Nigerian Legal Awards Recognises Senior Advocates of Nigeria As Role Models
Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), are to be honoured and recognised in this year’s Nigerian Legal Awards, as role models to budding lawyers.
The Convener of the Award, Mr. Lere Fashola, said that the 5th edition of the annual event, comes with this new initiative aimed at encouraging lawyers in equity to develop the value of diligence, eye for goals, commitment, and team spirit, while focusing on the contributions of their individual role models to the national and international development of the legal profession.
Fashola, who disclosed this last Friday at a press briefing to herald the forthcoming event, which holds on November 12, 2017 at the Landmark Event Centre, Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos, said the SANs category of the Nigerian Legal Awards, celebrates their noble contributions to the growth and development of the future of the legal profession in Nigeria.
He said, “this is a golden moment for the Senior Advocates who have been nominated, to be aware of their unconscious tireless efforts in sharpening the future of the legal profession”.
According to him, one of the students wrote in his essay about a Senior Advocate thus; “it is indeed a joyful moment, for me to see my role model being celebrated, because he has been a source of inspiration to many. I personally salute the ingenuity of the brains behind this novel initiative. I think Legal Blitz Limited, is offering quite a lot to the profession by bringing out the best in talented and efficient lawyers. Organising this kind of event, must definitely have caused a lot in terms of resources, but the service rendered to this great profession by this organisation, is indeed, commendable”.
“With a view to making the award holistic and thorough, quality has been the sole criterion for selecting any of the nominees on the list. The aim however, is to recognise beyond legal excellence, but also contributions to the law. This Award, is based on an online poll conducted on the various social media platforms through www.surveymonkey.com. We have also received various submissions from the National Law Student’s Essay Competition, where Law Students across the various Faculties of Law all over the country were asked to write a 500 word essay on the SAN who inspires them to greatness.
“The processes are subject to independent evaluations, first by our editorial board and then by a team of external judges. As an organiser, our own is to seek nominations based on the laid down criteria. The decision of selecting winners, is absolutely subject to judges’ work.”
“The ESQ Nigerian Legal Awards, is set up to celebrate the important contributions of lawyers to the growth of businesses in Nigeria. It recognises the excellent, innovative and positive impact of lawyers on the legal profession and businesses, across the various sectors of the Nigerian economy. Among the past winners are former Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, the first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria-Chief Folake Solanke, retired Justice of the Supreme Court -Honourable Justice Olayinka Emmanuel Ayoola, and many others.
“The 2017 Award, will be considering deals undertaken by major commercial law firms in various practice areas, that set new standards in the Nigerian legal system, legal expertise and services that bring about economic wellbeing of the nation in the period under review (December 2015-June 2017). The Award will review submissions by law firms, that show consistency in leading transactions in the different economic sectors in Nigeria.
“The ESQ Nigerian Legal Awards, will also honour outstanding In-house Teams, law firms and legal professionals in Nigeria and in the Diaspora. The Award reflects pre-eminence in key transactions, practice areas, and achievements over the period of eighteen months, including notable work, strategic growth, excellence and innovation in client service, advancement in technology and contribution to the legal profession at large”, Fashola noted.