Young Lawyers’ Digest

Adaji: I wasn’t too jittery

Appearance
I was called to the Nigerian Bar, November 20, 2012. My first appearance was at the Federal High Court 2, Jos. And it was really amazing. I was led in that matter by one other senior colleague. I wasn’t too jittery but I had the opportunity of moving my first application at the High Court of Nasarawa state, particularly court 4 before Justice Abundugu.

Attitude of judges
He was a calm judge that accommodated some my errors; I was trying to be faster while he was writing in long hand. Some judges are accommodating in the sense that they know you are a new wig because you are making mistakes and they try to correct you. Others would expect you to do the right thing, forgetting that you have just been called to the Bar.

The issue of litigation is a matter of opinion and personal idiosyncrasy. Well, everybody is trained on all aspects of Law. You can do corporate, you can do Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), you can do property law as well as litigation; it cuts across civil and criminal aspects. A lot of young lawyers don’t get briefs on litigation, because they need you to have experience. The briefs are not coming; therefore you resort to doing CAC work. Lawyers tend to do CAC jobs than litigation.

On why Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) don’t pay young lawyers well
Well I wouldn’t say that. Generally in Law, there is what we call tutelage. At that period of time for like one or two years, you don’t earn much. You are trying to get yourself acquainted with the practice.

The SANs assume that you have theoretical knowledge from the Law School. Staying with those senior advocates is to learn, not principally to make the money but you that the economic realities have things so hard that everybody needs the money. That is why you see lawyers who don’t exercise patience to learn before making the money. But some lawyers are not cut out for litigation, that’s why from the onset they know they are not going to be lawyers.

Advice
Young lawyers should be ready to take up the challenge of research. It is the hallmark of a successful legal practice.