How can lawyers succeed? Justice Chinwe Iyizoba of the Court of Appeal believes it is by hard work.
The justice, a former senior Law lecturer who served as Anambra State Attorney-General, spoke at the Second Career Development Seminar of the National Association of Catholic Lawyers (Lagos Archdiocese), with the theme: Retooling your practice.
According to her, some lawyers who appear before the Court of Appeal do not master their cases, to the extent that some do not know the date a notice of appeal was filed.
Her words: “How could a full fledged lawyer come to the Court of Appeal to argue a case and he does not have at the tips of his fingers things he needs to do about that particular case? This is what has happened in this age when there has been some de-emphasis on advocacy – you bring your file, mention the date you filed and you adopt.
“You find that some lawyers are no longer reading. Sometimes they pick up the files without bothering to go through it. Can such a lawyer make any progress? It’s difficult.
“On the question of advocacy, it is true lawyers can come to court and adopt their brief. But that doesn’t prevent you as a good lawyer from studying the brief, knowing it inside out, and after you have adopted your brief, you talk to us in a few minutes, telling us what the case is all about.
“Do you know that occasionally when counsel is given that opportunity, they pick up the brief and start reading it, which means he’s not familiar with the facts of the case. He doesn’t know what the case is all about. The fact is that in all professions, if you are good, you will be noticed. And if you are good you will go places.”
Justice Iyizoba urged young lawyers to undergo on-the-job training after Law School before setting up their practice. “You can’t get there without passing through pupilage, and building yourself by working hard to excel,” she said.
Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Augustine Alegeh (SAN) said lawyers can boost their practice by exploring emerging areas of law that have been ignored.
According to him, electricity law, which he said can be a gold mine, entertainment law and sports law are areas lawyers can develop skills in and make money from. To him, every lawyer must not practice oil and gas law. “It is important that we look at other areas we can key into.”
He urged lawyers to make sufficient contacts to follow through in building their client base. They must also “package” themselves well, including having customised email addresses, as some companies “spam” mails sent through regular email providers.
Lawyers must also reassess their approach to work. “Concentrate on developing your advocacy, drafting and communication skills. You also need research skills – ability to find the right information,” Alegeh said.
The NBA president urged lawyers to take advantage of the Stamp and Seal Policy since every legal document in Nigeria must bear the seal to be authentic, which means that foreign lawyers must go through their Nigerian counterparts to authenticate legal documents.
He said lawyers must avoid all forms of corruption, adding that if they build their practice based on relationships with judges, their business could suffer when the judge is transferred.
“So, let us develop practices that are based on law, on our knowledge and our expertise, not on our relationships. We cannot deny having relationships. We cannot deny giving gifts, but the gifts should be reasonable,” he said.
A former Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) president Mrs Boma Ozobia, in a keynote address, said lawyers can only give what they have. She said it was unfortunate that some lawyers earn less than when some drivers are paid.
Ozobia regretted that about 80 per cent of paid legal work from Africa goes to foreign law firms; African lawyers share the remaining 20 per cent of revenue they should earn. “So, we should position ourselves to get a share of the cake,” she said.
According to her, increasing number of lawyers should not be a problem compared to Nigeria’s population. “Yet, so many of our colleagues are struggling to make a decent living,” she said.
On how lawyer can retool their practice, she said it involves having a business plan. Law firms, she said, should be run as businesses, and must function even if the principal is not there. Lawyers must also adopt business development strategies, plan for succession, and design exit strategies.
“The most important tool is you: You have got to know your onion,” she said, urging lawyers to set targets and work towards achieving them, even if they work for others.
A lawyer must also consider who his target clients are, which determines where he sets up shop. “You have to understand that you sell your services,” she added. While looking for clients, he should identify key influencers who will help make the introductions. “Don’t make the mistake of taking everything that comes,” she said.
Self-discipline is also required. “You won’t see me in any aso-ebi party. It’s either you buy aso-ebi or you buy books. You have to make choices as to where you apply your income,” she said.
Ozobia said a lawyer can also charge “refresher fees” where litigations last so long, so as not to subsidise old cases with new ones.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Anthonia Akinlawon, urged lawyer to think outside the box and to realise that every facet of life has a legal framework governing it which can be harnessed. “You must understand strategic thinking,” she said.
The association’s president, Geraldine Wey, said while striving to excel, lawyers must maintain “impeccable standard of ethics, integrity and honesty.”
The seminar’s organising committee chairman, Rudolf Ezeani, said the theme was chosen based on the need for lawyers to align thzeir careers with the changing times.
How can lawyers succeed? Justice Chinwe Iyizoba of the Court of Ap-
peal believes it is by hard work.
The justice, a former senior Law lecturer who served as Anambra State Attorney-General, spoke at the Second Career Development Seminar of the National Association of Catholic Lawyers (Lagos Archdiocese), with the theme: Retooling your practice.
According to her, some lawyers who appear before the Court of Appeal do not master their cases, to the extent that some do not know the date a notice of appeal was filed.
Her words: “How could a full fledged lawyer come to the Court of Appeal to argue a case and he does not have at the tips of his fingers things he needs to do about that particular case? This is what has happened in this age when there has been some de-emphasis on advocacy – you bring your file, mention the date you filed and you adopt.
“You find that some lawyers are no longer reading. Sometimes they pick up the files without bothering to go through it. Can such a lawyer make any progress? It’s difficult.
“On the question of advocacy, it is true lawyers can come to court and adopt their brief. But that doesn’t prevent you as a good lawyer from studying the brief, knowing it inside out, and after you have adopted your brief, you talk to us in a few minutes, telling us what the case is all about.
“Do you know that occasionally when counsel is given that opportunity, they pick up the brief and start reading it, which means he’s not familiar with the facts of the case. He doesn’t know what the case is all about. The fact is that in all professions, if you are good, you will be noticed. And if you are good you will go places.”
Justice Iyizoba urged young lawyers to undergo on-the-job training after Law School before setting up their practice. “You can’t get there without passing through pupilage, and building yourself by working hard to excel,” she said.
Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Augustine Alegeh (SAN) said lawyers can boost their practice by exploring emerging areas of law that have been ignored.
According to him, electricity law, which he said can be a gold mine, entertainment law and sports law are areas lawyers can develop skills in and make money from. To him, every lawyer must not practice oil and gas law. “It is important that we look at other areas we can key into.”
He urged lawyers to make sufficient contacts to follow through in building their client base. They must also “package” themselves well, including having customised email addresses, as some companies “spam” mails sent through regular email providers.
Lawyers must also reassess their approach to work. “Concentrate on developing your advocacy, drafting and communication skills. You also need research skills – ability to find the right information,” Alegeh said.
The NBA president urged lawyers to take advantage of the Stamp and Seal Policy since every legal document in Nigeria must bear the seal to be authentic, which means that foreign lawyers must go through their Nigerian counterparts to authenticate legal documents.
He said lawyers must avoid all forms of corruption, adding that if they build their practice based on relationships with judges, their business could suffer when the judge is transferred.
“So, let us develop practices that are based on law, on our knowledge and our expertise, not on our relationships. We cannot deny having relationships. We cannot deny giving gifts, but the gifts should be reasonable,” he said.
A former Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) president Mrs Boma Ozobia, in a keynote address, said lawyers can only give what they have. She said it was unfortunate that some lawyers earn less than when some drivers are paid.
Ozobia regretted that about 80 per cent of paid legal work from Africa goes to foreign law firms; African lawyers share the remaining 20 per cent of revenue they should earn. “So, we should position ourselves to get a share of the cake,” she said.
According to her, increasing number of lawyers should not be a problem compared to Nigeria’s population. “Yet, so many of our colleagues are struggling to make a decent living,” she said.
On how lawyer can retool their practice, she said it involves having a business plan. Law firms, she said, should be run as businesses, and must function even if the principal is not there. Lawyers must also adopt business development strategies, plan for succession, and design exit strategies.
“The most important tool is you: You have got to know your onion,” she said, urging lawyers to set targets and work towards achieving them, even if they work for others.
A lawyer must also consider who his target clients are, which determines where he sets up shop. “You have to understand that you sell your services,” she added. While looking for clients, he should identify key influencers who will help make the introductions. “Don’t make the mistake of taking everything that comes,” she said.
Self-discipline is also required. “You won’t see me in any aso-ebi party. It’s either you buy aso-ebi or you buy books. You have to make choices as to where you apply your income,” she said.
Ozobia said a lawyer can also charge “refresher fees” where litigations last so long, so as not to subsidise old cases with new ones.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Anthonia Akinlawon, urged lawyer to think outside the box and to realise that every facet of life has a legal framework governing it which can be harnessed. “You must understand strategic thinking,” she said.
The association’s president, Geraldine Wey, said while striving to excel, lawyers must maintain “impeccable standard of ethics, integrity and honesty.”
The seminar’s organising committee chairman, Rudolf Ezeani, said the theme was chosen based on the need for lawyers to align thzeir careers with the changing times.
