See law profession beyond litigation, young lawyers urged

Young lawyers in the country have been advised to be creative, innovative and explore all opportunities inherent in the law profession rather than focus mainly on litigation for them to be successful in their careers.

These were the aggregate opinions of senior lawyers at a one-day event in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital organised by the Young Lawyers Forum Ado-Ekiti branch in conjunction with TGED foundation with the topic, ‘ Coursing through the Wild in the Legal Profession : The Dilemma of the Young Lawyers’

One of the speakers, Oluwaseyi Ebenezer argued that one of the challenges confronting the legal profession in the country was not because of too many lawyers in the society but failure to open up new opportunities.

Ebenezer, who is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the TGED foundation, a leading environment consultancy organisation, explained that young lawyers must not be comfortable with their present space if they are desire of moving out of poverty, saying, ” we are going to live in poverty if we don’t change the old ways of doing things in this profession.”

The lawyer turned environmentalist added that young lawyers should be ready to think outside the box, work on their integrity and be passionate about their convictions towards making a comfortable living for themselves in the profession.

According to her, ” There is a lot of areas to tap into as young lawyers. We need to have a long time plan, know what you want and develop your passion so as to be able to navigate yourselves in this profession.

“Let me also tell you that the more connected you are as a lawyer, the more brief you get. Let’s know our worth as a lawyer, it is all about packaging, integrity and being trustworthy. The truth is, law is far more than litigation, there are numerous areas to explore.”

On his part, Michael Olaniyan admonished the young lawyers to learn, earn and be visible by enrolling for courses especially in management and other areas, ” to know people and connect more with those who will bring brief. Be creative and brutal.

“You can join politics not necessarily to contest but to get those briefs from the politicians, that is a fact you must know. Law is a business and you must treat it as business. Ensure you appear well because perception is very key. ”

Another speaker, Tosin Ayo said, “Being a lawyer does not mean you must be court everyday, it is more than that and a 21st century lawyer should know this. Anytime someone comes to you with a problem , you must see it as a means to make money.”

Speaking, the chairman of the YLF Ado-Ekiti branch, Adefolaju Ayobioloja who commended the TGED foundation for the worthy partnership and making the event a huge success, said the forum organised the event, ” to expose the young lawyers to the emerging new areas of law beyond litigation and explore other areas such as in sports, environment and entertainment.”