*A Score Below Fifty Percent In A Law Examination Or Test
Considered Is A Pass Grade Is A Scandal – Chief Folake Solanke
* Says Resistance From Judges On Digitally-Driven Court Processes
Would Consign Nigeria To Global Irrelevance As A Legal Marketplace
Frozen In Time
* As Justice A. A. Augie Advocates The Use Of Online Dispute
Resolution For Speedy Dispensation Of Justice
A Lagos-based law firm, Kenna Partners, has marked its Silver
Jubilee with colloquium and the presentation of the book, “Brief
Insights: A Selection of Milestone Cases”. The Event was held at
the Skylight Terrace Hall at the Lagos Oriental Hotel in Lekki,
Lagos State of Nigeria.
The Colloquium with the theme, ‘Footprints in Law and Society –
Towards a Paradigm Shift,’ for the 25th anniversary of the founding
of Kenna Partners was led by its Principal, Prof. Fabian Ajogwu,
SAN, and chaired by Chief Folake Solanke, CON, SAN.
In her remarks, the Chairman of the occasion, Chief (Mrs.)
Folake Solanke, CON, SAN, stated that a situation where a score
below fifty percent in a law examination or test is considered a
pass grade is a scandal. She made this statement while directing
attention to the perceived issues of the legal profession. She also
called on the Paul Usoro-led executive of the Nigerian Bar
Association (NBA) to interrogate the dimensions of corruption among
legal practitioners with a view to treating culprits as ‘impostors’
rather than genuine lawyers, and the persistence of the practice as
‘iniquity with impunity, while emphasizing the need for judges to
be technologically inclined.
“Not only was continuing education for lawyers a sine qua non,
it must be complemented by a wholehearted embrace among lawyers and
judges alike of modern technology. Further resistance to
digitally-driven court processes – especially among Judges – would
consign Nigeria to global irrelevance as a legal marketplace frozen
in time.”
Justice A. A. Augie, CON, JSC, on the other hand, spoke on the
supremacy of the rule of law in the good ordering of society.
Narrating the historical background of the concept, and its
importance, Justice Augie called for the need for the deployment of
technology in legal processes and the various new areas of practice
being opened up by the expanding technologies of the 21st century,
laying emphasis on the Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism, as
well as the Online Dispute Resolution.
She also stressed a greater appreciation of ADR (alternative
dispute resolution) as well as ODR (online dispute resolution)
mechanisms to aid the speedier and less adversarial resolution of
disputes.
Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, SAN, former Attorney-General and
Commissioner for Justice in Rivers State, spoke on the centrality
of law in society’s affairs, not so much as a creative force (such
as the sciences or the arts) but as a mediator and moderator
between conflicting interests. He also frowned at the narrow view
with which the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, saw the rule
of law in that he tried to dispense with it and individual rights
in the service of some vaguely-defined ‘national interest’
Other panelists who spoke in the event are Mr. Damian Dodo, SAN,
and Mr. Chukwuka Chukwuma, a US-trained financial strategist, who
spoke about the role of firms like Kenna Partners and others in
improving the economics of the nation, and the promotion of a
business friendly environment. He attributed the growth in the
number and scale of big-ticket public projects in recent years to
the dexterity with which law firms have negotiated the terms under
which funding has been obtained for them from local and foreign
sources
“Law firms have shown greater and greater dexterity in their
ability to handle global as well as transactions – not just in real
estate, but also in oil-and-gas, high finance, transportation, etc.
It was a trend which is expected to continue and expand in scope,”
he said.
Thereafter the book, ‘Brief Insights: A Selection of Milestone
Cases’ was presented.
The said book includes court decisions involving Kenna Partners
presentations in court over the years. Also, was the cutting of the
silver jubilee anniversary cake by Prof. AJogwu and his team of
partners and associates at Kenna Partner. The event was braced with
the presence of many dignitaries.
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