Standing on the shoulders of giant

“… We see more and farther than our predecessors, not because we have keener vision or greater height, but because we are lifted up and borne aloft on their gigantic stature.” – Bernard of Chartres (1159) I remember as kids at an event when we were too short to see the spectacle till our fathers […]

“… We see more and farther than our predecessors, not because we have keener vision or greater height, but because we are lifted up and borne aloft on their gigantic stature.” – Bernard of Chartres (1159)
I remember as kids at an event when we were too short to see the spectacle till our fathers carried us on their shoulders, then all of a sudden we see better than our dads? This in no way means that we were taller than our dads, not at all, it was all a gesture of support so you don’t miss the action.
The same applies in the legal profession, for a young lawyer to achieve great strides the seniors ought to lend a shoulder for one to climb on, and like we said earlier, this does not mean that we are taller or more successful, rather “…we are dwarfs astride the shoulders of giants. We master their wisdom and move beyond it. Due to their wisdom we grow wise and are able to say all that we say, but not because we are greater than they.”
Senior colleagues instead of focusing energy on a junior lawyer’s flaws, like reminding him all the time (24/7) how he doesn’t read case files or law reports, or that his drafting is poor without appreciating the little effort put into the work, or always saying that junior lawyers are only interested in money, why not be a mentor to such junior or a shoulder for his career development? Am just saying!
Two years ago, with barely two years at the Bar, I approached two senior lawyers within Kaduna judicial division whose style of practice I admire – Festus Okoye Esq and Olumuyiwa Olowokure Esq – to be my mentors, and since the relationship started they have helped with complex legal and life issues. It’s not about financial gain; true they helped when the young man was in dire need and had nowhere to turn, but the bulk of what they did was lend a shoulder for me to climb on and be able to adequately make changes where necessary in the young legal parlance. It is also because of their support that I am able to complete a book ‘The Young Advocate’, (a compilation of all articles written in this column), though waiting for publication.
The point is, mentorship between seniors and juniors should be encouraged for the betterment of the legal profession. Enough with the complains of what the senior should do and not doing or what the junior should do and not doing, in my young humble opinion, time and effort should be put into making each other grow in the legal profession. Wouldn’t it be a thing of joy or pride when a young wig makes silk in the nearest future and says it is possible because this senior lent me a shoulder to climb on?
For a mentor relationship to yield meaningful result, a young lawyer must know what he wants and understand the workings of the relationship. Because you are a protégé doesn’t mean the senior would abandon his schedule of duties or affinity and make you priority, or that the senior would start solving all your financial problems. Not at all, if you go into a mentor relationship with this mindset, it won’t last.
The essence of mentorship is to have someone assist you find answers to your questions, whether they are business or personal.
In the legal parlance, mentor relationship is becoming something only read in books or told off in the past, and it’s not ideal for the growth of the profession.
This is a practice of law that helps build the confidence, self-esteem, knowledge and personal growth of a junior as a lawyer. A parent who only condemns a child’s bad behaviour without proffering alternative character traits for the child, only succeeds in killing his/her self- esteem and demoralizing the natural antecedents of the child to learn new things. The child begins to get scared of trying new things or show his or her real worth for fear that he would be scolded, gradually he begins to miss into the abyss, passing through life like he or she never existed.
In the words of Isaac Newton, “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
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