area of filling of processes
digitally but he complains of how the Legal Practitioners are not in compliance
with the latest development. It saddens my heart, that in this 21st
century some law firms don’t have access to the Internet, some legal
practitioners still operate on Pentium 0.1…. Even the new wigs are far from
the realm of digitization, I was asking a friend about Linkedln and she/he
was like what is the meaning of that one again and I was like O.M.G….
According
to Chief
Arthur Obi Okafor (San) who gave a lecture at the maiden edition of the
NBA YOUNG LAWYERS’ FORUM, CALABAR BRANCH on the topic ‘Young Lawyers in Legal Practice:
Venturing beyond usual borders’[1]
he posited in relation to the Impact of Information and Communication Technology
on the Young Lawyer:
‘The Knowledge and proficiency in
ICT is a mandatory requirement in the 21st century legal marketplace
for a young lawyer, clients often communicate through ICT systems and lawyers
must be in a position to access and have proficiency in utilization of ICT
facilities, a Nigerian Lawyer and indeed any lawyer anywhere in the world must
therefore be abreast of latest developments in ICT as it is a requirement for
effective use of ICT systems and devices’
WAY
FORWARD
We believe that the interview session with the
prominent legal practitioners Home and Abroad will serve as a Lamp to aid every
young lawyer’s survival in the Legal Profession.
I believe that the best way to make yourself valuable is to solve problems, yes!!! Give your boss an innovative solution to legal issues arising in any area of practice.
I end with the words of Chief Arthur Obi Okafor (SAN);
‘A Lawyer is a better asset to
himself and society if he can demonstrate excellent skills in a niche within
the profession. It makes you significantly more valuable and gives you potential
to attract more clients. If you are known as a specialist in a particular area,
your value will greatly increase’
CONCLUSION
We believe that we have created an appetite in you
to follow us through the interview sessions that would be uploaded weekly on
this blog. 3 things we want you to do for us;
1.
Read the Blog
Read the Blog
2. Press
the Share Button
3. Follow
our Blog by clicking the Follow Button…… THANKS!!!!!
Let me end with this quote to every young lawyer out
there;
‘You’re not a lawyer when you
graduate from law school. You’re not even a lawyer after you pass the bar exam
and admitted to the bar. When you face a client or an opponent or a Judge
without an overwhelming urge to throw up…..then you’re a lawyer…….
BONUS
TIPS
WE
HAVE IN OUR CUSTODY RECRUITMENT EMAILS AND Addresses of the top firm in Lagos
State for now, we working on other states….How do you get this;
1. Follow
our blog
2. Help
tell someone about our Blog
3. Send
an email to us @group4hub@gmail.com
4. Send
a Whatsapp message to 08138765200 (PLS DO NOT CALL)
Also,
if you have any news or story related to legal profession, you can send them to
our email or the above phone number.
CALL
FOR ADVERT
Contact
us;
Kofo:
08028522487
Fola:
08030564264
[1] The
Nigerialawyer.com/what-young-lawyers-need-to-survive/ accessed on the 31st
day of August 2017
