Internship is Very Critical in Legal Career
Please give a brief introduction of yourself
I am Ademola Adesina, a Partner at Dele Adesina & Co., here in Lagos.
Have you had any challenges in your career as a lawyer and if so, what were the main challenges?
Well, by the Grace of God, I cannot say that I personally have had a lot of challenges in my career as a lawyer, as I have been privileged to work in some of the biggest law firms in Nigeria and learn from some of the brightest minds to ever enter the profession. However, that is not to say that there are no major challenges facing young lawyers at every step of the way. In my own opinion, the first and most important challenge facing young individuals in the pursuit of a career in law, is actually finding a job. According to online news bulletins, the Nigerian Law School called a total of 4,225 students to the Bar in November, 2016. It is also my understanding that the November Call is not the only Call in a given calendar year, as the School conducts several others in order to make room for re-sit exams and make up for backlogs. It is therefore, safe to assume that the Nigerian Law School turns out about 6,000 – 10,000 new lawyers every year (give or take a few thousand). Unfortunately, there simply is not enough jobs in the legal ecosystem to accommodate all these lawyers. Closer to home, I am aware of several Masters’ Degree holding legal practitioners (most of who obtained their degrees from international universities of worldwide renown and repute) who have been unemployed for periods going on years now. At this point, people usually say why can’t all these lawyers go and start their own practices, why must they settle for employment? To be honest, that is a fair question, and a lot of young lawyers go straight into their own practices.
While taking this route can prove attractive and even lucrative to the successful ones, it means jumping into the same ocean that is already crawling with whales and sharks (in a manner of speaking), forcing them to compete directly with already established firms. That right there is an insurmountable challenge on its own. That is not to say that it is to be discouraged.
What was your most memorable experience?
My most memorable experience would have to be the first time I appeared by myself at the Court of Appeal, Abuja, a few years ago. The Appellant had filed a motion for stay of execution before the Court of Appeal (which the trial Court had previously granted on the condition that the judgement sum be paid into the Court). However, all the briefs were in. When the matter came up and it became apparent that I was going to take the matter, I prepared for the hearing of the appeal, because I anticipated a move by the Appellant to go straight for the hearing of the appeal and abandon the hearing of the motion for stay of execution, since the appeal was ripe for hearing.
Even though I felt strongly about this, my senior felt differently, so I had to start preparing for the arguments for the motion for stay. When I got to Court, the Appellant, who I’m sure felt they were about to pull a fast one, withdrew their motion for stay of execution and urged the Court to hear the substantive appeal on that date. I had been proven right and this delivered an immense confidence boost to me, as I was more prepared for the hearing of the appeal. At the risk of sounding immodest, the hearing went beautifully and my arguments were unassailable.
The cherry on top of this story, is that the Court of Appeal ruled in our favour and gave judgement in favour of our Client.
Who has been most influential in your life?
This is a tough one because like I said earlier, I have had the privilege of working with some of the brightest legal minds to ever put on the wig and gown. From Dr. B.O. Babalakin SAN, and Mr. Boonyameen Babajide Lawal Esq., who I worked with immediately after Law School, to Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, Dr. Dapo Olanipekun, SAN and Bode Olanipekun who I worked with for about 4 years.
However, I will have to say that the person who has been most influential in my life is my father, a renowned legal practitioner, who has led by example and illuminated a path which I am humbled and privileged to follow.
Why did you become a lawyer?
From an early age, I had been exposed to the Nigerian legal world, with my dad also being a lawyer. I remember following him to court while in primary school. The whole thing seemed so formal, respectable and dignified. Even more so is the fact that, everywhere I went to with my father, he was treated with such respect, mostly because he was a lawyer. As a result of all this, being a lawyer is quite literally the only thing I’ve ever seen myself doing.
What would your advice be to anyone wanting a career in law?
We as human beings tend to romanticise ideas based on impressions we have formed, whether accurately or inaccurately. For example, a person decides they want to go into music simply because of how the lifestyle of a musician is portrayed on television, or another saying they want to be a doctor because they have watched a few medical shows. Having said that, my advice to anyone wanting a career in law, would be for them to try to acquire some sort of real life experience of what such a career would actually entail, before jumping feet first into it. So a student who has just finished secondary school for instance, ought to know exactly or at least have an idea of what a career in law actually entails by attending court when he/ she can and doing internships at law firms. Like I mentioned earlier, before I even started studying law at university, I went to court several times with my dad, I spent some time doing internships in one or two law firms before I decided that this was for me. Gathering a little experience by attending court and doing internships before making the choice, means you are making a more informed choice about your future. More importantly, internships in law firms shed light on other aspects of law apart from litigation, which can be attractive on their own. That way, one is not caught by surprise by any of the demands of the profession (and the profession is very demanding). Also, doing so would go a long way to help him or her secure employment after completing their legal education.
If you had not become a lawyer, what would you have chosen?
I honestly cannot begin to speculate on what profession I would have chosen if I had not become a lawyer. Yes, there are other attractive fields, but law is so encompassing that you can specialise in the legal aspects of those fields. For instance, I have always been fascinated with Medicine, that is, discovering the cause of a person’s illness, what the proper course of treatment is, things like that. But that fascination has manifested itself in my practice of Medical Law and Negligence. So I’m sorry, I have no answer to this particular question.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Well the Bible tells us that it is not he that runs, or he that builds, but God that shows mercy. So I can only pray for God’s mercy and Grace that in ten years, we would be more successful in our legal practice, and in life, in general.