Paul Usoro SAN, A Representative Of The Advocacy Of Gender Parity

In the black continent, where the intellectual prowess of women
is yet to be fully acknowledged and accepted as a tool for societal
development, only a few members of the male gender openly encourage
and support females in the face of hostilities associated with
gender imbalance in the society. Paul Usoro, SAN, a distinguished
gentleman and one of Nigeria’s finest Lawyers, is one of such
supportive males.

Paul Usoro is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, an ICT Law Expert
who is not just recognized as an outstanding brain from which most
legal minds are to tap from, he is a figure who represents a true
manifestation of the modern day advocacy of gender equality. This
is as a result of his massive contributions to the development of
the legal profession on both sides of the divide.

Last October, the learned silk justified the thoughts of
observers when he donated the sum of one million naira to the
Rivers State branch of the African Women Lawyers Association during
its first anniversary. According to him, there are dividends when
women are empowered and occupy positions of authority; women have
the potentials to drive positive societal changes if only they are
given the ample opportunity.

Giving equal opportunity to women didn’t just happen upon him.
In his firm, they hold principal roles. Asides his wife, Mfon who
is a Managing Partner, Adetola Bucknor joined Paul Usoro & Co.
in 2008 as a Junior Associate, fresh off National Youth Service
Corp. In 2014, she became an Associate Partner in the firm. Again,
this development is another demonstration of Usoro’s gender parity
agenda. For Adetola, the success of the journey can be attributed
to the opportunity Usoro provided.

“It’s easy for people to say I’ve done well for myself to be
able to rise through the ranks here at PUC but in truth, credit
must be given to the man with the vision that we all key into as
employees. My position as an Associate Partner today is down to Mr
Usoro’s belief in my capacity and importantly, his strong agenda
for equal opportunity for men and women.”

For Usoro, there is no better way of showing it than being an
example of it. Like Maya Angelou once said: How important it is for
us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she -roes.

“It’s important for us individually and collectively to harness
the good in people, encourage them, particularly when they’re good
at what they do. Leadership should be based on merit and not on
gender or the notion of patriarchy as evident in our society today.
We must practice what we preach and that’s why we’re an equal
opportunity employer at PUC and we hold that very dear,” he
said.

Usoro is not only a preacher of women participation in
governance, he is as well a contributor to sporting activities
amongst male and female lawyers alike: as for nine years and
counting, he has been sponsoring male and female lawyers to the IBA
yearly which is a fall-out of the Mfon Usoro Tennis cup, nicknamed
the largest sporting event among lawyers. LTTO is a Table Tennis
tournament open to lawyers from within and outside Lagos. Travel
and accommodation cost for out-of-town lawyers are underwritten by
PUC. The 9th edition of this tournament was held in October
2017.

Indeed, Usoro has proven himself an excellent figure; an icon of
gender parity. His strives over the years have never been one
sided, they have been all embracing and all admiring.

For many who do not know him, Paul Usoro is a telecommunication
giant, known for his exceptional drafting and advocacy skills and
his philanthropic records throughout Nigeria.

In the black continent, where the intellectual prowess of women
is yet to be fully acknowledged and accepted as a tool for societal
development, only a few members of the male gender openly encourage
and support females in the face of hostilities associated with
gender imbalance in the society. Paul Usoro, SAN, a distinguished
gentleman and one of Nigeria’s finest Lawyers, is one of such
supportive males.

Paul Usoro is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, an ICT Law Expert
who is not just recognized as an outstanding brain from which most
legal minds are to tap from, he is a figure who represents a true
manifestation of the modern day advocacy of gender equality. This
is as a result of his massive contributions to the development of
the legal profession on both sides of the divide.

Last October, the learned silk justified the thoughts of
observers when he donated the sum of one million naira to the
Rivers State branch of the African Women Lawyers Association during
its first anniversary. According to him, there are dividends when
women are empowered and occupy positions of authority; women have
the potentials to drive positive societal changes if only they are
given the ample opportunity.

Giving equal opportunity to women didn’t just happen upon him.
In his firm, they hold principal roles. Asides his wife, Mfon who
is a Managing Partner, Adetola Bucknor joined Paul Usoro & Co.
in 2008 as a Junior Associate, fresh off National Youth Service
Corp. In 2014, she became an Associate Partner in the firm. Again,
this development is another demonstration of Usoro’s gender parity
agenda. For Adetola, the success of the journey can be attributed
to the opportunity Usoro provided.

“It’s easy for people to say I’ve done well for myself to be
able to rise through the ranks here at PUC but in truth, credit
must be given to the man with the vision that we all key into as
employees. My position as an Associate Partner today is down to Mr
Usoro’s belief in my capacity and importantly, his strong agenda
for equal opportunity for men and women.”

For Usoro, there is no better way of showing it than being an
example of it. Like Maya Angelou once said: How important it is for
us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she -roes.

“It’s important for us individually and collectively to harness
the good in people, encourage them, particularly when they’re good
at what they do. Leadership should be based on merit and not on
gender or the notion of patriarchy as evident in our society today.
We must practice what we preach and that’s why we’re an equal
opportunity employer at PUC and we hold that very dear,” he
said.

Usoro is not only a preacher of women participation in
governance, he is as well a contributor to sporting activities
amongst male and female lawyers alike: as for nine years and
counting, he has been sponsoring male and female lawyers to the IBA
yearly which is a fall-out of the Mfon Usoro Tennis cup, nicknamed
the largest sporting event among lawyers. LTTO is a Table Tennis
tournament open to lawyers from within and outside Lagos. Travel
and accommodation cost for out-of-town lawyers are underwritten by
PUC. The 9th edition of this tournament was held in October
2017.

Indeed, Usoro has proven himself an excellent figure; an icon of
gender parity. His strives over the years have never been one
sided, they have been all embracing and all admiring.

For many who do not know him, Paul Usoro is a telecommunication
giant, known for his exceptional drafting and advocacy skills and
his philanthropic records throughout Nigeria.