The bittersweet of litigation
In some foreign jurisdictions, a barrister and a solicitor are two different legal practitioners; while a barrister mainly defends people in court, a solicitor performs legal work outside the court room. In Nigeria a barrister and solicitor is one and the same person.Litigation is an area of law that involves legal steps of settling a […]
In some foreign jurisdictions, a barrister and a solicitor are two different legal practitioners; while a barrister mainly defends people in court, a solicitor performs legal work outside the court room. In Nigeria a barrister and solicitor is one and the same person.
Litigation is an area of law that involves legal steps of settling a case between two or more private parties and a litigation lawyer is one who specialises in settling lawsuits between these private parties. This act of settling lawsuits involves wearing wig and gown, appearing before judges or magistrates to plead a client’s case.
Notwithstanding the fact that a barrister and solicitor is one and the same person in Nigeria, not all young wigs fancy litigation. A gentleman in skirt said she doesn’t like going to court because she lacks the confidence to talk in public, but Koko Olisa Esq, another young gentleman in skirt who practises in Benin believes “litigation exposes a young lawyer and gives one the opportunity to grow. I used to be shy but now I think I can talk and not bother whether I get insulted though monetary wise, litigation is not encouraging. ” Another young gentleman in skirt who pleaded anonymity feels litigation is very stressful for married ladies.
There are young lawyers whose practise of law is confined to desk work – from incorporation, to handling property transaction or under-salaried employment with multinationals, government agencies et al, doing quite well without the stress attached to litigation. Despite this, Ogwuche Andrew Esq a young lawyer in Kaduna believes, “our times are different. It all depends on what drives a lawyer, all it takes is one big brief that would make the difference.” Another young wig, Lawrence Bassey Esq, said he is not perturbed about the economic challenges of litigation because “litigation is something I love, my day is incomplete if I don’t go to court.”
Litigation is not an easy area of law; it involves a lot of research and painstaking concentration on court processes. It is time consuming and to make matters worse most of the senior colleagues don’t encourage or motivate the young ones in a way that beams a glimpse of hope. Someone said: “Your shoe go chop finish before person go become SAN” {laughs}. It is not debatable that some young wigs’ dream of becoming the Gani (God rest his soul) of the 21st Century is choked because of lack of encouragement and high expectation from the society.
It all depends on choice and what drives a young wig. We can never get 100% satisfaction wherever we find ourselves in this noble profession. The most important thing is finding where your happiness lies. If a young wig loves advocating cases in court but the law firm he finds himself doesn’t avail him the taste of the action he desires or is not encouraging him to a reasonable extent, and all efforts to adapt to the circumstance in the best way you can has proved abortive, move on; it would be a sad thing if a young wig realises this after 10 years of practise when he fills an NBA form.
Magbuin Kingsley Esq says: “Law was originally meant for the elite class, so if one uses poverty as an excuse to leave litigation then one shouldn’t study law in the first place.” Another young wig disagrees: “Litigation is not the only way to showcase legal skills, if I get a better paying job, am out of here.” To Jerome Iroagalachi Esq, “Someone has to be in litigation, why not me?”
Having said that, litigation is interesting, it makes a better lawyer out of a young wig, from building confidence to gaining comportment. The constant interaction with court proceedings has a way of developing the self-esteem of a young wig. It tests the patience, perseverance and hard work of a young lawyer. A considerable number of Senior Advocates made their mark in litigation, tomorrow could be your turn.
It’s a two way thing. You can either find happiness in it or elsewhere, the choice is that of a young lawyer to make. In the words of Abdulmalik Suleiman Esq “litigation is one of the unpredictable phenomenon a young wig can come across…”
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