Welcome on board!

“… The juniors have to contribute towards their own development. I suggest that they should be less ambitious otherwise they will have a stunted growth in the profession, this is because they will be looking for greener pastures which is never there…” -Abdullahi Ibrahim, CON, SAN On the 25th and 26th of November, 2014 the […]

“… The juniors have to contribute towards their own development. I suggest that they should be less ambitious otherwise they will have a stunted growth in the profession, this is because they will be looking for greener pastures which is never there…” -Abdullahi Ibrahim, CON, SAN

On the 25th and 26th of November, 2014 the body of benchers called to the Nigerian Bar the latest fit and proper gentlemen, who can now be called legal practitioners entitled to practice as barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
As has been rightly said “many are called, but few are chosen”, the journey to where you are now has not been an easy ride {trust me, I know}, from university to law school.  But alas, the burning of the midnight candle has finally paid off. CONGRATULATIONS!
Some students were famous for giving tutorials, always asking and answering questions during lectures {like this writer during his days}, many even thought they would be first class product. Sadly some of these students didn’t make it across the ladder. This in no way means they were not good; maybe they didn’t understand the techniques of putting down what they know during the examination. The learned silk O.C.J Okocha SAN in an interview blamed the usage of smart devices during lectures as one major reason of the mass failure.
Be that as it may, this article is not about those who didn’t cross the ladder, there is still time to make it up, the world has not come to an end because you are not yet a lawyer “it is not how far, but how well”, if it is meant to be, at the appointed time, you shall eventually become a lawyer.
As for the latest wigs, well done and welcome, what you just survived is only the academic aspect of the journey; now the reality of the journey begins. The legal profession is not a bed of roses as mistakenly imagined during law school, there are no jeeps parked anywhere for you once you become a lawyer, except maybe for a privileged few who would be given one as gift, and no be all go get jeep.
From now on you will hear things like “my pikin don become barrister, nobody go find my trouble” and other familiar sayings, for it is a thing of joy and celebration to finally have your name enrolled at the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
As you enter into the Bar, decide where your passion in the legal profession lies, if you desire to learn the nitty gritty of law and are not after fast cash, litigation is where you should be, where going to court would give joy and satisfaction irrespective of financial gain. On the other hand, if you don’t fancy the bitter sweet of litigation and lack the patience to wait for that juicy brief {which only God knows when it will come}, then get a salaried employment in a multi-national or government agencies.
Don’t join the Bar with a criticising attitude about how things work in the legal profession, step into the Bar with intent to contribute to the development of the profession; endeavour to dress smartly and  be clean when interacting with the society. This is not the time to rush into anything, right now you might feel because you passed the Bar finals you know the law, sorry to burst your bubble but there is still a lot to be learnt in the profession.
The provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct are not to be forgotten or discarded because exams are over, it is meant to be a guide to the conduct of a legal practitioner. The integrity of the profession is one that every legal practitioner is bound to uphold, seniority at the Bar stands at the core of the profession; respect senior colleagues, when appearing before judges and magistrates don’t be scared to make mistake, the court knows when a lawyer is appearing for the first time, “we learn everyday”.
As you begin another phase of the journey by becoming a lawyer properly so called, try to protect and preserve the good name of the profession for you are now officers of the court.

 Wish you all a smooth ride! Do send your com-ment(s), observation(s) and recommendation(s) to [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>;, follow on twitter @bulussdan or visit www.danielbulusson.blogspot.com <http://www.danielbulusson.blogspot.com>