How to run a successful legal practice and retain female lawyers were among the issues discussed at the third edition of The C.O. Anah SAN Memorial Colloquium in Onitsha, Anambra State, reports EMMA ELEKWA.
I regret studying law. I can’t encourage anyone close to me to consider law as a course in the university…”
These were the words of a young female lawyer who graduated less than 10 years ago.
No doubt, her bitter experience in the profession must have left her frustrated.
This lady is not alone. Several female lawyers had at some point in their careers, expressed similar regrets.
Many of them had gone into the profession with high expectations but ended up being disappointed. Many end up on other vocations or careers other than law.
How to halt this brain drain and tackle challenges confronting female lawyers, especially in litigation, formed part of the discussions at the Third Memorial Colloquium in honour of the late Cyprian Anah, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
It was organised by the Anah Law Practice in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The colloquium, with the theme: ‘Practice Management: The Heartbeat of Every Impactful Legal Career, had distinguished learned men in attendance
Speaking on the topic: Gender-based brain drain in litigation, former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Awka Branch, Amaka Ezeno, lamented that the loss of female lawyers was seriously impacting the legal profession, especially in litigation.
She identified sexual harassment, violence, family pressure, limited maternity policies, lack of creche facilities and convenience in courts as reasons female lawyers abandon active legal practice.
According to her, many women are excelling in law school and becoming lawyers in numbers roughly equal to men but the bad news is women are not sticking around to practis e.
Ezeno said: “According to a report from the International Bar Association (IBA), currently, only four out of 37 Attorneys-General in the country are female and four per cent of Senior Advocates in Nigeria are female.
“Out of the 128 NBA branches across the country, only five are currently headed by women.
“In the judiciary, only one woman has ever been the Chief Justice and in the Court of Appeal, only two women have been the President.
“This gross under-representation of females in senior legal positions is attributable to sexual harassment, violence, family pressure, limited maternity policies, lack of creche facility and convenience in courts.
“Also, the misogynistic perception of female capacity in a largely patriarchal society where only male litigators are mostly preferred by law firms as litigation is seen as ‘men’s work’.”
Ezeno said it would require the collaboration of governments, judiciary, founders of law firms and the NBA to address the challenges and encourage female lawyers to get to the peak of their careers.
“Owners of law firms should employ and provide a safe and healthy working environment for female lawyers devoid of any form of violence or harassment.
“The legal profession should insist on enforcement of the NBA’s sexual harassment policy, aimed at creating a safer working environment for women.
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“The judiciary should endeavour to provide lawyer lounge, canteen space, creche, comfort room, among other facilities for lawyers especially female lawyers while waiting for trials to begin, or during recesses in court.
“Also female lawyers should have successful mentors, believe in their abilities, eschew low self-esteem, dress properly, attend conferences to improve and be assertive,” she advised.
Chief Judge of Anambra State, Justice Onochie Anyachebelu, described the colloquium theme as apt and timely.
He said: “In the judiciary, part of our programmes is encouraging continuous legal education and opportunities like this expose lawyers to certain things we hitherto were ignorant of.
“For example, some of us believe advertisement is a no-go area.
“But one of our paper presenters was able to show us subtle ways through which advertisement could be made without breach of law.”
“On the brain drain challenge, my experience with female practitioners is that they have lots of distractions which make them unstable in legal practice – though distractions, in this context, are not bad, by way of marriage and other interests.
“There are several female lawyers who are very intelligent and hardworking. But because of these distractions, they have a lot of limitations.
“By getting married and running homes, you can’t expect them to effectively combine running a home and legal practice.
“Many times, they’re expected to travel out with their principals. Some may want to avoid such trips to avoid being misinterpreted.
“As a married female lawyer with children, you don’t expect the private practitioner to offer you the type of leave the government will give you.
“For three months you’re at home, you don’t expect your principal to be paying you, knowing the type of capitalist environment we operate in. The average female lawyer can’t cope with these challenges.
“As we admit these limitations exist, I advise that the private practitioner has to look for ways to accommodate the women, especially those they can utilise to justify the payment.
“It’s not like in government where they’re paid through taxpayers’ money, including during maternity leave.
“On our part, we’ll continue to create a conducive and enabling environment for legal practice, including the provision of basic facilities, but not to the extent of building maternity homes to encourage the women among us.”
Former NBA General Secretary, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), said there was a need for legal professionals, particularly those in private practice, to re-examine how they run their businesses to cope with the economic realities.
According to him, the legal profession is also a business and without enough funds, a law firm will not be able to pay staff and effectively run its operations.
Osigwe said though lawyers cannot advertise their services, they can stay visible on social media.
He said: “As a lawyer, you need to practice with dignity, be the best at what you do, let the world know what you have to offer and you will be hired.
“You can promote your legal services by putting your name out there using social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, websites, LinkedIn and so on.
“Make periodic posts on law issues, write articles and make contributions to law journals.
“Publish in a reputable law list or law directory, a brief biographical data of yourself. With these, people can google and find you.
“These are ways lawyers can advertise their services without going contrary to the ethics of the profession.
“We are part of a profession that has a special obligation to our clients, to the courts, to the society and the higher cause of justice.”
Convener of the colloquium and Managing Principal at The Anah Law Practice, Adaeze Anah, said the event was to drive intellectual exploration and legal reforms.
She said: “Many of my late father’s colleagues described him as an intellectual giant, a pathfinder, a fearless advocate of excellence, astute and selfless barman who made positive contributions to the legal profession.
“This colloquium is to continue his legacy. The speakers explored the challenges confronting the legal profession and performed corrective surgeries on our jurisprudence to advance the course of justice and human rights in Nigeria.”