The forthcoming NBA-AGC!
It came as a ‘shocking surprise’ when I asked a young wig with three years post call if he was going for the NBA annual general conference in the ‘eastern heartland’ or also known as ‘land of hope’ and his reply was to ask me what NBA conference was all about. This can only mean […]
It came as a ‘shocking surprise’ when I asked a young wig with three years post call if he was going for the NBA annual general conference in the ‘eastern heartland’ or also known as ‘land of hope’ and his reply was to ask me what NBA conference was all about. This can only mean that there exist a number of young lawyers whose only involvement with NBA is the payment of practising fee and maybe once in a while, branch dues.
This column has established the importance of capacity building for junior lawyers and how the young lawyer can help himself achieve this. The NBA AGC is an avenue to kill two birds with one stone; this is so because the conference provides a veritable opportunity for lawyers all around the world to meet and hear firsthand about current trends and legal developments in various areas of practise.
It is not entirely the fault of the young lawyer who is oblivious of the activities of NBA, some law firms are not interested in the activities of the Bar. This in turn affects the mindset of the young wig under their employ and vice versa.
Research and experience have shown that networking, seminars, colloquiums et al are of immense benefit to the growth of the practice of a young lawyer and the law firm, with sections of NBA like section on business law, section on legal practise, section on public interest and development, Human Right Institute, and forums like academic forum, women forum, young lawyers’ forum et al. Conferees I believe, ought to be rewarded with knowledge of new trends and challenges of the legal profession as well as networking with old time learned colleagues in diverse territorial jurisdictions.
OkeyWali (SAN) in his welcome address to all conferees at the 53rd annual general conference in ‘peoples paradise’ said “… for any lawyer involved in any aspect of legal practice, regardless of specialisation, the NBA AGC provides unsurpassed opportunities to meet new contact, learn what is happening in your legal sector and add to your wider experience of legal profession.”
This once in a year event is something a young lawyer ought to experience and have a feel of what it is like to be in the biggest gathering of lawyers in the country, if only law firms would ensure or encourage young lawyers’ participation in an event like this.
Some law firms that know the importance of the conference to the practise of a Nigerian lawyer have already taken care of the conference fees, accommodation, transport and feeding of their young wigs. This is not only wonderful but also deserving of an applause, since ‘all fingers are not equal’, it will be inequitable and unfair to expect the same treatment in all law firms.
Having said that, any law firm no matter how small (financially) should try and conceive affordable means of showing support to young lawyers under their employ to enable them attend the conference. The firm need not bear the entire financial burden of a young lawyer; subsidising his expenses would go a long way as motivation.
A young lawyer on the other hand who has been shown support and encouragement by his law firm, should on his own part utilise every opportunity he can grasp at the conference and dedicate such knowledge to improving himself, be it personal development or his legal practice. There is this erroneous belief by some school of thought that the younger ones are only interested in money and not learning the trade, one can only hope that young lawyers would continue to prove this notion wrong.
The concept of ‘capacity building and its importance’ is not theoretical as some readers would like to think, if encouraged it is sure to impact positively on the growth of the legal profession.
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