A CHECKLIST EVERY LAWYER MUST HAVE BEFORE TAKING A CLIENT’S CASE TO COURT

I am asking myself whether our lawyers involved in election petition cases and other cases are doing anything to secure a better future for our justice system.

I would think that all cases start or doesn’t start with the advice given by a lawyer. Just like I know that every litigation is commenced by the lawyer who thinks that taking his client’s case to court will not only bring about justice for the client but will add to the jurisprudence of the justice system.

As for me, I have created a checklist for taking a case to court and they are:

1. Is it the only way of getting justice for my client?

2. Will this case improve our justice system?

3. Can the court infrastructure handle the Dispute?

4. Is the judge worth bothering with the dispute?

5. Can I be humble enough to call the other party to seek mediation and redress out of court?

If I can’t, in good conscience answer these questions positively, I simply advice my client not to go to court and tell the client pointblank that I cannot waste the court’s time with his case.

• Bayo Akinlade is the Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Law Society

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