EYE WITNESS

I attended a Court session in Onitsha by 8:30 am and the court was already sitting to hear ex parte applications. I was impressed with the zeal of both the lawyers and Judges. I now know why lawyers in the jurisdiction make the list of senior advocates each year.

I also observed that the lawyers in court were 89 percent above 50 years. I investigated further and I discovered that the Young lawyers produced in UNIZIK and UNN Faculty of Law end up in Lagos and Abuja. The impact of this is an inter-generational gap in legal practice.

A state of emergency needs to be declared in legal practice in Onitsha. The senior lawyers in the practice area should carry younger ones along by making them salary lawyers or partners rather than appearance fees counsel AFC.

Community meetings should have as an agenda the need to ensure lawyers in Onitsha do the cases in the state as they are competent and only need encouragement. If the firms are not briefed the younger lawyers will go to where the briefs are

The Court rooms leave much to be desired. The state governor must prioritize suitable Court rooms and accommodation for Judges. Rule of law is not necessarily judgement of court but facilities that aid the outcome.

The job of successful law practice is a collective one; we must all wrap our hands round it with the emergency it deserves.

President Aigbokhan 
Benin City, Nigeria
president@foicounsel.com

• Aigbokhan is a Benin-based lawyer

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