Lawyer Advice Students At The Nigerian Law School, Asks Them Not To Be Intimidated By The Rueful Stories Of The Bar Finals – TheNigerialawyer

An Associate at Templars, Caleb Adebayo has given a piece of
professional advice to aspirants at the Nigerian Law School.

In his piece titled, ” For Whom The Bar Tolls”,
Mr. Adebayo warned the soon-to-be lawyers to refuse to be
intimidated by the rueful stories of the bar finals, and the
likes.

He among others urged them to take their time, pay attention to
details, eat good food, etc., if they must come out in flying
colours.

Below reads

For Whom the Bar Tolls

Dear Law School Student,

I know the past nine months have been trying for you. I know how
you have worked arduously; going at your books for long weeks,
staying up late nights, reading, writing and re-reading, pushing
yourself to understand concepts that undergraduate life didn’t
prepare you for. I know, because I have been there.

I know how tough it must be training to be a lawyer, how
demanding, how the past few months have called on every part of
your being; at first exciting, even daring, and eventually
exhausting. I know the days you have taken ill, the days you have
blanked out in class and those days where you have simply thrown in
the towel on those drafts, convinced it would only take a miracle
to learn them. I know.

And now, it’s just a few days away- the period you have done all
this hard work for. You would sit in a room for a few hours for
five days, and viola, just like that, it would determine the rest
of your life. I know the pressure you are under to hit a first
class because you earned one at the University. I know the pressure
you are under to get a first class because your University didn’t
believe in you enough to give you one. I know nights you have
prayed, then cried, then slept off. I understand the times when you
tethered between sleeping and waking, until the lines blurred and
you didn’t know if you were seeing corporate law in your sleep or
you were sleeping while reading corporate law.

I have just a few things to tell you. I won’t say much because
I’m certain you’ve heard a lot already, but I see you’re still
scared. Fear tugs at you every now and then and you imagine what it
will be if the exams don’t quite turn out as you expect. It’s time
to push fear away. There’s a lot of it in the air at this time. The
atmosphere is charged with worry, the fear is tangible, and as the
days approach, many anticipate it with bated breath. This can’t be
you. You have to find the courage to take this on, devoid of fear.
Fear cripples. Your mind, your thoughts, your creativity. It gives
you every reason to cower and tremble, but that’s not you. No, you
kept the faith for these nine months. This is not where you give
in. You have come this far; classes, tasks, tests, the bland food,
the late nights. You’re just a few paces away. So tell fear that
this is not it’s place. You have got nothing to be afraid of. You
have attended classes, you have read, you have written exams in the
past- you will be fine.

Refuse to be intimidated by the rueful stories of Bar finals, of
the exams sicknesses, and deaths and psychiatric incidences and the
tons of failures and the Big Brother script marker that breathes
down everyone’s neck. Refuse to be jolted by certain people’s
triumphant announcements of reading the syllabus 5 times and over.
This is the point where you control what you hear and tell yourself
that you can take this on, and win.

You also need to take care of yourself. Eat well and rest well.
Take protein as much as you can, keep your immune system active and
alive. Take health supplements if you have any, and lots of fruits.
And never make the mistake of reading overnight and heading
straight for the exam hall. Sleep is the save button on all your
readings, and you know how bad it is when you don’t save a document
and you shut down your laptop. Recovery is difficult. Respect your
body and give it rest.

I understand that you are concerned that you keep reading and
forgetting, so I’d say that in these last moments before the exams,
you spend time discussing all you have read with friends you have
built friendships and trust with over the past few months. You
remember things better when you say them, so team up and discuss.
Also, use all you read in conversations, in jokes (no matter how
banal), as a looking glass through which you see everything going
forward. You see, law is about solving problems. Look at the Bar
finals that way. They will put a set of problems in front of you to
solve. To solve them, you need to be armed with the relevant
knowledge. So as you wake and sleep, revise what you read in your
head as solutions to problems. Learn the principles and let them
stick. The cases are a bonus.

And then when the day comes; when the bell of Bar finals tolls,
wake up, say a prayer, freshen up and go early to the hall. And as
you walk in, leave your fears and second-guessing at the door. Walk
in, knowing you have done all there is to have been done. Whatever
you have read up till then has to suffice, and you have to trust in
it. Breathe easy and don’t be led into the pre-exam conversations
that make you doubt what you know. That is not the time. Pay
attention to detail, read carefully, don’t be intimidated by early
starters, time yourself, choose your optional questions wisely ( be
sure you can answer the most from it before you settle for it),
write legibly and logically and remember how you were taught to
answer questions. Attempt all questions required. Don’t leave
anyone un-attempted (you’re a problem solver, remember?). When
you’re done, leave what you’re done with, behind and with fresh
determination, prepare for the next day. Don’t fall into the trap
of crying over spilled milk, no matter how bad you think a paper
was. No paper is to be sacrificed at the altar of another.

Understand that between now and then though, there is still
time. Keep pushing, keep studying, keep going through your summary
notes, keep picking at those details. I hear your Bar finals
closely follow your MCQ- nothing we have ever seen before in this
manner. Don’t let that scare you. You can do this, and you will.
You have come this far. There’s nothing that can stop you now.

Remember too, there is life after Bar finals. In fact, that’s
when it all really starts. So while you put all your energy into
this, know that being a lawyer involves more than passing a series
of exams. So start thinking like one now. See the exams, and then
beyond. Understand that the people, the experiences and the
learning, matter a lot.

And I know you have so much faith in God. This is one of those
times when you hold on firm, because after all said and done, isn’t
he the one in Whom all creation rests? So, I’d be praying for you,
and I’m sure you’d be praying too. And I know God will crown all
your efforts with success.

So for whom does the Bar toll? It tolls for all of you. But this
tolling is not of loss, sadness or despondency, it is of triumph,
of success, of victory. And I’m here waiting, with open arms, to
welcome you to the Bar.

My very best,

Caleb Adebayo (Associate, Templars)