According to the Webster online dictionary, the word
‘career’ as a noun means ‘a job or profession that someone does for
a long time’. By this same dictionary, the word ‘success’ means
among other meanings ‘the fact of getting or achieving wealth,
respect, or fame’. No doubt that when a child is
registered in a western-educational institution by his parent or
guardian, the goal of such parent or guardian (I think) is to
create a career opportunity for such a child leading to his future
success.
With this goal in mind, such child grows up in his education up
till the tertiary institution where he applies to study law as a
profession. The purpose of studying in school in real sense is to
become successful in one’s career. After such a child is called to
bar (after completion of the tertiary institution), he finds his
way in the society into the labour market from which he looks for
his success. Finding or choosing a career that leads to success has
always been a great challenge for a young lawyer and time is of
essence as he proceeds in his future endeavours. This paper aims at
drawing young lawyers’ attention to the path to a career in the
legal profession with the ambition of attaining success in such
career.
First and foremost, from the definitions of
‘career’ and
‘success’ defined above, it means (in my
humble view) that the two do not mean the same.
‘Career’ (in my humble view) leads to
‘success’ and
‘success’ does not precede career.
Therefore, what a parent does by registering a child in a
western-educational institution is to create career opportunities
for such child and not to give such child a career, though, some
parents who aim at enforcing a career on their child (rather than
providing the child required guidance and or guide) regret their
action in the later time. So, from the available opportunities
given to that child by his parents, he later finds a career in the
legal profession for himself.
There are several careers or career opportunities in the legal
profession. A legal practitioner can be engaged in private practice
or in the public practice or in a non-public practice as an
employee. Where he engages in the private practice, he might take a
career of being a Senior Advocate of Nigeria or remain a Non-Senior
Advocate of Nigeria after some years not less than ten years of
being a lawyer. He might also be in the service of being a legal
practitioner as an employee to any law firm or private institution
such as company, bank, etc. he might also be in the legal
department of government’s agency or in the office of the
Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation or of a State as a
Counsel. He can be in the Federal Civil/Public Service or that of a
State government as a civil/public servant. From whichever career
chosen, he finds his success over the years that he remains in the
career. The very great issue is how would a young lawyer find his
career through which he overtime acquires or attains his success?!
It is very unfortunate that a young lawyer has to undergo a
terrible financial crisis for quite an unascertainable period of
years roaming about in a poor condition without any succor.
In fact, it is becoming that the most terrible
in-law to have is a young lawyer. It has gone to such
extent that the law of diminishing marginal utility in the economic
principles has befallen the legal profession to such extent that
those respects that a lawyer used to gain in the long years a go
have turned out to gain people’s hatred against the legal
profession or lawyers this era. When a lady introduces her
lawyer-suitor to her family in this present generation, one would
observe a change in sitting position of her family members or
parents. Many other questions would come up as to what he does for
survival as perhaps he could be a ‘charge and bail
lawyer’ as the public would say! Before many of his
in-laws, he is accorded little or no respect, even by his own wife
(all because he has no money)! All these
are insults and embarrassment to the legal profession and lawyers
which a young lawyer faces. With due respect, in my humble view,
Nigeria is not a country where there are careers for a successful
legal practice for lawyers in private practice. One form through
which I have observed that some of those senior lawyers survive is
where they have a link in any private or public establishment
either by a friend or family relation, is to have a retainership in
that establishment, though, this is not free. There must be a
bargain on the fees payable by such establishment. That is why a
lawyer is paid for instance, the sum of two million naira for his
legal services on paper but unfortunately, in reality, he is only
entitled to the sum of five hundred thousand naira only after other
expenses.
About fifty percent has already been paid to the person or those
who have created the opportunity to be considered for such
services. In other countries, such as the United Kingdom and the
United States of America, one would observe colleagues who study in
those countries doing well than those lawyers who studied in
Nigeria. What then is the problem?! Personally, with due respect,
some of those courses in the Nigerian Law School’s curriculum
require to be studied in the universities. The question is whether
there are no other advanced practical courses to be studied in the
Nigerian Law School?! For instance: criminal litigation; civil
litigation; corporate law practice; and the property law practice
are courses that could be inculcated in the university, only the
law in practice can be necessary in the Nigerian Law School. It
then means that the necessary regulatory institutions or bodies in
charge of the Nigerian Law School and the Council of Legal
Education have to find other necessary courses to fill in the gaps,
else, the Nigerian Law School would have had no contribution to the
career of a young lawyer.
Furthermore, some young lawyers see colleagues who ride in big
vehicles or who appear in a very bright apparel in court or outside
the court rooms inclusive of traditional wears that those
colleagues have attained success. The truth that those young
lawyers need to realize is that it is not all that glitters that is
gold. Not all those lawyers that they see actually have achieved to
acquire that wealth. Perhaps they are from an influential family or
they attained that wealth from illegal or corrupt means, though,
there are very few number of lawyers who actually have worked
diligently to earn those wealth that they acquire. So, a young
lawyer should be contented with the hard-work that he does today
and hopes for a career that leads him to an everlasting success
without engaging in any illegal or corrupt act, which overtime is
likely to destroy all his long years of career.
Furthermore, young lawyers should immediately after his call to
bar, consider whether he intends to seek his career opportunity
either in politics or private practice or public practice or in the
judiciary and then as early as possible, to pursue same because
time is of a great essence. If he starts early for instance in the
public service, he is likely to become a Director though
considering his age and his retirement age. And if his aspiration
is in the private practice, he should keep developing himself
through research and practice and to hope with prayers for a
greater height in future years as a notary public, as a Senior
Advocate of Nigeria or as a judicial officer or being an appointee
of a public office either as Attorney-General of the Federation or
of a State, among others. From all these, he would find success in
his future years.
Also, the Nigerian Bar Association especially at the national
level has a lot to contribute in a young lawyer’s career
opportunities either by professional trainings or by engaging young
lawyers in active participation in the bar affairs. The Nigerian
Bar Association, Abuja Branch (the Unity Bar) which I belong to,
for instance, has a lot of packages for young lawyers via
discussion series, health insurance, engagement in the bar affairs,
among others. I believe that the same thing happens with other
branches of the Nigerian Bar Association across the nation but
these are not enough. The national body must swing into action by
taking up the affairs and welfares of young lawyers so that their
being a lawyer would be a grace and not a disgrace to those
lawyers, their family and the general public. The truth too is that
the legal practice or legal profession has lost and is losing legal
practitioners to other professions due to the unbearable
frustration and financial conditions experienced by majority of the
young legal practitioners, hence, the need for a systemic approach
in winning back the heart of those who have departed and to retain
the heart of those new wigs for a better future for the legal
profession and the progress of Nigeria as a nation.
In conclusion, from what I have discussed above, it is my humble
submission that ‘career’ and
‘success’ are two different words and do
not mean the same. While ‘career’
precedes ‘success’,
‘success’ is the result of the
‘career’ overtime. Also, it is my humble
submission that it is the roles of parents or guardians to create
career opportunities for their child or ward and that will be
inclusive of providing required guidance for them in choosing the
right career in future but not to be mistaken as the role of
compelling their child or ward to take a particular career, as
compelling them is likely to take away or reduce the child’s
passion for such career and such child might likely end up failing
in his career while his contemporaries continue to excel as leaders
in their chosen career. Furthermore, I have with due respect,
submitted that there is need for a change in the Nigerian Law
School’s curriculum and syllabus that aims at creating more career
opportunities for young lawyers who are just called to the bar at
the end of their qualifying bar examination in such a way that
colleagues in other countries would not take advantage of their
present condition to take away the success in the legal practice. I
have equally listed some career opportunities open to a young
lawyer of which the young lawyer is to search for detailed career
opportunities as would suit his ambition. I have also recommended
to the Nigerian Bar Association especially at the national level to
be more proactive and caring in the affairs and welfare of young
lawyers.
Lastly, young lawyers should hope with prayer to attain success
in their career. They should not take colleagues who they perceive
to have acquired what they see as wealth through their career.
Those young lawyers should realize that in deed, there are more to
that wealth beyond their imagination. Young lawyers should not be
discouraged by their present financial conditions. I wish myself
and all young lawyers a greater success in their endeavours!
e-mail: hameed_ajibola@yahoo.com[1]
References
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hameed_ajibola@yahoo.com
(nairalaw.com)